01
Verse and the Stage
A focused group of public-domain works connected by subject, literary setting and recurring questions.
Independent digital catalogue
UKOSI Public Domain Literature Library – Free Classic Books
The UKOSI Public Domain Literature Library offers a growing collection of 91 classic books by 103 authors, freely available to read and download. Browse categories including Verse and the Stage, A Guide to School, Friendship & Growing Up, World Events in Context: Sources & Perspectives, and Exploring Medieval Worlds & Kingdoms.
91 public-domain works103 represented authorsSource-attributed catalogue records
Subject gateways
Explore by Theme
Move through the collection by subject, historical setting and type of source.
02
A Guide to School, Friendship & Growing Up
A focused group of public-domain works connected by subject, literary setting and recurring questions.
03
World Events in Context: Sources & Perspectives
A focused group of public-domain works connected by subject, literary setting and recurring questions.
04
Exploring Medieval Worlds & Kingdoms
A focused group of public-domain works connected by subject, literary setting and recurring questions.
Literature — Editor’s Selection
A closer look
Collection Spotlight
One work and three nearby readings from the current catalogue.
Selected from the current catalogue
Elfin music — Edition Insights
This work offers one entry point into the authors, subjects and source types represented in the current catalogue.
View catalogue recordNewly Catalogued by UKOSI
The infant moralist — Edition In...
In A Guide...
The fairy flute — Edition Insights
In A Guide...
Civil service jingles and other ...
In Verse a...
Nonsense for old and young — The...
In World E...
A book of Christmas verse — Edit...
In Explori...
Mirth and metre — Context and Di...
In Explori...
The hermit thrush — Reading Comp...
In Verse a...
Virgil & Lucretius Passages tran...
In Explori...
Routes through the collection
Reading Paths
Four routes into the collection for readers approaching the catalogue with different questions.
Begin with Verse and the StageOpen a focused route to works connected with Verse and the Stage.Explore A Guide to School, Friendship & Growing UpCompare authors, source types and recurring questions within A Guide to School, Friendship & Growing Up.Read through World Events in Context: Sources & PerspectivesMove from introductory records to related works in World Events in Context: Sources & Perspectives.Browse Exploring Medieval Worlds & KingdomsUse this theme as a starting point for nearby catalogue records in Exploring Medieval Worlds & Kingdoms.
Record framework
How This Catalogue Works
How records are presented and connected without altering the represented source texts.
Source connection
Link catalogue pages with the files and references currently available.
Metadata organization
Present visible title, author and edition information for easier discovery.
Collection grouping
Arrange works by recurring subjects, literary settings and historical questions.
Context layer
Describe relationships between records while preserving the wording of source texts.
About these records
Frequently Asked Questions
How the collection is organized, presented and corrected.
It generally means that the represented source text is no longer protected by copyright in the applicable jurisdiction or has been released for public use. Status may vary by country and edition.
A record may include the title, author, category, cover, description, edition information, source references and available reading or download options.
A category reflects a work’s principal subjects, literary setting, source type and relationship to nearby records in the collection.
The catalogue adds navigation, metadata and editorial context. The represented source text retains its wording, edition information and rights status.
Use the contact page and include the work title, page address and the exact attribution, category, metadata or source detail requiring attention.
Catalogue stewardship
Richard Poe
Anthology Editor
Maintains catalogue records, records source attribution, organizes metadata, assigns categories, and prepares editorial context for each title.
