Rich group of American novels enters public domain

SANDUSKY — If you like to read e-books, and if you enjoy quality fiction, 2021 might turn out to be a good year for you. A large number of famous novels are going out of copyright and into the public domain this year, making it likely they'll become available free from Project Gutenberg and other internet sites that distribute free ebooks. Copyrighted books that were first published in 1925 are entering the public domain in 2021, according to an article published by Duke University's Center for the Study of the Public Domain. Titles going into the public domain include "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Arrowsmith" by Sinclair Lewis, "Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf, "In Our Time" by Ernest Hemingway, "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser, "Manhattan Transfer" by John Dos Passos, "The Painted Veil" by W. Somerset Maugham and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" by Anita Loos. In all, 1925 apparently was a good year for literature. There are two editions of the Hemingway book, one published in 1924 and one in 1925. The 1925 edition, arguably Hemingway's first important book, includes two of the better-known Nick Adams stories, "Indian Camp" and "Big Two-Hearted River." "The Great Gatsby" was not available Monday at Project Gutenberg, but it was posted at sites such as Planet Ebook and The Internet Archive. It seems likely that Project Gutenberg will have many of the titles soon. Famous books that went into the public domain last year, such as "A Passage to India" by E.M. Forster, are available at Project Gutenberg. When a book enters the public domain, anyone can distribute it or adapt it. An article by Jennifer Jenkins, posted at the Duke Center's website, explains now that "The Great Gatsby" has entered the public domain, other creators can create novels, films and other works based upon the story without having to seek permission or pay a fee. "In fact, novelist Michael Farris Smith is slated to release 'Nick,' a Gatsby prequel telling the story of Nick Carraway's life before he moves to West Egg, on Jan. 5, 2021," the article explains. Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" and T.E. Lawrence's "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" will enter the public domain in 2022.