As a teenager my favorite books were obscure and forgotten public domain novels from the 1800s to early 1900s. (Yes, I was cool like that....) I'm talking May Agnes Fleming, Elizabeth Gaskell, Jean Webster, The Brontë sisters (not Emily. Sorry, not sorry), Charles Dickens, Alexander Dumas, George Sand, Frances H. Burney and Bithia M. Croaker to name a few. Some of these names you all might recognize. Some you may never have heard before. I would never have read any of these authors works if it wasn't for the public domain.
My parents homeschooled on a budget. There was no funds for extra non curriculum books. If I wanted to read for fun, I either had to find a ride to the Library or cull through the books online that weren't paywalled. Meaning I got to read some awesome books that were in the public domain.
For those who may not know what Public Domain means, here's what Wikipedia says: "The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds the exclusive rights, anyone can legally use or reference those works without permission."
January 1st is not just New Years Day, it is also Public Domain Day. The works from way back when are now available year round for free (kind of). You may not walk into B&N, grab a copy of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South and proceed to walk out without paying. What they mean is there are works out there that we can either read online for free (in some places) or we can make our own spin on it now without cease and desist letters finding us. Since a new batch of media comes to the PD each year, I hope you all have fun weeding through 2024's batch before new year's batch comes.
As always, feel free to leave a message below.
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