Ethics of Learning & Teaching

Jewelry Discussion
61

Hello everyone,

This is such an interesting topic. From the start, though, I must
say that I’m not sure that ethics are simply a matter of what feels
right to you (as I read in one post). While a person can and should
have personal ethics, there are broader, societal ethics that are
less a matter of strictly personal belief. But that is a different
discussion for a different day.

That being said, my take on this subject is, of course, one of
personal opinion. I see this topic from several perspectives: That of
the educator teaching at a college, university, high school, art
center or at any venue in which expanded courses and survey classes
are offered. That of the itinerant workshop or symposium instructor,
visiting artist and special guest lecturer who is hired to teach,
lecture or present specific material or based on their
work, professional profile or experience. That of the metalsmith who
writes an article for any number of publications which feature
technical articles, “How-To” or DIY sections.

When I teach, which I do fairly frequently, it is my hope that
students will take what I have offered them and adapt the techniques
to their work and way of thinking. I know that this reapplication
will be put through the filter of their own work. adapted and
reapplied using their own particular design language or in their own
creative voice – to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the
person. This is fine and is, in fact, the point. It is my greatest
hope and goal for students to generalize from the specific instance
or technique that I have given them and to more broadly apply the
to other situations. I do not expect, however, for what
I have taught to be offered as a workshop by someone who has taken
mine. I offer the for personal use.

The dissemination of gleaned at a workshop really
depends (again, in my opinion) on how and where that happens.

It is less than ideal. and I have seen this several times (none with
which I was involved))-for an artist to take a specific process which
they have learned in a specific workshop and then “take it on the
road”, teaching the technique as their own and in their own
(compensated) workshops, around the country. In these cases the
artists were not known for this technique-indeed rarely, if ever,
did it appear in their work-nor had they taught it before. This is a
slap in the face to the artist who first taught the technique and to
the attendee who has coughed up the bucks to learn the process from
an experienced practitioner. Because there is the implication that,
in a workshop, the teacher is a specialist who is more than simply
familiar with or knowledgeable about a process but is someone who is
proficient at it and who actually employs it in their work. So in my
mind this situation cuts two ways: It is unfair to the teacher who
originally gave the and it can also be misleading to the
workshop attendee who signs up for the weekend.

In the case of the high school/college/art center educator teaching
survey or advanced courses, I see very little problem with these
professionals directly sharing what they have learned from a workshop
that they have taken. There is something different at work here that
I just can’t put my finger on. Workshops are special events, offering
a more in depth exposure based on the accumulated experience of the
instructor. Ongoing, all-inclusive classes are less so. Sloppy, I
know, but that’s my personal line in the sand.

But, what is missing here is the writing of articles, publishing
under one’s own name, what has been learned elsewhere. In my opinion,
this is the most unsettling situation. Maybe it is the breadth of the
audience that is addressed in print or online that really changes the
equation. But it smacks to me of capitalization.

I believe that in education, especially workshops, there is a shared
responsibility on the part of the student/attendee and the
instructor. I see it as the teacher’s role to provide solid
on the topic offered, to be present and patient, to be
fair and even-handed and to understand that there are different
learning styles and modalities and, so, to do their best to present
the material in a variety of ways. On the part of the student I feel
that their half of the bargain is to listen, be present, speak up
when they are confused and to use what they learn responsibly which,
in my mind, means to not simply parrot techniques or style but to
tailor them to their own work. There may be an attitude among some
that in paying for a workshop, they have purchased unlimited use of
th= e and are free to implement it in any way they
choose. I have always assumed that students will not do this and will
instead take whatever I offer and “make it their own”. Not always the
case. I now address this when I start a workshop and urge
participants to adapt the

So, I don’t see the sharing of as black and white. It
is, in my mind, a matter of balancing the source, the type of
with who and why it is being shared and how the person
sharing it is compensated. I am sure that I have passed on techniques
that others have taught me. But I make a real effort to credit people
when I can. In the case of writing an article, I would make an effort
to contact the person from whom I had first heard of the technique
and run it by them. It simply seems like the right thing to do.

I’m sure that some on the list will disagree with me and that some
may be strident in their posts. But this is what I believe.

Take care,
Andy Cooperman

62 
I put up a 'How I do it' on my website. I make a plique-a-jour
18kt gold fairy.
http://www.meevis.com/jewelery-making-class-fairy.htm

Thank you very much Hans for showing us your wonderful fairy pin. I
continue to be amazed by the skill and talent of you and the like
members on our Orchid list.

Jan

63

issue 1:

I do take issue with the following: If you learn a technique in a
workshop or seminar or symposium, or through private instruction,
the primary intention should be on incorporating the technique into
your body of work for your own personal use. If the primary
intention is to add the technique to your teaching repertoire and
then in turn teach it yourself, that is a questionable motive. 

A fairly recent example - metal clay. How else to teach the
techniques necessary to work successfully in the metal clays? Many
workshops and seminars have been given specifically to enable
others to teach those techniques.

Metal clay, by the design of its own cetification scheme is an
exception to my above statement. The process to be certified in this
way; to teach specific things at specific levels to certify others to
teach these same

specific things; does not have any parallel in goldsmithing in North
America that I am aware of. If there is I certainly feel left out
because I must have missed it somehow.

As an anomaly, I don’t think it fits into what has been under
discussion here. Metal clay as it is presently presented assumes that
(some) people pay for instruction with the intention of, and for the
purpose of, being licensed to instruct it to others. That is
relatively in opposition to the origin of this discussion which asked
about technique, not a particular medium/material. This also poses a
further problematic issue when those who have only previously taken
metal clay workshops, which do offer certification/authorization to
teach, start to take other workshops which are not organzied under a
similar certification program.

issue 2:

Yes, but here in the Chicago area, there's not really anywhere
else to go. Other than Lillstreet, there _is_ no one else for Noel
to refer people to.

Why would these students need a single person’s referral to find out
about other classes or instruction or alternative venues to continue
their jewelry education? Are they a captive audience? Unless the
people in this geographic area are land locked or restricted in their
ability to move about freely, or they don’t have an internet
connection, it isn’t rational to assume it is incumbent on only one
instructor to be their sole connection to continue learning about
making jewelry.

Students who wish to can travel to take classes from anyone, at any
number of other venues and study with accomplished expert teachers.
They can also purchase stone setting instruction on dvd. They can
also petition their local art center or a private studio to bring in
an expert from outside the area who has a recognized level of
accomplishment and true specialization in the subject they wish to be
taught.

If the desire to learn is there the students can find their way to
seek out the instruction. Many of my students have undertaken
goldsmithing instruction with numerous other teachers and artists.
This is something I highly encourage by suggesting taking workshops
and classes with as many varied and recognized teachers as will
benefit their ultimate goals in their work. I can’t imagine thinking
that I would be their sole source of instruction.

Michael David Sturlin

64 
As a surgeon I find this statement ignorant and offensive. This
blanket statement perpetuates public misconceptions that really
get under my skin.

Well, Julia you are right, and I do apologize. I just mentally
pulled some non-art professions out for comparison. It also occured
to me that surgery is one thing that is a lot like jewelry making,
with the added dimension of life-and death and more, and as I said,
the whole concept was not a condemnation of schooling. But your
complaint is well founded. Writing on the fly…

And even though nobody said it, I think it should me made clear that
even though skills are learned by doing, that doesn’t mean there’s no
reason for schools and classes. The Juilliard School of music is
renowned, and yes they have classrooms. By far the most important
part of it is their mentoring programs, though. The point is not to
say that you can’t teach someone to paint, because you can. They turn
themselves into “A Painter”, though.

65

I think we might do well to remember that this is not rocket
science. Nor is it metaphysical. It might be a tad existential
though…maybe.

Of course you can teach goldsmithing. Everyone here has learned or
is learning from some sort of teacher(person, book, website). But
just like when you teach basic math, its always up to the student to
practice. That doesn’t make the math teacher any less of a teacher.
Personally I never got too much out of courses

If you as a teacher learned some method from another teacher,
doesn’t it follow that the was intended for the public?
It might be unethical to turn around and compete with your teacher
but then hey, that happens all the time in this biz. If you’re in a
quandary about it, why not ask the original instructor how they feel
about it? Did you sign a confidentiality agreement? If not, that’s a
pretty clear indication that they’re not too concerned about it.

Then again it depends on the nature of the thing being taught. Is it
some proprietary thing or is it something more generic? There’s a
difference between “this is how you make Coca Cola and this is how
you make cola”.

66 
There is very little black and white in medicine. It's not a
matter of memorizing a book and applying the cut-and-dried
If that were the case there would be no doctors, only
data intake clerks punching in and printing out
treatment recipes.

I can see what you mean about medicine Julia. The human body is such
a complex entity that doesn’t always behave as the textbooks might
suggest it should. One person with a particular disease will respond
in a certain way to a particular treatment. Take another patient
with the same disease and they may respond in a completely different
way to the same treatment, so as you say, it’s not a case of “one
treatment fits all”. I have Addison’s disease, which seems to be
something that very few doctors know much about or have any
experience with. My endocrinologist can only go by the textbooks when
making decisions about my treatment as I’m his only Addison’s
patient. But the disease doesn’t always follow the textbooks so the
two of us have to work towards effective management between us.

When I was at uni, I started off doing a biological chemistry
degree, which was two thirds chemistry and one third biology. The
chemistry was very much black and white, where answers were pretty
much either right or wrong (obviously that’s a bit of a simplistic
view), a bit like maths, whereas the biology part of the course was
much more based on models and theories and was a bit more fuzzy
around the edges. It took far more work and many more hours to gain
good grades in biology than it did in chemistry and I was bringing up
four young children at the time so didn’t have enough time. I gave up
the biology part after the first year. The art of medicine takes all
the sciences such that you need to be proficient in all of them,
chemistry, human biology and a certain amount of physics, as well as
anatomy and physiology, diseases, symptoms, treatments, etc, etc -
and that’s all before you even start to specialize! I have a great
respect for the many good doctors who care for the rest of us - it’s
no mean feat.

At least in making jewellery, yes one might get sued if someone
decides you’ve done something to their beloved emerald, but we don’t
have to make life or death decisions or have the fear that if we
have a bad day at work, someone’s life may be jeopardized.

Helen
UK
http://www.hillsgems.co.uk
http://www.helensgems.etsy.com

67 
If the primary intention is to add the technique to your teaching
repertoire and then in turn teach it yourself, that is a
questionable motive.

I don’t think it’s a questionable motive if one learns it with the
intention to teach, but practice it to the point where you are
proficient at it before you teach it to others.

Helen
UK

68

John and Julias comments about surgeons got me thinking more about
what I think Dan Spirer posted about taking a class then parroting
what you learned. What if resident surgeons who helped with a brain
surgery could go out and teach it to other new residents. If this is
what is going on out in the jewelry world no wonder we have so much
mediocre work out there. I took a workshop at Wildacres on engraving
with Alan Revere, I would not even think about trying to teach an
engraving workshop; stone setting, fabrication, or casting yes but
not engraving. Now if someone in the fabrication class wants some
basics on engraving I would show them enough to get them started but
that is it. I also took a weekend workshop with Andy Cooperman years
ago on pin clasps and closures, with my skill level I could go out
and teach that the next day if I had wanted but would not even think
about it, that is his class let him teach it. If you are going to
teach, be an expert at what you teach, taking a workshop on a
subject does not make you an expert, doing it hundreds of times makes
you an expert.

My two cents
Bill Wismar

69

Mark,

We pulled wire to make our basket settings, poured ingots to roll
out out shank stock, etc. We really had no choice, the jobs were
due and must be finished like it or not.

This is the philosophy of Jay Whaley, and how he teaches his Jewelry
Making classes. Whether his students continue to alloy, melt, and
roll their own, is a student decision, but only after they learn how
to do it on their own.

What I am seeing now, among some of Jay’s students, is those who
ordered commercially made bezel, are finding it far too thin and
basically cheap looking, including myself. Jay was not my first
instructor when I began classes in the San Diego area, therefore I
have commercial bezel on hand from my prior class. It is wimpy, and
easily bent out of shape. I now know the difference.

Mark, what you suggest is sadly true. There are many places to learn
smithing, Some, I fear have no clue. I have actually heard “why
bother, it is so easy to order.” Yeah right.

Some time, it is best to go back to the basics, that is, if you know
how.

Hugs,
Terrie

70 
Of course you can teach goldsmithing. Everyone here has learned or
is learning from some sort of teacher (person, book, website). But
just like when you teach basic math, its always up to the student
to practice.

Of course you can — and of course you can’t. The only point being
that there are some who want to walk into a class and walk out a
diamond setter or whatever - it just doesn’t work like that.
Engraving is the ideal example. Your lesson: Here’s a piece of steel.
Put it in a handle, get it sharp and start cutting. Engraving
teachers, don’t howl at that, of course there’s more to it. But BEING
an engraver is all in YOUR hands, and that can’t be taught. It can be
learned, it can be directed and coached, but it is your own touch
that makes you an engraver. I’m not trying to bash teaching, I’m
trying to stress the importance of skill, and that takes something
more. And also the importance of apprenticeships (formalized or not),
which is where somebody who knows more than you do gives you tasks of
a rising scale of difficulty, hopefully always just a bit more than
you think you can handle, and then makes you do it until you’re good
at it. Whether you like it or not.

71 
here in the Chicago area, there's not really anywhere else to go.
There are only two art centers that have teachers who have the
experience and skill to teach stone setting (beyond your basic
bezel). One is where Noel is and the other is Lillstreet Art
Center.

True, Elaine, and besides, I’m happy to have an “excuse” to learn
something new. Since taking stone setting, I’ve prong-set a few
stones (I’m not crazy about prongs, on the whole), tried
flush-setting a trillian (with only moderate success, though my
daughter wears the result), and incorporated quite a bit on
flush-setting of small round stones intomy work. It’s all grist for
the mill! I like to say I collect techniques the way a squirrel
collects nuts-- you never know when they’ll come in handy.

And, by the way, I don’t believe there is anyone where I teach who
teaches stone setting (beyond the basic bezel) except me, and don’t
get a lot of call for it-- just as well, since (as I tell my
students) my expertise is limited. I’ll tell anyone to go to New
Approach or Revere to really learn!

Noel

72

OK, my turn, if I may.

I have a personal, face to face friend, who previous to Orchid, was
known to me only via the books she wrote. She has a very unique
technique, and is constantly recreating and adding to her base of
knowledge.

Some time ago, she gave a for fee Workshop, where she taught
participants some very original and wonderful designs. Some time
later, she was told that a Workshop participant, was teaching her
very specific Designs at another location, still in this
geographical area. My friend was stunned, and very hurt, that this
could happen, and objected. The participant felt she had done no
wrong at all and became indignant.

Ethics are mentioned, we all have them, but not all match another’s
idea of what ethics are. Mine are very Black and White, thanks to a
German mother and Italian father. I have been told that shades of
Gray are preferable, but I am an Ayn Rand fan.

I know the pain this caused my friend, she was extremely affected by
it all, and has not given another Workshop since. Another
consequence of this is that other Workshop presenters, no longer
supply written handouts to accompany the class. Made it far too easy
to rip off. So the action of one, has impacted many.

What would have been ethically correct, would have been to invite
the Workshop presenter to teach her technique to the class at the
other location, for a fee. That did not happen.

I do not see this as a technique that would go to the grave with the
presenter, it is already out there. Just do not rip the presenter
off.

I totally love Hans Meevis for his generous tutorials. I more than
respect Kate Wolf, Jim Binnion, Michael David Sturlin, I can
understand what each of them said, and know they come from a fount
of knowledge, and generously offer their skills. For anyone to take a
class with any of them, and then go on to teach simply on the basis
of that class, is missing a giant portion of the whole. IMHO.

Hugs,
Terrie

73

This has been an interesting thread. And I have a response that
involves business theory… bear with me. Any successful business
(and selling jewelry is a business) must identify its own competitive
advantages. Maybe it’s a unique sales and marketing strategy… or
the owner’s skill and speed which can produce a good profit margin at
a lower sales price… or a unique design style, etc.

For artistic businesses, much of the competitive advantage has to do
with unique designs and artistic skills. Protecting my advantage is
part of my responsibility. I can do that through copyrights and
(sometimes) patents, but that is only effective if I am willing and
able to defend this intellectual property (which can be expensive and
requires a different skill set). Besides legally protecting my
advantages through copyrights, the best way to protect myself is to
NOT share the

This leads to conflicts when teaching. The "business of teaching"
has an objective of sharing knowledge and As an artist,
if I teach my knowledge and skills to others, I’m selling my
competitive advantage to potential competitors;… or the opposite of
protecting it. Instead, if I choose to only teach knowledge that is
readily available in the public domain, my artistic competitive
advantage remains intact, but I may not be able to attract any
students.

I’m not a proponent of restricting I’m just suggesting
that if I want to add to my income by teaching what I know best, I
end up damaging my jewelry business’ competitive advantage. If I
choose to teach, I can accept that risk or perhaps identify a new
competitive advantage for my jewelry business.

Jamie

74

It has been suggested that some teachers expect their students to
learn and use the techniques themselves, but NEVER to teach
techniques to others (or only use it with attribution, or whatever
stipulations). If this is the case, the teacher should have the
student agree to restrictions, in writing, prior to the class. That
way, it becomes a value proposition for the student to decide if the
cost of the “restricted” knowledge is worth the price. Without this
clear communication, it’s unreasonable to have any expectation on
how this knowledge is used by the student.

Jamie

75

John Donivan is absolutely correct on this issue of the need for
actual practical experience. It is a part of everything jewelers do.
You need to actually solder something a thousand times before you’re
good at it. Can you do it right after ten solderings? Sure. But
after a hundred you’ll do it better and faster and right the first
time. And after a thousand times you don’t have to even think about
it. That is something you can never get in a class or any school that
is out there. Same goes for any technique. I learned early on that I
could do bead setting if I put my mind to it. But to get good at it,
I would have to do it every day, twenty or thirty times a day. It
wouldn’t matter how many classes I took in it. Without that
constant, repetitive practice I would never be as good, or as quick,
as someone doing nothing but bead setting. Hence, when I need
something bead set, I bring it to a guy who only does that. Sure I
could do it myself, but then would my customers want to pay me ten
times the price they would pay when my setter does it (and he does a
better job of it) because it’s going to take me much longer? Nope.
Same goes for engraving in my book. I can do it but I’ll never be as
good as my hand engraver who does nothing else. Then the question
becomes, do you want to do nothing but engraving? or bead setting? or
whatever technique it might be? Some of you might be perfectly happy
doing that (certainly my engraver and bead setters are). Personally
I’d be bored in a month. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just not for
everyone. But to think that you can take one class in any technique
and be proficient enough after that to teach it, no matter actually
do the thing in a reasonably quick and well executed fashion is just
living in a fantasy world.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.

76 
It has been suggested that some teachers expect their students to
learn and use the techniques themselves, but NEVER to teach
techniques to others (or only use it with attribution, or whatever
stipulations). If this is the case, the teacher should have the
student agree to restrictions, in writing, prior to the class.
That way, it becomes a value proposition for the student to decide
if the cost of the "restricted" knowledge is worth the price.
Without this clear communication, it's unreasonable to have any
expectation on how this knowledge is used by the student.

I think this is an excellent suggestion. I have been a bit bothered
throughout this thread by the idea that I could be expected to pay to
learn, and then somehow expected, without being told, that I was not
to then use that gained knowledge as I saw fit. When I went to school
to get first my BA, and then my MFA, I went with the expectation that
I could do whatever I wanted with the knowledge gained. If I wanted
to create, fine. Teach, fine. Go into a different area of work
entirely - fine. Up to me. As it happens, I have done all three
throughout the years.

I have always “assumed” this with workshops. I have NEVER taken a
workshop where I was told in advance that there were limitations on
what I could do with the knowledge/skills gained. I HAVE taken
workshops where I was told the handouts were proprietary, and not to
be copied. That makes perfect sense to me - like a book should not
be copied. If you want the book go buy it or check it out of a
library; but don’t copy it and give it to someone else. If I
encounter someone who admires something done in a specific workshop
and wants to know more, I always refer them to the person I learned
from.

If I am going to pay for a workshop, then I deserve to know ahead of
time what the limitations are on what I am going to be “allowed” to
do with what I have learned. That will absolutely be part of my
decision in whether to take the workshop or not! This is not to say
that I will necessarily ever teach a similar workshop - but that I
deserve to know up front if that is not permitted, so I may decide
for myself in advance whether that matters. It may not - it may be a
technique I won’t ever want to teach. But just as the instructor
should have the right to place limits, the student should have the
right to choose to accept them and take the class, or not accept them
and not spend the time and money to take the class.

I think clarity in advance would be beneficial to all parties, and
probably provide a recourse in case of a violation of expectations.

When you consider the number of workshops given around the world, it
seems to me that a problem is occurring in very few instances, but
that those few are significant. They seem to involve not “common”
skills or techniques, but ones the teacher has developed, or taken
in fairly new directions. If you fall into that category you should
perhaps have a lawyer draw up a contract to use in all of your
workshops clarifying your expectations for yourself and your
students. Although how many people would want to take a workshop
with those limitations, I could not say.

I have taken workshops at Wildacres put on by the SFMS, and the
expectation always seemed to me to be that students should master the
techniques, practice them, and then give back to the community by
passing them forward at some time in the future. Granted, the
Wildacres/SFMS classes are a special circumstance, but it makes for a
very open, positive environment that encourages learning and the
exchange of ideas. This is an environment that I find very appealing
personally.

Beth in SC

77

Teaching is a way of giving back to an industry that has providedmy
hands-on education. The questions asked in my class are not
forsearching for the right answer, but rather to provoke creativity,
whichis sometimes difficult for a student to find within them. I
askmyself questions about many things just so that I can think
deeper. The constant question in our design class every week is “what
inspiresyou as an artist/designer”. Teaching for me is more like
coaching, allthe while being encouraging and poking into the student
to get themto look at themselves harder, and hopefully take this
habit into all other classes. Cumulitave learning is very hard for
many students. If they miss justone class they have to catch up on
how to carry lessons on to thepresent exercise and discussion. Ethics
aside, ego aside, I teach because I simply love it.

Margie Mersky
www.mmwaxmodels.com

78

Hi Terrie,

What I am seeing now, among some of Jay's students, is those who
ordered commercially made bezel, are finding it far too thin and
basically cheap looking

I don’t like commercial ready made bezel strip either. As you say,
it’s never thick enough and it’s also not always the width I want. I
cut my own bezels from ready milled sheet, or I make my own sheet
and roll it to the thickness I want and cut custom bezels from that.
There’s something rather satisfying about melting clean solderless
scrap and making your own small sheet with it, then turning it into
a piece of jewellery.

Helen
UK

79 
There are many places to learn smithing, Some, I fear have no clue.
I have actually heard "why bother, it is so easy to order." Yeah
right.

Without pounding the point to death (though it needs to be), I think
that some think of the old ways as being Luddite. My analogy would
be cooking - we don’t use canned food here, we start with fresh
vegetables. We don’t use precooked food here, we cook our own food.
Is it McDonalds where a big ol’ truck pulls up every week, or is it
Alice Waters with a shopping bag at the farmer’s market? Everybody
decides for themselves…And, yes, we all use findings more or
less - as another said, it IS a business…

80

I’m just coming in at the end of this thread so if I’m redundant,
please forgive me.

I agree with some of the posts that it’s unethical to teach another
artist’s techniques after you’ve taken their workshop. On the other
hand, if the techniques being taught are in the public domain, I
think it’s fair game. One of the big problems here though is that a
lot of folks don’t know the difference between what’s in the public
domain and what’s not.

Here’s my own little story: Almost ten years ago, while sequestered
in the Pacific Northwest for 11 sunless months, I wrote a small book
called, “Make Wire Beads”. I self published it and set up my own
distribution network. I’ve spent almost 20 years creating and
morphing woven wire techniques so making simple wire beads was a
snap. I also wanted to learn about the publishing industry in the
event that I might want to publish some of my extensive wire
research and techniques.

Anyway, that little book taught me more lessons than I ever would
have imagined. I never expected anyone else to teach from it. Many
have. I never imagined that folks would actually manufacture and
sell beads from it. But they have. I most certainly never expected
anyone to claim my work as their own but that’s also happened. I
definately never expected other students and instructors from classes
I was taking to copy my own exhibit pieces. That, too, has happened.
On the up side, the book sold out and I’ve been bombarded by requests
for it ever since.

I wrote a second book on fiberwire and just two weeks ago walked into
a fine craft gallery only to have my husband turn and say to me,
“Honey, I didn’t know you were selling your work here!” I wasn’t but
somebody was. EXACT copy from one of my books, technique, design,
even finishing!

My point here is that there’s the law which says you can’t make money
off someone else’s intellectual property. Then there’s reality and
reality wins. If you put it out there, expect it to be used, taken,
stolen, morphed and anything else you can think of. Doesn’t make it
right but unfortunately, there are unscrupulous folks out there.
Aside from that, my own conclusion is that most folks are well
intentioned but very confused about copyright law…they think if
something is in a book that it’s in the public domain and it’s not.

Finally, as if I weren’t already surprised enough by all that’s come
from that little book of mine, a friend of mine recently sent me an
email that used copies were available on the internet for up to an
astounding $200 a copy!!! While I was flattered, I was once again
stunned by what other people are doing with my work. The book will
shortly be available in pdf format at a reasonable price as was my
original intention. Sheesh.