Text Policy: Historic & Going Into Each New Year

Suggest and discuss books to read (all languages welcome!)
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

We would like to reiterate our text policy as each new year approaches. This is the same policy we have for all texts which are automatically PD in the US (95 years after publication, through December 31 of the 95th year - or simply add 96 years to the publication year).

Texts acceptable for LV:
* Scans of works which show the publication year as being more than 95 years ago (1926 in 2022, 1927 in 2023)
* Texts available on Gutenberg.org, whose copyright status in the "bibrec" tab shows as PD in the USA (see note below)
* Traditionally published texts from other sites that state clearly which edition the text came from, and that do not restrict the use of their text with a CC or other license (gutenberg.au, bartleby.com, and plenty of others may qualify)

Sources that share transcribed works (e.g. works rendered into html) without a clear statement of what edition they came from aren't allowed, just like they're not allowed for >95-year-old works. Wikisource is not acceptable unless it has a scan that clearly shows a publication date of 96 years ago or more, because they restrict use of the texts with a CC license.

*Note also that HathiTrust restricts views on many of their works for out-of-USA viewers. So if you can, please use Gutenberg or Internet Archive first, and Hathi as a later option.

We know everyone wants to jump into each new year's newly PD works, and the excitement builds! But we still need to follow our regular text policies when we burst into the new year. :)

In other news...

(As of December 2018) We have learned that Distributed Proofreaders (which feeds into Project Gutenberg) aren't working on any 1923 texts yet. Like here, they won't be starting any 1923 projects until January 1, 2019. We assume they will carry forward this policy into each new year.

Concern has been expressed about posting book suggestions for about-to-become-PD texts. It is fine to make a list of books entering the PD soon, but let's not link to texts themselves until January 1. It's better not to take any risks on this.

[Edited December 22, 2019 to make it more general for each year rather than only for 2019.]
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mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

Thank you for the clear explanation! I had been planning to use Gutenberg Canada as a source for one book I'd like to do (it's already PD there), but I just went to check the entry for it again, and it says that they used a later edition for their source. 29th printing, I think it said. So that means it still won't be usable, and I'll need to find a first edition scan somewhere?
Last edited by mightyfelix on December 17th, 2018, 11:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

mightyfelix wrote: December 17th, 2018, 10:21 am Thank you for the clear explanation! I had been planning to use Gutenberg Canada as a source for one book I'd like to do (it's always PD there), but I just went to check the entry for it again, and it says that they used a later edition for their source. 29th printing, I think it said. So that means it still won't be usable, and I'll need to find a first edition scan somewhere?
Yes, you'd need to find a ≤1923 edition. Don't quote me on this, but I think if we could compare a scan with the later edition html version, and if they're the same, you could use the html. We'll deal with situations like that on an individual basis.
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
Eidyiaa
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Post by Eidyiaa »

I am SOOOOO excited for all the new books coming into the public domain. LV is going to be VERY busy this year! Are there any threads within Book suggestions where people are discussing the works they would like to do once the new year hits?
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annise
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Post by annise »

No - we decided it was better to wait till they are PD this is an open public forum that abides by USA laws. :D

Anne
DACSoft
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Post by DACSoft »

In the meantime, there are hundreds of thousands (probably millions) of books copyrighted in 1922 and earlier that haven't been recorded yet, so there is still a wide selection from which to choose. :wink:

Don
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mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

Eidyiaa wrote: December 20th, 2018, 12:55 pm I am SOOOOO excited for all the new books coming into the public domain. LV is going to be VERY busy this year! Are there any threads within Book suggestions where people are discussing the works they would like to do once the new year hits?
You're more than welcome to contribute to the podcast I'm organizing! Check the "Release Party" link in my signature. As long as you don't include any excerpts from the book(s) you're interested in, there will be no harm in talking about them.
soupy
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Post by soupy »

What about a text like this?
* Texts available as "full view" on HathiTrust.org

The metalogicon of John of Salisbury: a twelfth-century defense of the verbal and logical arts of the trivium translated with an introd. & notes by Daniel D. McGarry.

John of Salisbury https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Salisbury

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001381658

Berkeley: University of California Press, 1955.

Translated by Daniel Michael McGarry 1842-1903
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Michael_McGarry

Craig
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TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

soupy wrote: July 3rd, 2019, 4:39 am What about a text like this?
* Texts available as "full view" on HathiTrust.org

The metalogicon of John of Salisbury: a twelfth-century defense of the verbal and logical arts of the trivium translated with an introd. & notes by Daniel D. McGarry.

John of Salisbury https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Salisbury

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001381658

Berkeley: University of California Press, 1955.

Translated by Daniel Michael McGarry 1842-1903
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Michael_McGarry

Craig
It's full view at HathiTrust, so it's OK to use. They have a team that does diligent copyright clearance, like Gutenberg.org, so they're trustworthy. (This appears to be a reprint with no edits that call for a new copyright.)
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
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soupy
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Post by soupy »

Thanks :D
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Elin
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Post by Elin »

Hi, there's a book that I would very much like to record when that becomes possible. It was first published in 1925, so I assume it will become PD next year. If I have a copy of the book where it says "Copyright the Estate of [author], 1925" on the inside, even if the book itself is a later edition, would that be okay to read from next year? Or would I need to find a first edition, alternatively wait until it shows up on Gutenberg? Apologies if there's information on this somewhere and I missed it.
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

Elin wrote: January 23rd, 2020, 3:10 pm Hi, there's a book that I would very much like to record when that becomes possible. It was first published in 1925, so I assume it will become PD next year. If I have a copy of the book where it says "Copyright the Estate of [author], 1925" on the inside, even if the book itself is a later edition, would that be okay to read from next year? Or would I need to find a first edition, alternatively wait until it shows up on Gutenberg? Apologies if there's information on this somewhere and I missed it.
It really depends. Sometimes later editions are OK, if they don't incur a new copyright.
If it shows up on HathiTrust as Full View, or on Archive.org as a scan we can check the copyright page on, then you could use those as sources. If you only find it as a hard copy, we'd need a picture or scan of the title page and copyright page to verify its status.
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
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MeaslyPoetryFan
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Post by MeaslyPoetryFan »

How do we feel about Google Books as a source of Public Domain Texts?

I am specifically thinking about using this scan https://www.google.ca/books/edition/The_Poetical_Works_of_William_B_Yeats/JaAldkNgqSwC?hl=en&gbpv=0

Regards,
Jennifer
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Post by knotyouraveragejo »

A Google book scan is OK to use as long as the book is in the public domain in the U. S. Currently, that means published with a copyright date earlier than 1926. As of Jan 1, 2022, that will advance by a year to prior to 1927.

The book you have linked shows a copyright of 1906, so it"s fair game. :D
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Post by InTheDesert »

MeaslyPoetryFan wrote: December 22nd, 2021, 5:49 pm How do we feel about Google Books as a source of Public Domain Texts?

I am specifically thinking about using this scan https://www.google.ca/books/edition/The_Poetical_Works_of_William_B_Yeats/JaAldkNgqSwC?hl=en&gbpv=0

Regards,
Jennifer
If there's an IA copy (https://archive.org/details/poeticalworksofw01yeat), that is usually preferred because it is geoblocked by fewer countries. Google Books is quite erratic in what it permits across the world.
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