Can I make a derivative work from a book that was written 150 years ago
<p>I read an article that says that copyrights last life of author plus 70 years. </p>

<p>Can I make a derivative work from a book that was written 150 years ago without making a copyright infringement?</p>

<p>I assume you are talking about United States federal copyright law.</p>

<p>You can freely use any:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>material published before 1923</p></li>
<li><p>material published between 1923 and 1963 for which the copyright was not renewed</p></li>
<li><p>material explicitly placed in the public domain</p></li>
<li><p>material not copyrightable (such as any US government publication)</p></li>
<li><p>material whose copyright has been abandoned (for example the author died with no heir)</p></li>
</ul>

copyright