https://publicdomainreview.org/features/entering-the-public-domain/2026/ * Home * Essays * Collections * Explore * Shop * Support PDR * About * Blog Search Search The Public Domain Review [ ][View All Results] The Public Domain Review The Public Domain Review PDRSupport PDR * Essays * Collections * Explore * Shop * About * Blog * * * * * * PostcardsOur End-of-Year Fundraiser is LaunchedWe need your help to keep the project alive!Donate TodayPerks include receiving twice-a-year our very special postcard packs! Next theme ... "ATTENTION"Postcards What Will Enter the Public Domain in 2026?A Festive Countdown At the start of each year, on January 1st, a new crop of works enter the public domain and become free to enjoy, share, and reuse for any purpose. Due to differing copyright laws around the world, there is no one single public domain -- and here we focus on three of the most prominent. Newly entering the public domain in 2026 will be: * works by people who died in 1955, for countries with a copyright term of "life plus 70 years" (e.g. UK, Russia, most of EU and South America); * works by people who died in 1975, for countries with a term of "life plus 50 years" (e.g. New Zealand, and most of Africa and Asia); * films and books (incl. artworks featured) published in 1930 for the United States. In our advent-style calendar below, find our top pick of what lies in store for 2026. Each day, as we move through December, we'll open a new window to reveal our highlights! By public domain day on January 1st they will all be unveiled -- look out for a special blogpost from us on that day. (And, of course, if you want to dive straight in and explore the vast swathe of new entrants for yourself, just visit the links above). Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content5 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Langston Hughes - Not Without Laughter Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content3 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Albert Einstein Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content20 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Franz Kafka - the Castle (english translation) Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content29 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Roger Mais Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content30 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Saadat Hasan Manto Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content19 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Agatha Christie - The Murder at the Vicarage Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content12 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Charlie Parker Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content21 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Walker Evans Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content24 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content2 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Arthur Ransome - Swallows and Amazons Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content14 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Hellbound Train Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content1 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content William Faulkner - As I Lay Dying Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content28 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Dashiell Hammett - The Maltese Falcon Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content16 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Robert Musil - The Man Without Qualities Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content6 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Wallace Stevens Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content10 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Evelyn Waugh - Vile Bodies Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content27 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Vladimir Nabokov - The Defense Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content23 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Stella Benson - The Far-Away Bride Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content17 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's contentT. S. Eliot - Ash Wednesday Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content13 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Margaret Ayer Barnes - Years of Grace Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content26 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's contentP. G. Wodehouse Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content25 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's contentE. H. Young - Miss Mole Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content22 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Sigmund Freud - Civilization and Its Discontents Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content11 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Geoffrey Dennis - The End of the World Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content7 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Hermann Hesse - Narcissus and Goldmund Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content9 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Barbara Hepworth Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content4 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's contentNan Shepherd - The Weatherhouse Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content31 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz - Insatiability Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content18 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Thomas Mann Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content15 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content Hannah Arendt Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's content8 Crop of imagery to be revealed in details about the day's contentAll Quiet on the Western Front (1930 film) * Check out John Mark Ockerbloom's own "Public Domain Day Countdown" on Mastodon, and summarised in his blogpost. * See the selection from Standard eBooks of works entering the US in 2026, all of which they've made available to read for free. * Read more about what makes the public domain so important in Communia's Public Domain Manifesto. * Wondering if "bad things happen to works when they enter the public domain"? Wonder no more. The Public Domain Review The Public Domain Review is registered in the UK as a Community Interest Company (#11386184), a category of company which exists primarily to benefit a community or with a view to pursuing a social purpose, with all profits having to be used for this purpose. We rely on donations from readers. Please consider supporting the project and becoming a Friend of the PDR. * About * Masthead * Contact * Submissions * Explore * PDR Index * Sources * Further Reading * What is the Public Domain? * Rights Labelling * Reusing Material * Privacy Policy * Terms and Conditions * Essays * Collections * Conjectures * Curator's Choice * Blog * Shop * PDR Press * Prints * Shop FAQ * Returns Policy Subscribe to Our Newsletter * * * * * Pantagruel figures in a rowPantagruel figures in a row Pantagruel Sign Up for Our Newsletter! The latest wonders from the site to your inbox. Once every two weeks. 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