e-Book Requests and Begging (Public Domain Books Only!)

[HarryT]

Heavens no - not the slightest objection. That's what all these books are here for - to be shared!

If you're copying the books onto your own servers, however, please note that a few of these books are not out of copyright in the US, although all are out of copyright elsewhere in the world (I'm sure you're aware that copyright restrictions in the US are somewhat more "draconian" than elsewhere). Please do check their copyright status before loading them onto your servers if you are in the USA.

[GKL]

Harry,

Thanks for the heads up on the copyright. I am also a law professor and teach a course in cyberlaw in an American law school. I think you just gave me an exam question. ;-)

[UncleDuke]

good show

[HarryT]

Here's a question for you all.

As you may have noticed, I'm a big fan of detective stories. I've "done" Sherlock Holmes for the Reader, done "Raffles", done "Father Brown". Question is, who else is there to "do" that's out of copyright (at least somewhere in the world)?

I notice that Dorothy L. Sayers died in 1957, which means that her stuff will be eligible for PG Australia next year ("Lord Peter Wimsey" stories). There are a few out-of-copyright Agatha Christies I could tackle too.

Who am I missing? There must be some detective authors who died before 1950 or so, mustn't there? Any thoughts?

All suggestions gratefully received!

[Moonraker]

Who am I missing? There must be some detective authors who died before 1950 or so, mustn't there? Any thoughts?

How about Ernest Bramah who wrote the Max Carrados Detective stories?

Or

Anna Katharine Green - The Second Bullet
Anna Katharine Green - The Golden Slipper

Edgar Allan Poe - The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Dashiell Hammett (as Peter Collinson) - Arson Plus

[Bob Russell]

I know there are many mysteries from way back. I've run into a lot. I wish I had taken notes. My interest is in funny mysteries and gumshoe books. I've seen lots of lists, and can't find the one I was looking for, but here's another. Maybe someone can recognize some older authors in it?
http://members.aol.com/funnybutfatal/mysteries.html

I'll add that other (and better) list if I find it, and maybe people will be able to spot more older ones.

[igorsk]

Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin series.

[Dr. Drib]

These sound absolutely wonderful. Someone needs to bring back the TV series, "It Takes a Thief"

What are you waiting for, Harry??

[Dr. Drib]

unfortunately, they're in RTF.

They are an acquired taste and they're fun, especially the way in which Bramah tells his stories. (Oops! I meant the Kai Lung series. Maybe I should work on those.)

Don

[Bob Russell]

Okay, here's the link I was looking for, and some older detective stories from it that are supposed to be funny private eyes...

The mini-list is excerpted from www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/humour.html
(I only listed the old stuff in hopes they were public domain by now. Not sure where the general cutoff is. Is the date of the author's death that starts things, or the date of the book?)

-----------
Bill Crane Created by Jonathan Latimer:

* Headed for a Hearse (1935; AKA. The Westland Case)
* The Lady in the Morgue (1935)
* Murder in the Madhouse (1935)
* The Dead Don't Care (Doubleday, 1938)
* Red Gardenias (1939; AKA Some Dames Are Deadly)

-------------
Max Latin Created by Norbert Davis (1909-49):

SHORT STORIES

* "Watch Me Kill You" (July 1941, Dime Detective)
* "Don't Give Your Right Name" (December 1941, Dime Detective: also The Hardboiled Dicks)
* "Give the Devil His Due" (May 1942, Dime Detective)
* "You Can Die Every Day" (December 1942, Dime Detective)
* "Charity Begins at Homicide" (October 1943, Dime Detective)

[RWood]

Originally Posted by igorsk

Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin series.

I have posted The Hollow Needle: The Further Adventures of Arsene Lupin and have six other titles of his to post over the next few days. Since there are twenty total books of Lupin and I only have 7 total books from Leblanc, there is no reason to publish them together.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

(I only listed the old stuff in hopes they were public domain by now. Not sure where the general cutoff is. Is the date of the author's death that starts things, or the date of the book?)

As you might expect, it's somewhat complicated.

In most of the world, it's pretty straightforward - things enter the public domain (PD) a certain number of years after the death of the author. In most countries that number is 70 years, in a few (eg Australia) it's 50. That means that, for example, all works of authors who died prior to 1937 are currently PD in Europe; prior to 1957 in Australia, and that advances, year by year, as you would expect it to (eg next year it'll be 1938/1958).

In the US, the rules are rather more complicated, largely due to the political lobbying done by companies like Disney who are desperate that M. Mouse and co should NEVER enter the public domain.

Basically, in the US:

- Anything published prior to 1923 is PD.
- Anything published between 1923 and 1963, with a copyright notice, for which copyright was NOT specifically renewed, is PD.
- Unpublished works: Author's death + 70 years.
- Pretty much everything else: publication date + 95 years (and this date keeps getting extended as the "danger" approaches of anything new entering PD)

The net result of this is that some stuff is in the PD in the US, but not elsewhere (early works of authors who had LONG lives - eg Agatha Christie), and a LOT of stuff is PD outside the US but not in the US (works of authors published after 1923 who died before 1937/1957).

As the years go by, the balance is shifting - what is PD in the US is a static set of works, whereas elsewhere new material is entering the PD every year.

Hope that's at least a partial explanation!

[Bob Russell]

Very, very helpful. In fact, maybe someone will add that explanation to the MR wiki for us?

[HarryT]

I've copied it into the "Book Uploads Posting Guidelines" sticky thread. That should make it readily accessible to people.

[Bob Russell]

Great!