Given the thematic and legal complexity of this subject, a single chronological narrative would quickly become unmanageably dense and convoluted, and would obscure rather than reveal the connections. Four crucial strands are addressed in turn in the substantive chapters of this book: the Berne Convention, colonial copyright, America and international copyright, British domestic copyright. Although all four narratives are intended to be to a certain extent self-contained, the interconnections and interfluences are brought to light wherever possible. The final domestic strand may at first seem to be a surprising intrusion, given that this book is largely concerned with the internationalisation of copyright. However, given that it was the myriad difficulties with the international aspects of copyright that obstructed the reform of domestic law, the interactions with the other three strands are particularly revealing when viewed from this perspective. Also, those striving for the necessary major domestic reforms would where possible seek to include both colonial and international copyright in their schemes. Talfourd's 1837 bill was the first to attempt this integration, and there were several subsequent efforts. Yet it was not until the 1911 Act that this objective could be realised in any form. An indication of the nature of the difficulties which the numerous reformers encountered will be given in the brief account which follows, signalling the main problems and events in each area.