Public Domain Authors
Choose an author by century of death. Each page separates the general EU/UK term estimate from the US publication rule. Rights attach to works.
- 1616Died in century 17 CE82
- 1955Died in century 20 CE1245
- 479 BCEDied in century 5 BCE15
- 1883Died in century 19 CE421
- 1519Died in century 16 CE74
- 2004Died in century 21 CE563
- 44 BCEDied in century 1 BCE19
- 399 BCEDied in century 4 BCE12
- 1799Died in century 18 CE128
- 1321Died in century 14 CE28
- 430Died in century 5 CE24
- 1274Died in century 13 CE34
- 17Died in century 1 CE21
- 285 BCEDied in century 3 BCE16
- 762Died in century 8 CE18
- 1037Died in century 11 CE26
- 180Died in century 2 CE20
- 1131Died in century 12 CE41
- 1406Died in century 15 CE31
- 564 BCEDied in century 6 BCE7
- 814Died in century 9 CE27
- 661Died in century 7 CE30
- 250Died in century 3 CE13
- 565Died in century 6 CE22
- 194 BCEDied in century 2 BCE7
- 397Died in century 4 CE19
- 925Died in century 10 CE24
- 645 BCEDied in century 7 BCE1
How authors are selected
Wikidata lists these people as writers or poets, including occupation subclasses. Each has an English label, a death date and at least 15 Wikimedia sitelinks. Authors are ranked by sitelink count, a measure of Wikimedia coverage. The site is capped at 3000 pages, including indexes and service pages.
How to read the answer
The EU/UK estimate uses the general life plus 70 years rule. It does not establish the status of every work by an author.
The US note concerns works published more than 95 years ago, subject to the applicable statutory rules. Death year alone cannot establish US status.
Before using a work
Joint and anonymous works, special national and transitional provisions, and first publication after death may have different terms. US status depends on the work and its publication history, not just the author's death. Sound recordings are outside this site's scope.
Translations, annotations, collections and later editions may contain separately protected material. Check rights in the specific text and edition you intend to use.
General legal information, not legal advice. These estimates apply general rules only; check the work, jurisdiction and exceptions before use.
Report a correction
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