The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is a book series dedicated to the lost treasures of the Golden Age comics industry that are freely available to all. No cost, no charge. The 1st volume is dedicated to the Superheroes of the Better/Nedor/Standard/Pines Publications, a now dead publisher that issued comic books during the Golden Age (1938-1956). Recently, these characters raised the attention of many established modern comic book experts, readers and publishers, contributing to re-invent the way old comics are read, interpreted and understood in light of the historical events of the 20th Century. The Better/Nedor/Standard characters are supposed to be in the public domain and are used as such, however it is not totally clear if they are publicly available or not. This volume of the PDE aims at shading more light on the riddle entangling the Black Terror, Fighting Yank, Miss Masque and other less famous Mystery Men that fought the good fight in simpler times. This volume is divided in 4 macro-sections: an introduction describing the history of the Better/Nedor/Standards imprints and a timeline of their brilliant founder, the late Ned Pines; section 2 focuses on 28 characters, proving insights on their creation and conceptualization, their publishing life and their actual copyright and trademark status. A comprehensive analysis of the characters follows, including a description of their market trends, success factors and archetypal references. The last part is an updated summary of the copyright status of the Better/Nedor/Standard Golden Age titles, providing registration and renewal numbers dates and owners. A trademark table completes this section summarizing the registered trademark of each of the characters. All sections are fully illustrated with black & white fully original illustrations, pin-ups and splash-pages, granting a reading that goes far beyond the simple understanding of historical data, proving that the Funny Pages of the past are still enjoyable for all.

The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is a book series dedicated to the Golden Age of comics that are, today, freely available to all. It is aimed at readers, writers and artists that are looking for reliable and verified information about characters, authors, businessmen and publishers. The 4th volume is dedicated to Better/Nedor/Standard/Pines, one of the most prolific and successful publisher of the Golden Age. Mostly a technical book, the volume collects Nedor comic book copyright records from 1942 to 1959, the year the publisher stopped producing comics. It also includes a short history of Better/Nedor/Standard/Pines, an overview of copyright and trademark laws, and a chapter about the protection of literary and graphical characters. Illustrated with fully original art. No reprints of Golden Age comics.

2015 Deluxe Edition of Public Domain Encyclopedia vol. I - Nedor Superheroes! Large format! Updated Modern Appearances of Characters! Updated Copyright and trademark information! Full color art Art! The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is a book series dedicated to the lost treasures of the Golden Age comics industry that are freely available to all. No cost, no charge. This Deluxe volume is dedicated to the Superheroes of the Better/Nedor/Standard/Pines Publications, a now dead publisher that issued comic books during the Golden Age (1938-1956). Recently, these characters raised the attention of many established modern comic book experts, readers and publishers, contributing to re-invent the way old comics are read, interpreted and understood in light of the historical events of the 20th Century. The Better/Nedor/Standard characters are supposed to be in the public domain and are used as such, however it is not totally clear if they are publicly available or not. This volume of the PDE aims at shading more light on the riddle entangling the Black Terror, Fighting Yank, Miss Masque and other less famous Mystery Men that fought the good fight in simpler times. This volume is divided in 4 macro-sections: an introduction describing the history of the Better/Nedor/Standards imprints and a timeline of their brilliant founder, the late Ned Pines; section 2 focuses on 28 characters, proving insights on their creation and conceptualization, their publishing life and their actual copyright and trademark status. A comprehensive analysis of the characters follows, including a description of their market trends, success factors and archetypal references. The last part is an updated summary of the copyright status of the Better/Nedor/Standard Golden Age titles, providing registration and renewal numbers dates and owners. A trademark table completes this section summarizing the registered trademark of each of the characters. All sections are fully illustrated with fully original illustrations, pin-ups and splash-pages, granting a reading that goes far beyond the simple understanding of historical data, proving that the Funny Pages of the past are still enjoyable for all.

The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is a book series dedicated to the Golden Age of comics that are, today, freely available to all. It is aimed at readers, writers and artists that are looking for reliable and verified information about characters, authors, businessmen and publishers. The 5th volume of PDE is dedicated to Harry A. Chesler, one of the very first entrepreneur in the field of comics during the Golden Age. Was he a ruthless businessman or a philanthropist? A farsighted manager or an opportunity seeker? This volume is divided in 3 macro-sections: an introduction describing the history of Chesler comics, Harry A. Chesler's bio, and the history of the comic packagers during the Golden Age. Section 2 focuses on Chesler's superheroes, providing insights on their creation and conceptualization, their publishing life and their actual copyright and trademark status. The last part is an updated summary of the copyright status of Chesler Golden Age titles, providing registration and renewal numbers dates and owners. A trademark table completes this section summarizing the registered trademark of each of the characters. All sections are fully illustrated with black & white fully original illustrations, pin-ups and splash-pages, granting a reading that goes far beyond the simple understanding of historical data, proving that the Funny Pages of the past are still enjoyable for all.

In this insightful book you will discover the range wars of the new information age, which is today's battles dealing with intellectual property. Intellectual property rights marks the ground rules for information in today's society, including today's policies that are unbalanced and unspupported by any evidence. The public domain is vital to innovation as well as culture in the realm of material that is protected by property rights.

The joy of finding an old box in the attic filled with postcards, invitations, theater programs, laundry lists, and pay stubs is discovering the stories hidden within them. The paper trails of our lives -- or ephemera -- may hold sentimental value, reminding us of great grandparents. They chronicle social history. They can be valuable as collectibles or antiques. But the greatest pleasure is that these ordinary documents can reconstruct with uncanny immediacy the drama of day-to-day life. The Encyclopedia of Ephemera is the first work of its kind, providing an unparalleled sourcebook with over 400 entries that cover all aspects of everyday documents and artifacts, from bookmarks to birth certificates to lighthouse dues papers. Continuing a tradition that started in the Victorian era, when disposable paper items such as trade cards, die-cuts and greeting cards were accumulated to paste into scrap books, expert Maurice Rickards has compiled an enormous range of paper collectibles from the obscure to the commonplace. His artifacts come from around the world and include such throw-away items as cigarette packs and crate labels as well as the ubiquitous faxes, parking tickets, and phone cards of daily life. As this major new reference shows, simple slips of paper can speak volumes about status, taste, customs, and taboos, revealing the very roots of popular culture.

The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is a book series dedicated to the lost treasures of the Golden Age comics industry that are freely available to all. No cost, no charge. The 2nd volume is dedicated to Black Terror, Better /Nedor/Standard flagship character during the Golden Age (1938-1956). This volume of the PDE aims at carrying out a full character analysis, providing insight on Black Terror himself, the narrative principles that brought to his conceptualization, his supporting cast and villains, as well as his real-life creators. Black Terror's Golden Age and modern appearances are also added to the book, as well as the copyright and trademark status and a table collecting the summary of the character's Golden Age adventures. An in-depth analysis of Better/Nedor/Stardard sidekicks role and evolution through the Golden Age is also in the book. All sections are fully illustrated with black & white fully original illustrations (in full color for the Kindle edition), pin-ups and splash-pages, granting a reading that goes far beyond the simple understanding of historical data, proving that the Funny Pages of the past are still enjoyable for all.