The Science Fiction Megapack: 25 Classic SF Stories [Kindle Edition] ($0.99)

[HarryT]

I entirely agree with that. Let people make an informed decision.

[elemenoP]

This reminds me: I would love to see someone (someone here on MR perhaps?) do one volume of "Best Short Stories in the Public Domain". Someone can lovingly do the collecting and formatting. As for which are the BEST... well we could fight it out, or else let the person doing the collecting decide.

eP

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

This reminds me: I would love to see someone (someone here on MR perhaps?) do one volume of "Best Short Stories in the Public Domain".

Why don't you do it?

[Giggleton]

Once someone does lovingly craft the collection, someone else will list it on Amazon for ninety nine cents, not that there's anything wrong with that according to you.

But it somehow just doesn't feel right, awareness of ebook spam is growing of course, not that that is the topic of this post, or is it?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

Once someone does lovingly craft the collection, someone else will list it on Amazon for ninety nine cents, not that there's anything wrong with that according to you.

Nothing at all wrong with it, and I speak as someone who's created the odd one or two free eBooks in my time .

[elemenoP]

I will create one myself, just as soon as I quit my job and then do the 20 other projects I have brewing in my head.

But seriously, I salute you guys (Harry!) who have really done the work in proofing and formatting PD books. I think it's really cool.

I really would love to do the "Best Short Stories" (and take a long time in choosing them myself!) and I wish I had time for it. It sounds like a fun project to me.

eP

[koland]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

Once someone does lovingly craft the collection, someone else will list it on Amazon for ninety nine cents, not that there's anything wrong with that according to you.

But it somehow just doesn't feel right, awareness of ebook spam is growing of course, not that that is the topic of this post, or is it?

The individual stories may be in the public domain, but the collection would not be - it would be copyrighted for standard life+ of the author (according to laws in his country and yours).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by koland

The individual stories may be in the public domain, but the collection would not be - it would be copyrighted for standard life+ of the author (according to laws in his country and yours).

You're talking about a "compilation copyright", I assume. In this case, I doubt it, given that it appears to be a pretty arbitrary selection:

http://www.pddoc.com/copyright/compilation.htm

The law identifies three distinct elements, all of which must be met for a work to qualify as a copyrightable compilation:

1. the collection and assembly of pre-existing material, facts, or data;
2. the selection, coordination, or arrangement of those materials; and
3. the creation, by virtue of the particular selection, coordination, or arrangement of an original work of authorship.

Collection and assembling facts and information isn't enough. Compilations, just as any other work, may only be copyrighted if the originality requirement, “an original work of authorship,” is met. “The point was emphasized with regard to compilations to ensure that courts would not repeat the mistake of the ‘sweat of the brow’ courts by concluding that fact-based works are treated differently and measured by some other standard.” (Feist) The Congressional goal was to “ ‘make plain that the criteria of copyrightable subject matter... apply with full force to works... containing preexisting material.’” (Feist)

The Supreme Court, in reviewing the law, has concluded “that the statute envisions that there will be some fact-based works in which the selection, coordination, and arrangement are not sufficiently original to trigger copyright protection” (Feist) in any way at all.

I rather doubt that the originality involved in the selection, coordination, and arrangement of these stories is sufficient to satisfy the criteria for a compilation copyright.