December 16
6 comments
December 16
6 comments
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David, this was splendid. I know from experience, adapting a book into a play can be intricate with legal work and the dispersing of monies. I have always been a big fan of Oscar and his body of work. This inspired me to pick a story in the public domain. Thank you.
On January 1, 2025 a slew of classic and little-known works entered the public domain. Beyond novels, there are films, music, plays, and other forms of art now available for your interpretation sans lawyers or options agreements: https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2025/. If you want more from black authors consider some of these titles: 1) Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter (1853)
Author: William Wells Brown
Summary: Often credited as one of the first novels published by an African American, Clotel critiques slavery and miscegenation laws through the story of a mixed-race woman allegedly fathered by Thomas Jefferson.
2) Our Nig (1859)
Author: Harriet E. Wilson
Summary: Regarded as the first novel published in the U.S. by a Black woman, Our Nig explores servitude in the North. Wilson’s use of semi-autobiographical elements underscores the racial tensions of 19th-century America.
3) Blake; or, The Huts of America (1859–1862)
Author: Martin R. Delany
Summary: Serialized in magazines before eventual book form, this revolutionary novel tracks a fugitive’s journey across the U.S. and Cuba, examining Black nationalism and the idea of establishing an independent Black nation.
4) Iola Leroy; or, Shadows Uplifted (1892)
Author: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Summary: A bestselling post–Civil War novel addressing issues of Reconstruction, passing, and social uplift, with a determined heroine who challenges racial and gender restrictions.
5) The House Behind the Cedars (1900)
Author: Charles W. Chesnutt
Summary: A mixed-race brother and sister decide to “pass” in a predominantly white community, exploring themes of identity, family loyalty, and the social costs of racial barriers.
6) Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South (1900)
Author: Pauline E. Hopkins
Summary: An expansive look at Black life from slavery through Reconstruction, blending romance, adventure, and strong social commentary on race and gender norms.
7) Imperium in Imperio (1899)
Author: Sutton E. Griggs
Summary: This political novel imagines the rise of a secret, Black-led “empire” within the United States, dramatizing debates over assimilation, separatism, and racial equity.
8) Hagar’s Daughter (1901–1902)
Author: Pauline E. Hopkins
Summary: Serialized in Colored American Magazine, this detective-romance novel features kidnapping, hidden identities, and a critique of the era’s racial injustices.
9) Winona: A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest (1902)
Author: Pauline E. Hopkins
Summary: Another serialized novel by Hopkins, Winona explores the cultural pressures on Black families and the complexities of passing for white, set against a backdrop of regional prejudice.
10) Of One Blood; or, The Hidden Self (1903)
Author: Pauline E. Hopkins
Summary: Part Gothic fantasy, part proto–Afrofuturist adventure, it follows an African American medical student who unearths a lost African civilization. Hopkins deftly weaves mystical elements with social critique.
11) The Marrow of Tradition (1901)
Author: Charles W. Chesnutt
Summary: A fictionalized account of the 1898 Wilmington Insurrection, focusing on racial violence, political corruption, and the aftermath of “Redemption” policies in the South.
12) The Colonel’s Dream (1905)
Author: Charles W. Chesnutt
Summary: A wealthy businessman returns to his Southern hometown, imagining a racially progressive model community—only to face entrenched prejudice and regressive power structures.
13) The Sport of the Gods (1902)
Author: Paul Laurence Dunbar
Summary: When a Black family is falsely accused of theft and driven from the South to Harlem, Dunbar explores the fragility of social standing and the realities of racial injustice in both rural and urban contexts.
14) The Quest of the Silver Fleece (1911)
Author: W. E. B. Du Bois
Summary: Du Bois’s first novel merges social commentary on education, race, and economics with a romantic storyline about two young Black people who challenge oppressive systems in the rural South.
15) Dark Princess (1928)
Author: W. E. B. Du Bois
Summary: A politically charged novel in which a disenfranchised Black man meets an Indian princess, forging a cross-continental alliance to fight racism and colonialism.
16) The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1912)
Author: James Weldon Johnson
Summary: Originally published anonymously, this novel follows a biracial protagonist who navigates music, race, and class while concealing his identity. Blurs the line between memoir and fiction.
17) Cane (1923)
Author: Jean Toomer
Summary: Though structured as a mix of sketches and stories, Cane is often treated as a modernist novel. It captures the essence of Black life in both the rural South and urban North, bridging poetry and prose.
18) Quicksand (1928)
Author: Nella Larsen
Summary: Helga Crane, a mixed-race educator, wrestles with feelings of alienation across Harlem, the rural South, and even Denmark. Larsen’s incisive narrative unpacks colorism and cross-cultural identity.
19) Passing (1929)
Author: Nella Larsen
Summary: Centering two childhood friends—one who passes for white, the other who does not—this Harlem Renaissance classic explores shifting racial boundaries, friendship, and jealousy.
20) The Walls of Jericho (1928)
Author: Rudolph Fisher
Summary: Fisher’s comedic novel illuminates class divisions within the Black community of Harlem, weaving in a diverse cast—from struggling musicians to doctors and day laborers.
21) The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer (1913)
Author: Oscar Micheaux
Summary: Loosely based on Micheaux’s own life as a homesteader in the Dakotas, it addresses the challenges and triumphs of Black settlement in the Great Plains.
22) The Forged Note (1915)
Author: Oscar Micheaux
Summary: Another partly autobiographical narrative, featuring a protagonist who combats systemic racism and personal setbacks to pursue land ownership and self-determination.
23) The Homesteader (1917)
Author: Oscar Micheaux
Summary: Micheaux’s best-known novel before he shifted to film, it depicts the perils and possibilities of Black farmers in the American West, touching on interracial marriage and entrepreneurship.
24) The Blacker the Berry (1929)
Author: Wallace Thurman
Summary: A young Black woman with a dark complexion struggles to find acceptance in both mainstream society and within her own community. A bold treatment of intraracial colorism for its time.
25) Banjo (1929)
Author: Claude McKay
Summary: Set among Black seamen and drifters in Marseille, France, McKay delves into Pan-African identity, camaraderie, and the global diaspora experience.
26) Home to Harlem (1928)
Author: Claude McKay
Summary: McKay’s first commercially successful novel, it paints a vibrant picture of Harlem nightlife, capturing the conflicts and joys of city living through the eyes of returning World War I veterans.
27) Plum Bun: A Novel Without a Moral (1929)
Author: Jessie Redmon Fauset
Summary: Explores the ambitions and romantic entanglements of a young woman who passes for white, blending commentary on colorism, class, and the social expectations placed on Black women.
28) There Is Confusion (1924)
Author: Jessie Redmon Fauset
Summary: A tale of middle-class Black aspiration in Philadelphia and New York, charting the personal and professional dreams of characters determined to carve out their place in a segregated society.
29) The Fire in the Flint (1924)
Author: Walter Francis White
Summary: Focuses on a Black doctor returning to his Georgia hometown in the aftermath of World War I, confronting rising racial violence and systemic injustice.
30) Flight (1926)
Author: Walter Francis White
Summary: This novel follows a light-skinned Black woman navigating social codes that pressure her to conceal her heritage. White’s insider perspective as an NAACP leader sharpens the critique of racism.
Thanks, David! Using work that is in the public domain has crossed my mind from time to time. It’s high time I take advantage of it! In fact, I’ve been thinking of serializing one of my horror scripts. Revisiting old stories in the public domain might help figure out how to craft a compelling sequel to my story!
Thank you, David. Definitely a treasure trove waiting for us to explore.
How can we tell if a story or song is in public domain? Is there a certain number of years since the copyright?
In the United States, when a novel enters the public domain depends on when it was published. Any novel published before January 1, 1924 is already in the public domain, which means you can use it freely without asking for permission or paying for rights. Each year, more works fall into the public domain—on January 1, 2024, novels published in 1928 will join the list.
For works published between 1924 and 1977, the copyright typically lasts 95 years from the date of publication, as long as the copyright was properly renewed. After that, they enter the public domain. Novels published after 1978, however, are protected for the life of the author plus 70 years. If a book has multiple authors, the clock starts ticking after the last surviving author’s death.