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Every first of January another year of books comes out of copyright in the United States. The house keeps a list, and each one joins its room on the day it is free.

How the day is reckoned: a book first published in the United States from 1923 on is protected for ninety-five years, to the end of that year, so a book of 1931 is free on 1 January 2027. Pictures follow their own first printing. The copyright renewal records for the 1931 books were searched in October 2026: most were renewed, books first published abroad had their US copyright restored in 1996, and the few that may already be free still wait for their day. Outside the United States the rules differ.