Now that we have turned our calendars to the new year, there is a whole new batch of public domain works available to enjoy. In 1998 the Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) was signed into law, effectively extending copyright protection for another twenty years. Now, however, the restrictive effects of the law are gradually lessening year by year, which has led to a larger than average increase of works entering public domain.
Generally, copyright expires after ninety-five years although there are nuances to the law. If a work is in the public domain, people no longer need to pay royalties to the creators in order to use it. That means the work can be republished. People can even create derivative works or translate the original into a different language. The issue of public domain can sometimes be tricky, especially with regards to music, so it is important to research it deeply and perhaps consult an attorney who specializes in intellectual property if you are still unclear.
So what is newly available in the public domain? Take a peek below!
Literature and poetry published in 1930 are now in the public domain in the United States (different countries have different public domain laws). This includes William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, a novel that relates a Southern family’s journey to bury its matriarch. Faulkner is known for his complex syntax and is frequently compared to his contemporary Ernest Hemingway, who wrote using sparse prose and whose novel A Farewell to Arms joined the public domain in 2025.
Agatha Christie was a prolific writer in the 1930s and has three more additions to the public domain: The Murder at the Vicarage, the first of the Miss Marple series; The Mysterious Mr. Quin, a collection of short stories; and Giant’s Bread. Notably, Giant’s Bread is a departure from her typical mystery fare. It was written under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott and is actually a romance novel.
While Franklin W. Dixon’s Hardy Boys books have already entered the public domain, Carolyn Keene, a pseudonym encapsulating a group of ghostwriters for the Nancy Drew series, has four books entering. These include The Secret of the Old Clock (Book 1), The Hidden Staircase (Book 2), The Bungalow Mystery (Book 3), and The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Book 4).
One other well-known author contributing to this year’s bevy of books is Thornton Wilder with his novel The Woman of Andros. Over his career Wilder won three Pulitzer Prizes. His play Our Town is regularly taught in high school classrooms to this day. The Woman of Andros was the third-best selling novel in 1930.
There are a couple of prestigious poets who have pieces entering the public domain as well. T.S. Eliot’s lyric poem “Ash Wednesday” and W.H. Auden’s collection Poems, both published in 1930, are being added to the list.
While the novel All Quiet on the Western Front has already entered the public domain in the original German edition (2024) as well as the first English version (2025), the film is now also a part of public domain. It won Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Director.
If you thrill to jazz, get ready to enjoy music from the Jazz Age as it is added to the growing body of works joining the public domain each year. The laws surrounding copyright and music are complex. It is important to recognize that the score and lyrics may enter public domain before an audio recording. Hoagy Carmichael’s composition of the beautiful “Georgia on My Mind” is one addition. Keep in mind, however, that specific recordings of it are still likely under copyright. Another composition joining the list is “Dream a Little Dream of Me”; however, you will need to wait much longer for the recording done by The Mamas & the Papas to join the public domain. An audio recording that is entering public domain is Bessie Smith’s gorgeous version of “St. Louis Blues.”
One more category of creative content that falls under copyright laws and therefore public domain is artwork. This includes graphics, photos, and paintings. This year Betty Boop is among the entries. The earliest renderings of Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead will also enter the public domain although the later, more familiar images are still under copyright for a few more years.
Are you interested in reading more about the public domain? Check out these past blog posts!
- Worth the Wait: New Books Entering the Public Domain (2023)
- 2024 Additions to Public Domain
- Mining for Gems: 2025 Public Domain Additions
by Jennifer Mauser
