Some books entering the public domain in the USA in 2023

[KevinS]

I think just the stand alone novel The Small Bachelor, but I could be wrong.

Also Meet Mr Mulliner I think.

Looks like you're correct, though it might be difficult to find the edition printed in 1927 in Great Britain. The U.S. edition is from 1928 and likely could not be used as a resource in 2023. (We will leave that up to the experts!)

[flavo5000]

I think just the stand alone novel The Small Bachelor, but I could be wrong.

Also Meet Mr Mulliner I think.

Looks like you're correct, though it might be difficult to find the edition printed in 1927 in Great Britain. The U.S. edition is from 1928 and likely could not be used as a resource in 2023. (We will leave that up to the experts!)

I just did a quick search and the UK edition is indeed out there. So it should be ok regardless if someone wants to record it.

[knotyouraveragejo]

Public Domain Day 2023

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2023/

[KevinS]

I just did a quick search and the UK edition is indeed out there. So it should be ok regardless if someone wants to record it.

Wodehouse is always fun! Thanks.

[mightyfelix]

I just did a quick search and the UK edition is indeed out there. So it should be ok regardless if someone wants to record it.

Just remember that just because it's "out there" doesn't mean it's automatically ok. We'd need to actually find it, and use that edition to record. Using some other edition wouldn't work, even if the older edition is "out there" somewhere.

[KevinS]

I just did a quick search and the UK edition is indeed out there. So it should be ok regardless if someone wants to record it.

Just remember that just because it's "out there" doesn't mean it's automatically ok. We'd need to actually find it, and use that edition to record. Using some other edition wouldn't work, even if the older edition is "out there" somewhere.

Yes, indeed.

We won't be making the links until January 1st and after, though. And I suspect some of our usual sources won't be updating their records until sometime later in January. Hathi, for instance, will have to go from limited view to full view.

I suspect that Gutenberg remains our most reliable source. They'll catch up soon enough. With patience, we can have a full year of the new and, just maybe, finish all our current projects.

[DACSoft]

From my perspective, I don't really focus on books becoming PD each year. There are still thousands (millions?) of books in the Public Domain from prior years, which haven't yet been created into ebooks, nor audio books.

[KevinS]

From my perspective, I don't really focus on books becoming PD each year. There are still thousands (millions?) of books in the Public Domain from prior years, which haven't yet been created into ebooks, nor audio books.

I agree, though I have to admit there are some books and authors that I really want to record and to get it done when I can. Perhaps it's because I'm older and won't have all that much time to get to things.

(I know, morbid. But true.)

[Peter Why]

Jo, Thanks for that link about PD day. There's an interesting page further down about the behaviour of the Conan Doyle estates attempts to extend Sherlock Holmes copyright beyond the legal limits.

... which reminds me .... I wonder if anyone has attempted to challenge the Agatha Christie estate's attempts to maintain copyright on her works.

Peter

[flavo5000]

Jo, Thanks for that link about PD day. There's an interesting page further down about the behaviour of the Conan Doyle estates attempts to extend Sherlock Holmes copyright beyond the legal limits.

... which reminds me .... I wonder if anyone has attempted to challenge the Agatha Christie estate's attempts to maintain copyright on her works.

Peter

I wouldn't imagine so. I think based on what I've read in prior posts that it's one of those "better safe than sorry" kind of situations. Although I think if it were challenged the Christie estate wouldn't have a leg to stand if the files are recorded by someone in the US and they are hosted on US servers (which they are). Librivox isn't an LLC with a single person to trace back ownership to. It shouldn't matter who originally came up with the idea to do it.

But I mean, like mentioned earlier in the thread, there are hundreds of thousands or possibly even millions of books unrecorded, so why sweat a few by someone famous? Granted, it'd be mighty tempting to do Murder of Roger Ackroyd, one of my favorite Christie novels.

[TriciaG]

LM Montgomery's "Emily's Quest" was published in 1927. It's the third in the trilogy.

[KevinS]

Jo, Thanks for that link about PD day. There's an interesting page further down about the behaviour of the Conan Doyle estates attempts to extend Sherlock Holmes copyright beyond the legal limits.

... which reminds me .... I wonder if anyone has attempted to challenge the Agatha Christie estate's attempts to maintain copyright on her works.

Peter

I wouldn't imagine so. I think based on what I've read in prior posts that it's one of those "better safe than sorry" kind of situations. Although I think if it were challenged the Christie estate wouldn't have a leg to stand if the files are recorded by someone in the US and they are hosted on US servers (which they are). Librivox isn't an LLC with a single person to trace back ownership to. It shouldn't matter who originally came up with the idea to do it.

But I mean, like mentioned earlier in the thread, there are hundreds of thousands or possibly even millions of books unrecorded, so why sweat a few by someone famous? Granted, it'd be mighty tempting to do Murder of Roger Ackroyd, one of my favorite Christie novels.

The solution is to live to 2042! Or is it 2043?

[flavo5000]

Jo, Thanks for that link about PD day. There's an interesting page further down about the behaviour of the Conan Doyle estates attempts to extend Sherlock Holmes copyright beyond the legal limits.

... which reminds me .... I wonder if anyone has attempted to challenge the Agatha Christie estate's attempts to maintain copyright on her works.

Peter

I wouldn't imagine so. I think based on what I've read in prior posts that it's one of those "better safe than sorry" kind of situations. Although I think if it were challenged the Christie estate wouldn't have a leg to stand if the files are recorded by someone in the US and they are hosted on US servers (which they are). Librivox isn't an LLC with a single person to trace back ownership to. It shouldn't matter who originally came up with the idea to do it.

But I mean, like mentioned earlier in the thread, there are hundreds of thousands or possibly even millions of books unrecorded, so why sweat a few by someone famous? Granted, it'd be mighty tempting to do Murder of Roger Ackroyd, one of my favorite Christie novels.

The solution is to live to 2042! Or is it 2043?

I mean, I'm only 41 so hopefully that's possible....

[TriciaG]

Jo, Thanks for that link about PD day. There's an interesting page further down about the behaviour of the Conan Doyle estates attempts to extend Sherlock Holmes copyright beyond the legal limits.

... which reminds me .... I wonder if anyone has attempted to challenge the Agatha Christie estate's attempts to maintain copyright on her works.

Peter

I wouldn't imagine so. I think based on what I've read in prior posts that it's one of those "better safe than sorry" kind of situations. Although I think if it were challenged the Christie estate wouldn't have a leg to stand if the files are recorded by someone in the US and they are hosted on US servers (which they are). Librivox isn't an LLC with a single person to trace back ownership to. It shouldn't matter who originally came up with the idea to do it.

But I mean, like mentioned earlier in the thread, there are hundreds of thousands or possibly even millions of books unrecorded, so why sweat a few by someone famous? Granted, it'd be mighty tempting to do Murder of Roger Ackroyd, one of my favorite Christie novels.

The solution is to live to 2042! Or is it 2043?

2047, I guess. Died in '76, and Canada is now Life+70 for deaths after 1971.

A couple I just removed off the list stickied to the top of the forum:

The Magic Garden by Gene Stratton Porter First published posthumously in 1927, copyright later renewed, US copyright now expires in 2023.

Oil, by Upton Sinclair
First published in 1927, copyright renewed 1954, US copyright expires 31 Dec 2022, will be Public Domain 1 Jan 2023.

[KevinS]

The list is looking good!

I've been going through the government 1927 copyright lists and have found many titles, though probably they are interesting only to me.

Anyone for the Dawes Plan? Poems for Workers?