Normally, a text is in the public domain in the United States if it was published before 1923 or if the author has been dead for over 70 years.
Public domain means that the text can be used for any purpose by any person without paying royalties, license fees, or other costs.
Therefore, you may download, read, copy, print, and even sell a public domain text without worrying about things like copyright laws. Feel free to enjoy these:
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
- Wuthering Heights byEmily Brontë
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen