Continuing the list of famous writers and books in the public domain. This is by no means a complete list, merely a starting point for entrepreneurial screenwriters and filmmakers. Please remember that this list is for the original stories by these authors. Many of these works have already been produced for film and television and contain famous story elements particular to that adaptation that are not in the original works. Those story elements are not in the public domain. Only the original story from the original work by these authors.

For example, the original story of Snow White by the Brothers Grimm differs greatly from the story in Walt Disney’s more famous animated version. If you were to adapt a version of Snow White and used elements from Disney’s version like the Prince waking Snow White up with a kiss, then you would be in violation of Disney’s copyright. Another example is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein which is in the public domain. If you’re adaptation includes a version of Frankenstein’s monster with bolts in his neck, then you would be in violation of Universal’s copyright of Frankenstein with Boris Karloff.

If you know of other famous books and writers in the public domain, please let me know and I will update this list.

Rudolf Erich Raspe

All of his works are in the public domain including his most famous story The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

William Shakespeare

The Bard’s been dead for a long time, hence, all of his work is in the public domain. Knock yourself out with your own version of Hamlet, Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet.

Mary Shelley

All of her writing is in the public domain including the ever popular Frankenstein. Her other famous books include The Last Man and Matilda.

Robert Louis Stevenson

All of this writer’s work is in the public domain including the popular stories Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Kidnapped, and New Arabian Nights.

Bram Stoker

All of this writer’s work is in the public domain including Dracula, The Jewel Of Seven Stars, The Lady Of The Shroud and The Lair Of The White Worm.

Mark Twain

All of this amazing American literary genius’s work is in the public domain. His most famous stories are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Jules Verne

All of this entertaining French writer’s work is in the public domain. His most famous works include Journey to the Centre of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, The Mysterious Island and Around the World in Eighty Days.

H.G. Wells

Only some of Wells’s stories are in the public domain but they include The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau and The War of the Worlds.

Oscar Wilde

All of this witty playwright’s work is in the public domain. His most famous stories are The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest.

Johann David Wyss

This writer’s most famous story The Swiss Family Robinson is in the public domain.