Three New Public Domain Hardy Boys

[tomswift2002]

Happy New Year everyone.  As we enter 2024, we have Three New Hardy Boys books in the United States Public Domain, so people can use these for free.

The three books are:

#4 The Missing Chums (1928)
#5 Hunting For Hidden Gold (1928)
#6 The Shore Road Mystery (1928)

These are now in the US public domain, with Mickey Mouse, since 2024 is their 96th year of publication (US law only goes to 95 years after publication for works for hire).  Also this does not mean that the 1962 "The Missing Chums", 1963 "Hunting For Hidden Gold" or 1964 "The Shore Road Mystery" are public domain, they are still under copyright until 2058, 2059 and 2060.

Also the three 1928 books are still under copyright in Canada and other countries where "works for hire" use the Life+ "X" number of years after death policy.  So in Canada, those books are still in under copyright until January 1, 2048 when we enter the 71st year after Leslie McFarlane passed away in 1977.  (As of January 1, 2023, Canada uses the Life + 70 years, anything that fell into the Canadian Public Domain before that based on Canada's old Life + 50 law is still in the public domain.)

Also another Stratemeyer Syndicate book that enters the US Public Domain in 2024 is #31 in the "Tom Swift Adventure Series" (1910-1941).  #31 is 'Tom Swift And His Talking Pictures' (1928).  This book entered the Canadian Public Domain back in 2013 when we entered the 51st year after Howard R. Garis's death.  (That also includes his "Uncle Wiggly" books.)

[MysteryFan89]

Thanks for info. Does this include Nancy Drew as well?

[tomswift2002]

Thanks for info. Does this include Nancy Drew as well?

No, Nancy Drew's first 3 books from 1930 will not enter the US Public Domain until January 1, 2026.  The rewrites will enter the US Public Domain on January 1, 2055 (books 1&2) and January 1, 2056 (book 3)

Now then in Canada, those same 1930 books will not enter the Canadian Public Domain until January 1, 2073.  However, the rewrites of those 3 books from 1959 and 1960 will enter the Canadian Public Domain on January 1, 2053.  That's because Mildred Wirt Benson died in 2002, whereas Harriet Stratemeyer Adams died 20 years earlier in 1982.  Benson was the author of the 1930 books, whereas Adams wrote the rewrites in 1959/60.
So by 2073, the 1930 text of "The Secret of the Old Clock" will have been under Copyright for 142 years here in Canada.  And because of that, no one will be able to use the Nancy Drew characters here in Canada without permission until 2073, because ALL Nancy Drew books written since the 1930 "The Secret of the Old Clock" are considered to be derivatives of that book, including the 1959 rewrite.