The twin resolutions of reading more books and saving money are on my list almost every New Year, and this year I’ve decided to combine them into one: reading books that are in the public domain. As of Jan. 1, a whole slew of media has made it to the public domain — namely, music, literature and film that was published in 1925 and is newly available to use and build upon for free. The BBC Culture website has called 1925 a golden moment in literary history, and for good reason: Among the books published that are now now available in the public domain are Ernest Hemingway’s first book, In Our Time, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I’ve always meant to read all three of these, and now I have no excuse not to. It’s even possible to access facsimile copies of the books via an ongoing Duke University project. Also on my list of media to consume is the first adaptation of the stylish Stella Dallas (not to be confused with its 1937 Barbara Stanwyck vehicle), plus a handful of films from silent-era greats like Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and Lon Chaney. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER
Download Media Newly in the Public Domain
