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The Little Book of Plagiarism
Richard A. Posner
#UB1912
Hardcover, 116 pages; 2007
$10.95
 Members' Price: $9.30
Unconscious plagiarism is a sin of neglect rather than of intention and, therefore, less blameworthy, so when plagiarists are caught they invariably argue that their plagiarism was unconscious. …There is even a word for unconscious plagiarism—cryptomnesia. The plagiarist had read something and he remembers it without remembering that he had read it.
I've often worried about being guilty of cryptomnesia--even before reading Federal judge and law professor Richard A. Posner's definition of it. And even though Judge Posner goes on to say that psychologists refute the phenomenon, I'm not completely convinced. (I've learned that, when I'm taking notes, I must copy the words exactly; otherwise I may find myself inadvertently reverting to the original wording later.) Judge Posner discusses some of the more famous cases of plagiarism--both ancient and modern--and analyzes the subtleties of the "sin" and its complexities in our times. All in all, the judge/professor has written a very original "little book" (i.e., a long essay) that's sure to resonate with anyone in the business of putting words on paper.
(EE)
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