I am in the process of editing works in the Public Domain. I want them to be as clean as possible, so they are more like works of art. No Introductions, no foot-notes, no prefaces, etc..
I really don't want to put an ugly legal notice into the book either as the first thing one sees when opening the book, or the last thing one sees after finishing it.
But I notice that all other editions of Public Domain works have a notice stating that they are "in the public domain" so... (basically) "...leave me alone, I'm not doing anything wrong!"
Are there any requirements for me to add such a statement, or can I publish a "clean" book with nothing but the most important words inside?