Stringsinger, I believe you're incorrect about copyrights to pre-1923 works still being in effect through renewals (except for a handful of works granted special status)--at least in the US. You may be thinking of revised works, where post-1922 revisions are covered by copyright. But this does not prevent use of the works in their original form (or derivation from that source material).

One should also be wary of reprinting collated texts, as the collation may constitute a distinctive and thus copyrighted arrangement.