Monthly Archives: November 2023

“It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind”

Posted on November 10, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of … Continue reading →

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“…If I may be permitted to borrow the words of my recurrent hero, Winnie-the-Pooh…”

Posted on November 9, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Not everyone was a fan of The House at Pooh Corner. An infamous review of the book ran in the Constant Reader column of the October 20, 1928 issue of The New Yorker, in which Dorothy Parker pronounced “Tonstant Weader … Continue reading →

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A little boy and his Bear will always be playing

Posted on November 8, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Everyone’s lives are disrupted in The House at Pooh Corner. Newcomer Tigger bounces routines off-kilter; Owl’s house falls; Piglet moves in with Pooh; Christopher Robin goes away to school. Ryan Britt writes “Pooh was not intended to be… on an … Continue reading →

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The public domain is important. So is the public’s vote

Posted on November 7, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Victor Yarros wrote of Charles Beard’s The American Party Battle “Why do parties survive issues and die morally while pretending to carry on?… [Those] who would like to know what has happened to republicanism or democracy are confidently referred to … Continue reading →

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When “The Boy Who Was” will be free

Posted on November 6, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

In Grace Taber Hallock’s fantasy The Boy Who Was, Nino, a boy given eternal youth by the Sirens, relates what he’s seen and done in his Italian coastal town over thousands of years, from the time of Odysseus to 1927. … Continue reading →

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Love comes to the public domain

Posted on November 5, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

The posters for the silent drama Love read “John Gilbert and Greta Garbo in LOVE”, playing off both the on-screen and off-screen romance of its two stars. The movie, based on Anna Karenina, was filmed with two endings, one where … Continue reading →

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“…why a Righteous and Most Awfull JUDGEMENT befell her…”

Posted on November 4, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Esther Forbes is best known for her books on colonial New England, winning a Pulitzer prize for her biography of Paul Revere, and the Newbery for her novel Johnny Tremain. Her first book on that era, A Mirror for Witches, … Continue reading →

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Yes! We’ll have new recordings

Posted on November 3, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Five years ago, the US public domain started growing again after a 20-year freeze. In 2019 #PublicDomainDay parties featured 95-year old music like the 1923 novelty song “Yes! We Have No Bananas”. Sound recordings got longer copyrights, but in 2024 … Continue reading →

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If you believe in the public domain, clap your hands

Posted on November 2, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Peter Pan debuted on stage in 1904, but the play is not yet public domain. The title character is, due to a 1911 novelization, but the play script, with Peter’s appeal to the audience to clap their hands if they … Continue reading →

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Starting to count down to Public Domain Day 2024

Posted on November 1, 2023 by John Mark Ockerbloom

The year 2024 is just two months away. It’s a milestone year, not least because a lot of creative works will be entering the public domain, including some very famous ones, and a lot of lesser known ones that have … Continue reading →

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