Lesley,
Since both of those books are over 100 years old, they are automatically no
longer copyrighted.
Betty Sullivan
I think I ought to state what the situation is after recent legislation.
There was a European Council Directive 93/98/EEC of 29th October 1993 to
harmonise the term of protection of copyright and related rights in member
states. One of the most significant recommendations was the duration clause
which stated that the copyright period of protection should be LIFE OF THE
CREATOR + 70 YEARS. Previously national laws ranged from life + 50 years in
the UK to life + 80 years in Spain.
Out of this directive in the UK came the D.T.I.'s Statutory Instrument (SI
1995) to amend the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. This came
into force on 1st January 1996 under the title The Duration of Copyright
and Related Rights in Performance Regulations 1995 (SI 1995 No. 3297) and
it is retrospective.
Each country has different copyright legislation. Although the EU
harmonisation has gone some way to bringing Europe in line, different
copyright periods apply when publishing in countries outside Europe.
If Lady Bellairs was, say thirty years of age, when she published her book
in 1887 and she lived to be eighty then the period of protection would not
end until 2007.
--
Best regards
Dick Jones
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. U.K. <rcjones(a)rmplc.co.uk>