Are These Books Public Domain?

[VintageVox]

Are These Books Public Domain?

Howdy, LibriVox readership!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I just opened my account today, and am super psyched to be a part of this magnificent endeavor. That being said, I wanted to reach out and ask whether the following books were public domain, and by extension, could be recorded. I've read some articles, and it seems that the golden rule is that if something is recorded before the year 1923 it is in public domain. Interestingly enough, three of the four books I wanted to suggest were published in 1923! What are the odds?

• The Great American Novel by William Carlos Williams (Originally published in 1923) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63888

• The World Crisis by Winston Churchill (Originally published in 1923) Vol 1: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59794

• Antic Hay by Aldoux Huxley (Originally published in 1923)[COMPLETE]

• The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy (Originally published in 1924) https://archive.org/details/constantnymph0000kenn

I look forward to your responses. One of my favorite aspects (though there are many) of this community is its passion for literature and its compassion for its members. Thanks for being so welcoming, and thanks for being so willing to help out.

Much Love,
VintageVox

[mightyfelix]

Welcome! What a cool screen name! Very appropriate for our forum, I think. You're almost right in the information you've found about US public domain. Your information is a bit out if date, however.

For a long time (about 20 years), the public domain was "frozen," and only books published before 1923 were in the PD. (Long story, having to do with legal changes and court cases and lobbying...) Then, on January 1, 2019, books that were published in 1923 entered the public domain. On January 1, 2020, books from 1924 became PD. Next year, it will be 1925, and so forth. So, yes, all of these books you've listed are PD!

That being said, you'll have to be careful what sources you use. If you have a newer edition or reprint, we wouldn't be able to use it. New editions often acquire their own brand new copyright. The safest thing would be to find a scan with the copyright year 1923 or 1924 printed in it. Project Gutenberg is also a good source, if they have the book you want.

[mightyfelix]

I notice you've also posted several books in Book Suggestions that you're interested in reading. That's great! But before you record anything, whether it's a solo or even just a chapter in a group project, please make sure to complete your one-minute test to make sure that your settings are all in place. Information on how to do the test is included in the welcome email you received, and can also be found in our wiki pages.

[VintageVox]

Thanks so much for the feedback. Super, super appreciative of your suggestions! (And thanks for the name shoutout!!) I'll be sure to complete the one-minute test to make sure everything's good to go. As far as editions go, would it be best to read directly off of the Project Gutenberg website then?

[ej400]

Thanks so much for the feedback. Super, super appreciative of your suggestions! (And thanks for the name shoutout!!) I'll be sure to complete the one-minute test to make sure everything's good to go. As far as editions go, would it be best to read directly off of the Project Gutenberg website then?

Personally, I would say yes. It's easier to record (and the quickest way to get the text), to record right from the text. I used to print off what I needed to read, but sometimes printers make mistakes
Elijah

[VintageVox]

Great! Thanks so much for your help!

[mightyfelix]

Thanks so much for the feedback. Super, super appreciative of your suggestions! (And thanks for the name shoutout!!) I'll be sure to complete the one-minute test to make sure everything's good to go. As far as editions go, would it be best to read directly off of the Project Gutenberg website then?

If the book you want is available at Gutenberg, then that's usually the easiest way to go. However, though they have tens of thousands of books available, there are still plenty of books that haven't yet been added to their catalogue. This is especially likely to be true of books that entered the public domain more recently (i.e. books that were published in 1923 or 1924). So I'd say, definitely check there to see if they have the book. But if not, there are some other good sources available.