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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 129 of 988.

Cover of The Poet at the Breakfast-Table

The Poet at the Breakfast-Table

Oliver Wendell Holmes

A quiet boarding-house table becomes a battleground of ideas as a poet, a scientist, and an astronomer debate faith, specialized knowledge, and the human heart.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Watch Yourself Go By

Watch Yourself Go By

Al. G. (Alfred Griffith) Field

Behind the greasepaint and brass bands of old-time American show business lies a boy who never quite lost his wonder, watching his own life unfold like a travelling parade.

American Literature14 min read
Cover of Another ace for Ananias

Another ace for Ananias

W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle

The truth is the most dangerous weapon in a liar’s arsenal, especially when the target is a group of imaginative, fast-talking cowboys. This rollicking Western farce chronicles a tangled web of tall tales that spirals into an uncontrollable, hilarious catastrophe.

Novels5 min read
Cover of Epic and Romance: Essays on Medieval Literature

Epic and Romance: Essays on Medieval Literature

W. P. (William Paton) Ker

Epic poetry remains the most resilient vessel for the spirit of a heroic age, capturing the stark, individualistic struggle of man against his destiny. These essays explore how the primitive, unadorned narratives of the Germanic and Northern traditions evolved into the polished, often rhetorical, romances of later…

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Famous Frosts and Frost Fairs in Great Britain: Chronicled from the Earliest to the Present Time

Famous Frosts and Frost Fairs in Great Britain: Chronicled from the Earliest to the Present Time

William Andrews

When severe cold bound Great Britain's waterways, entire communities transformed treacherous ice into bustling towns of commerce, revelry, and social survival.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table, Adapted from the Book of Romance

Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table, Adapted from the Book of Romance

Unknown

A grand vision of chivalry, divine quests, and heartbreaking betrayal plays out in a realm where honor is tested by fate.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times, Volume 4

A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times, Volume 4

François Guizot

A central contradiction haunts the story of sixteenth-century France: no nation matches her brilliance in war, intellect, and social charm, yet few have proven so prone to squander these gifts through reckless division and royal caprice.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)8 min read
Cover of Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

Anonymous

A devoted daughter trades her freedom to a terrifying creature to save her father, only to discover that true nobility lies hidden beneath a monstrous shape.

Children & Young Adult Reading7 min read
Cover of Ku Klux Klan: Its Origin, Growth and Disbandment

Ku Klux Klan: Its Origin, Growth and Disbandment

John C. Lester

A mysterious post-Civil War secret society transforms from a small-town social club into a terrifying political apparatus that reshapes the Southern landscape before collapsing under its own unmanageable violence.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Myths of Greece and Rome: Narrated with Special Reference to Literature and Art

Myths of Greece and Rome: Narrated with Special Reference to Literature and Art

H. A. (Hélène Adeline) Guerber

A comprehensive collection of classical myths unfolds with cinematic scope, connecting ancient divine pantheons to enduring literary tradition and fine art.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore7 min read
Cover of The Book of Life

The Book of Life

Upton Sinclair

A plain-spoken guide to living, this work balances practical physical habits with a sweeping call for economic justice and personal freedom.

Philosophy & Ethics8 min read
Cover of Thoughts out of Season, Part I

Thoughts out of Season, Part I

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

A culture in decline mistakes comfortable erudition for intellectual vitality, leaving true creation to those willing to break with their age.

German Literature6 min read
Cover of Astounding Stories of Super-Science February 1930

Astounding Stories of Super-Science February 1930

Various

High-strung visionaries and desperate scientists clash with otherworldly menaces in this vibrant collection of early American pulp science fiction.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2

Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2

Thomas Mann

Behind the polished, high-society facade of a wealthy nineteenth-century German merchant family lies a fragile world slowly buckling under the weight of financial miscalculation, rigid tradition, and personal disappointment.

German Literature7 min read
Cover of Captains of Industry

Captains of Industry

James Parton

Through vivid life sketches of self-made inventors, artisans, and merchants, this collection redefines human nobility by celebrating practical labor, ethical ambition, and industrial genius.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Gypsy folk-tales

Gypsy folk-tales

Francis Hindes Groome

A dragon slips from a bride’s mouth at midnight, a dead man demands his share of a living woman, and a clever lad outwits a forest full of beasts. Francis Hindes Groome gathers the wild, wandering magic of Romani tales across Europe.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore7 min read
Cover of The Eleusinian Mysteries and Rites

The Eleusinian Mysteries and Rites

Dudley Wright

Centuries of esoteric ritual, agricultural myth, and promises of post-mortem solace convergence in ancient Attica, where secretive rites offered initiates a transformation from existential dread to divine favor.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of The Gospel According to Peter: A Study

The Gospel According to Peter: A Study

Walter Richard Cassels

Unburied from the dry sands of Upper Egypt, an ancient parchment fragment forces a rigorous reexamination of how the early Christian church constructed its most sacred stories.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of Balder the Beautiful, Volume I.: A Study in Magic and Religion: the Golden Bough, Part VII., The

Balder the Beautiful, Volume I.: A Study in Magic and Religion: the Golden Bough, Part VII., The

James George Frazer

A sweep through ancient custom and rustic folklore reveals how humanity repeatedly turns to sacred fires, strict taboos, and mythical sacrifices to soothe its deepest anxieties.

Archaeology & Anthropology9 min read
Cover of Cato: A Tragedy, in Five Acts

Cato: A Tragedy, in Five Acts

Joseph Addison

A man of unyielding principle stands against a triumphant tyrant, choosing death over submission in the final stronghold of a dying republic.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Curiosities of Heraldry

The Curiosities of Heraldry

Mark Antony Lower

A system of obscure symbols becomes a vibrant, human language when stripped of pedantry and restored to its historical life.

History - Medieval/Middle Ages6 min read
Cover of The Kipling Reader: Selections from the Books of Rudyard Kipling

The Kipling Reader: Selections from the Books of Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling

A mongoose battles cobras in a sun-baked garden, an engineer fights famine with herds of goats, and an exiled mail runner scales Himalayan cliffs beneath an overwhelming empire.

Adventure8 min read
Cover of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

Finding a human baby abandoned at the edge of an enchanted forest, immortal woodsmen and nymphs raise the child as one of their own, setting in motion a lifelong quest to bring delight to mortal youth.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Sonnets

The Sonnets

William Shakespeare

Time, desire, and mortality collide in a sequence of poems that measure the fragile grace of human devotion against the relentless passage of years.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Children's Hour with Red Riding Hood and Other Stories

Children's Hour with Red Riding Hood and Other Stories

Unknown

A vibrant collection of traditional folklore, this anthology gathers beloved childhood tales of magical transformation, mortal peril, and ultimate triumph.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Glimpses of the Past: History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784

Glimpses of the Past: History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784

W. O. (William Odber) Raymond

The history of the Saint John River is a chronicle of shifting borders and stubborn persistence, where explorers, traders, soldiers, and settlers vied for dominance over a landscape as unforgiving as it was beautiful.

Archaeology & Anthropology9 min read
Cover of Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Edmund Burke

Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke

These twelve volumes preserve the exhaustive parliamentary record, philosophical inquiries, and polemical writings of a foundational thinker. They offer a window into the evolution of modern political thought through the lens of eighteenth-century governance.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Letters & Lettering: A Treatise with 200 Examples

Letters & Lettering: A Treatise with 200 Examples

Frank Chouteau Brown

This comprehensive guide serves as a practical manual for artists and designers, offering a vast repository of standardized letter forms and expert instruction in the craft of lettering. It provides the essential tools to bridge historical tradition with contemporary application.

Art6 min read
Cover of Memoirs of the Court of Louis XIV. and of the Regency

Memoirs of the Court of Louis XIV. and of the Regency

Orléans, Charlotte-Elisabeth, duchesse d'

A blunt, fiercely observant German princess maneuvers through forty years of backstabbing, royal scandals, and rigid court etiquette at Versailles.

Biographies5 min read
Cover of Modern Painters, Volume 4 (of 5)

Modern Painters, Volume 4 (of 5)

John Ruskin

This dense, impassioned inquiry into mountain geology, art, and spirituality serves as a profound meditation on how the natural world shapes human perception. It demands a reader willing to wander through rigorous scientific observation, aesthetic philosophy, and theological reflection.

Art7 min read
Cover of Of the Buildings of Justinian

Of the Buildings of Justinian

Procopius

This is a formal survey of the monumental construction projects commissioned by the Emperor Justinian, detailing how he reshaped the physical landscape of the Byzantine Empire to ensure its eternal security and glory.

Architecture6 min read
Cover of Robin Hood

Robin Hood

J. Walker (Joseph Walker) McSpadden

A bowman outlawed by a tyrant's decree builds a sanctuary of outcasts, outwitting corrupt prelates and cruel sheriffs beneath the ancient boughs of Sherwood Forest.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The 'Blackwood' Group

The 'Blackwood' Group

George Douglas

This survey examines the figures central to the *Blackwood* literary circle, illuminating the lives and reputations of a generation of Scottish writers who once defined the intellectual currents of their age.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Magic of Oz

The Magic of Oz

L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

An ambitious boy steals a magical word, joining forces with an exiled tyrant to overthrow a peaceful fairy kingdom. Meanwhile, two loyal travelers set out across dangerous forests and enchanted waters to find a wondrous birthday gift for their beloved ruler.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Promise of American Life

The Promise of American Life

Herbert David Croly

The national Promise is not a guaranteed inheritance, but a deliberate goal requiring a transformation of American democracy. This landmark work argues that the country must trade its Jeffersonian suspicions for Hamiltonian organization to survive.

History - American8 min read
Cover of The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. V. Being the First of the Third Voyage

The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. V. Being the First of the Third Voyage

James Cook

The pursuit of a northern sea passage defines the final great journey of a legendary navigator, charting the unknown reaches of the Pacific and Arctic oceans. This record serves as a testament to the rigors of exploration.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of The Warden

The Warden

Anthony Trollope

A quiet clergyman's comfortable life unravels when a public crusade against church corruption forces him to choose between his lucrative sinecure and his own delicate conscience.

British Literature13 min read
Cover of A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 10

A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 10

Voltaire

The sharp, biting wit of the Enlightenment finds its most potent expression here, dismantling centuries of dogma and superstition with nothing more than a scalpel of reason and a devastatingly dry sense of humor.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of My Brilliant Career

My Brilliant Career

Miles Franklin

A fiercely independent young woman rebels against the crushing limitations of her rural life, only to discover that her aspirations for intellectual and artistic freedom are constantly thwarted by the harsh realities of poverty.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Our Homeland Churches and How to Study Them

Our Homeland Churches and How to Study Them

Sidney Heath

An invitation to look past the surface of village steeples and nave arcades, this guide transforms silent stone into a vivid record of English history. It offers the traveler a toolkit to decode the architecture of the past.

Architecture6 min read
Cover of Quotes and Images From The Short Stories of Maupassant

Quotes and Images From The Short Stories of Maupassant

Guy de Maupassant

This monumental collection gathers the short fiction of a master observer, capturing the sharp edges of human vanity, the weight of rural silence, and the quiet tragedies of ordinary lives. It is a mirror held up to the human condition, unflinching and precise.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 04 (of 11)

The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 04 (of 11)

Thomas Hobbes

This collection assembles the rigorous, uncompromising inquiries of a foundational political philosopher who sought to map the mechanics of human nature and the absolute necessity of stable authority.

Philosophy & Ethics7 min read
Cover of Unwritten Literature of Hawaii: The Sacred Songs of the Hula

Unwritten Literature of Hawaii: The Sacred Songs of the Hula

Nathaniel Bright Emerson

This foundational study preserves the sacred choreography, liturgical chants, and ritual life of the Hawaiian hula, capturing a tradition that once existed only in the minds of the practitioners.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland: Tales and Traditions Collected Entirely from Oral Sources

Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland: Tales and Traditions Collected Entirely from Oral Sources

John Gregorson Campbell

HOOK The Hebrides and Highlands hold secrets written in bone, water, and shadow. This collection preserves the fading oral traditions of a people who lived alongside the unseen world.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of Business Administration: Theory, Practice and Application. [Vol. 1] Business Economics

Business Administration: Theory, Practice and Application. [Vol. 1] Business Economics

Unknown

This volume serves as a foundational primer on the mechanics of industrial capitalism at the turn of the twentieth century. It bridges the gap between abstract economic theory and the pragmatic, often harsh, realities of the American workplace during an era of rapid expansion.

Business/Management7 min read
Cover of Hawthorne: (English Men of Letters Series)

Hawthorne: (English Men of Letters Series)

Henry James

This critical study captures the quiet, interior life of America’s most evocative novelist, balancing deep admiration for his artistry with a measured assessment of his provincial limitations.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of Kalevala, The Land of the Heroes, Volume Two

Kalevala, The Land of the Heroes, Volume Two

W. F. (William Forsell) Kirby

The Kalevala is a vast, rhythmic monument to the Finnish spirit, a collection of ancient songs that pulse with the power of creation, magic, and the endurance of heroes. It is a work where a single song can part the seas or command the stars, capturing the foundational myths of a people through the lens of a…

Mythology, Legends & Folklore5 min read
Cover of U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1959 January - June

U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1959 January - June

Library of Congress. Copyright Office

This systematic registry serves as a quiet archival mirror, documenting the formal extension of literary and legal rights for hundreds of works during the mid-twentieth century.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read