Is it illegal to reprint and sell ancient books?

What's illegal about this? First, you edit and bind ancient poems into volumes for your own study, not for profit. Even if modern authors edit and bind works, they do not violate the copyright law. Second, the author of ancient poetry has been dead for many years, and even editing and publishing his works without paying his legal heirs does not violate the copyright law. Because they have been dead for more than 50 years and are not protected by copyright law.