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7,238 public-domain books, summarised. Page 139 of 151.

Cover of Chips from a German Workshop, Volume 1: Essays on the Science of Religion

Chips from a German Workshop, Volume 1: Essays on the Science of Religion

F. Max (Friedrich Max) Müller

The study of the divine is a journey into our shared past, revealing how disparate cultures have long reached for the same infinite truths through the unique, ancient languages of their own traditions.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Life of Frederick Courtenay Selous, D.S.O., Capt. 25th Royal Fusiliers

Life of Frederick Courtenay Selous, D.S.O., Capt. 25th Royal Fusiliers

John Guille Millais

A relentless explorer of the African veldt, a celebrated hunter, and an aging soldier, this narrative captures the singular, adventurous spirit of a man defined by the wild.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of Memorials of old Derbyshire

Memorials of old Derbyshire

Unknown

This expansive collection of essays invites readers into the deep, often shadowed history of an English county, where prehistoric stone circles and medieval monuments still speak to the persistence of the past.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones

O. Henry

A collection of stories and sketches that captures the restless spirit of a life lived on the move, these pieces offer a sharp, humorous, and sometimes melancholic window into the American frontier and beyond.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Social life at Rome in the Age of Cicero

Social life at Rome in the Age of Cicero

W. Warde (William Warde) Fowler

This exploration of Roman life invites readers to step behind the marble facades of history and into the bustling, flawed, and profoundly human world of the late Republic. It turns a scholarly gaze upon the daily reality of a civilization at a crossroads.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of The Birth of the War-God: A Poem by Kálidása

The Birth of the War-God: A Poem by Kálidása

Kālidāsa

A celestial epic of longing and transformation, this verse narrative follows a mountain princess’s quest to win the heart of a detached, mourning deity to save the heavens from ruin. It is a work of lush, sensory beauty, grounding its mythic stakes in the intimate rhythms of the natural world.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of Appreciations, with an Essay on Style

Appreciations, with an Essay on Style

Walter Pater

This collection of essays offers a masterclass in literary discernment, guiding the reader through the architecture of language and the intimate, often melancholic lives of the writers who shaped the English canon.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2)

History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2)

William Edward Hartpole Lecky

The transition from antiquity to the Middle Ages is not merely a change of maps, but a profound transformation of the human soul. This inquiry traces how a new religious ideal reshaped the moral boundaries of Europe.

History - European7 min read
Cover of History of the Spanish Conquest of Yucatan and of the Itzas: Papers of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Hard University. Vol. VII

History of the Spanish Conquest of Yucatan and of the Itzas: Papers of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Hard University. Vol. VII

Philip Ainsworth Means

This scholarly assembly of historical documents chronicles the long, fragmented struggle to incorporate the independent Itza people of the Petén region into the colonial framework of Spanish Yucatán.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of King Henry V

King Henry V

William Shakespeare

A young king balances the weight of his crown against the chaos of war, seeking to claim a foreign throne while proving his worth to his own people.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Poems by Emily Dickinson, Third Series

Poems by Emily Dickinson, Third Series

Emily Dickinson

HOOK This collection gathers the private, searching verses of a singular mind, exploring the heavy borders between the daily world and the infinite.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves, Volume IV, Georgia Narratives, Part 1

Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves, Volume IV, Georgia Narratives, Part 1

United States. Work Projects Administration

This collection of firsthand accounts preserves the fading memories of formerly enslaved people in Georgia, offering an unvarnished, human-scale record of life under a system of bondage.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Journal of Leo Tolstoi (First Volume—1895-1899)

The Journal of Leo Tolstoi (First Volume—1895-1899)

Tolstoy, Leo, graf

A profound, restless record of a mind attempting to strip away the illusions of the self and the state, this volume captures a titan of literature grappling with the absolute demands of his own conscience.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Malay Archipelago, Volume 2: The Land of the Orang-utan and the Bird of Paradise

The Malay Archipelago, Volume 2: The Land of the Orang-utan and the Bird of Paradise

Alfred Russel Wallace

A naturalist’s meticulous, years-long exploration of the Malay Archipelago captures the profound wonder of discovery and the complex, shifting beauty of a world before modern industry took hold.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of The Trembling of a Leaf: Little Stories of the South Sea Islands

The Trembling of a Leaf: Little Stories of the South Sea Islands

W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

The Pacific holds a mirror to the human soul, revealing a place where the line between absolute bliss and utter despair is as thin as a trembling leaf. These stories explore the lives of those drawn to the South Seas—and the irrevocable ways the islands change them.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Three generations

Three generations

Maud Howe Elliott

This memoir serves as a sprawling, intimate tapestry of late nineteenth-century cultural life, weaving together the personal growth of the author with the lives of the prominent figures who populated her world.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1963 July - December

U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1963 July - December

Library of Congress. Copyright Office

This register serves as a formal, bureaucratic map of American intellectual property in the mid-1930s, documenting the legal extension of literary and technical works into a second term of protection.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of A Handbook of Modern Japan

A Handbook of Modern Japan

Ernest W. (Ernest Wilson) Clement

A panoramic survey of a nation in rapid transition, this work captures the spirit of early twentieth-century Japan as it pivots from feudal isolation toward a modern, globalized future.

History - Modern (1750+)6 min read
Cover of A History of the Four Georges, Volume I

A History of the Four Georges, Volume I

Justin McCarthy

This sweeping historical narrative chronicles the transition of the British crown and the evolution of parliamentary power during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It offers an intimate look at the figures who shaped a nation, from the corridors of St. James’s to the shifting landscapes of the Highlands.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy

G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton

A profound exploration of the Russian giant whose literary genius is matched only by his radical, often startling, shift toward an uncompromising and absolute moral philosophy.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of My Double Life: The Memoirs of Sarah Bernhardt

My Double Life: The Memoirs of Sarah Bernhardt

Sarah Bernhardt

A woman of singular will charts her path from the quiet shadows of a convent to the glittering, often tempestuous center of the global stage.

Biographies8 min read
Cover of Old English libraries

Old English libraries

Ernest Albert Savage

This study illuminates the vanished world of medieval English book culture, tracing how manuscripts were written, collected, and circulated long before the age of the printing press.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Campaner Thal, and Other Writings

The Campaner Thal, and Other Writings

Jean Paul

This collection presents the singular, digressive, and deeply meditative world of a nineteenth-century master who treats the human soul as a landscape of both comedy and sublime terror.

German Literature6 min read
Cover of "The Kingdom of God Is Within You": Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion but as a New Theory of Life

"The Kingdom of God Is Within You": Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion but as a New Theory of Life

Tolstoy, Leo, graf

A radical call to conscience, this text argues that the true essence of Christianity is incompatible with the violence of modern states. It demands a personal awakening to the simple, often ignored, teachings of non-resistance.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of The Marble Faun

The Marble Faun

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The ancient shadows of Rome provide the backdrop for an inquiry into the nature of innocence and the heavy, irreversible transformation that follows a single act of violence.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of The Optimist's Good Morning

The Optimist's Good Morning

Unknown

The day begins with a quiet, deliberate pause. This collection of daily devotions offers a steadying rhythm for those seeking to ground their mornings in reflection, gratitude, and purpose.

Religion/Spirituality6 min read
Cover of The Practice of Autosuggestion

The Practice of Autosuggestion

C. Harry (Cyrus Harry) Brooks

A systematic guide to the practice of mental suggestion, this work outlines a technique for self-improvement and healing that emphasizes the power of the imagination over the conscious will. It documents a method based on the belief that simple, repetitive thoughts can influence the unconscious mind to restore…

Health & Medicine6 min read
Cover of Urbain Grandier: Celebrated Crimes

Urbain Grandier: Celebrated Crimes

Alexandre Dumas

A handsome, defiant priest finds himself trapped in a web of manufactured hysteria, where his personal pride becomes the weapon used to lead him to the stake.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of A Short History of Italy (476-1900)

A Short History of Italy (476-1900)

Henry Dwight Sedgwick

This sweeping narrative traces the complex evolution of the Italian peninsula, from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West to the dawn of the twentieth century. It offers a clear, structured guide through the centuries of fragmentation, cultural triumph, and political rebirth that define the Italian experience.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)6 min read
Cover of Aunt Rachel: A Rustic Sentimental Comedy

Aunt Rachel: A Rustic Sentimental Comedy

David Christie Murray

A long-severed love affair between two aging villagers finds an unlikely second act, woven into the romantic courtship of their younger relatives in a quiet, music-filled English hamlet.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of First Lensman

First Lensman

E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith

HOOK The Galactic Patrol fights for the survival of civilization against an unseen, malevolent enemy, armed only with the mysterious, psychic power of the Lens.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 3

Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 3

François Rabelais

A giant prince and his irrepressible friend embark on an intellectual quest to determine if a man should marry, navigating a world of chaotic debate, strange omens, and endless, learned absurdity.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Mike and Psmith

Mike and Psmith

P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

A disgraced schoolboy and a dandy with an eyeglass navigate the absurd, rigid hierarchies of an English boarding school. Their unlikely friendship turns the tide of the school’s cricket fortunes and its social order.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Richard Wagner His Life and His Dramas: A Biographical Study of the Man and an Explanation of His Work

Richard Wagner His Life and His Dramas: A Biographical Study of the Man and an Explanation of His Work

W. J. (William James) Henderson

This biographical study navigates the turbulent life and monumental artistic evolution of a nineteenth-century composer, offering a clear, expository guide to the complex narrative and musical architecture of his greatest stage works.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of The American Nations, Vol. I

The American Nations, Vol. I

C. S. (Constantine Samuel) Rafinesque

An expansive, controversial effort to chart the origins and history of the American continents through linguistics, archaeology, and comparative mythology. This work challenges long-held colonial assumptions by asserting that the Americas were never an empty wilderness, but a cradle of ancient, complex civilizations.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of The Brothers Dalziel: A Record of Fifty Years Work in Conjunction with many of the Most Distinguished Artists of the Period 1840-1890

The Brothers Dalziel: A Record of Fifty Years Work in Conjunction with many of the Most Distinguished Artists of the Period 1840-1890

George Dalziel

The brothers Dalziel were the master engravers of Victorian London, turning the sketches of giants into the printed soul of an era. This is their own record of the people and the craft that shaped a visual century.

Art6 min read
Cover of Woman in Science: With an Introductory Chapter on Woman's Long Struggle for Things of the Mind

Woman in Science: With an Introductory Chapter on Woman's Long Struggle for Things of the Mind

J. A. (John Augustine) Zahm

A sweeping historical reclamation, this work unearths the forgotten contributions of women to the sciences, challenging the long-held dogma of their intellectual inferiority across three millennia.

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America

Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America

Albert C. Manucy

HOOK This illustrated study traces the evolution of cannon from early bombards to the sophisticated rifled artillery that transformed the American battlefield.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 55, No. 344, June, 1844

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 55, No. 344, June, 1844

Various

What are the enduring echoes of a century past? This collection captures the vibrant, sprawling intellect of the Victorian era through the diverse voices of its most influential monthly magazine.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Charles Dickens and Music

Charles Dickens and Music

James T. (James Thomas) Lightwood

The musical landscape of Victorian England comes alive through the eyes of its most famous novelist, revealing how songs, instruments, and melodies were woven into the daily lives of his iconic characters.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Chronicles of Pharmacy, Vol. 2 (of 2)

Chronicles of Pharmacy, Vol. 2 (of 2)

A. C. Wootton

The history of medicine is a graveyard of peculiar ideas, where ancient superstitions and modern chemistry collide in the apothecary’s shop. This volume serves as a meticulous map of that strange territory, cataloging the evolution of the pharmacy from the bizarre to the scientific.

Drugs/Alcohol/Pharmacology6 min read
Cover of Dope

Dope

Sax Rohmer

This mystery novel plunges into the shadows of post-WWI London, where the gilded salons of the West End collide with the hidden, illicit opium dens of Limehouse.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Max Havelaar

Max Havelaar

Multatuli

HOOK A blistering indictment of colonial exploitation masquerading as a novel, this work dismantles the self-satisfied morality of the Dutch empire through the lens of a disgraced official’s desperate, doomed crusade for justice in Java.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Memoirs of the Comtesse Du Barry: With Minute Details of Her Entire Career as Favorite of Louis XV

Memoirs of the Comtesse Du Barry: With Minute Details of Her Entire Career as Favorite of Louis XV

Lamothe-Langon, Etienne-Léon, baron de

The life of a royal favorite is a precarious climb, and this narrative captures the dizzying heights of Versailles before the inevitable, crushing fall. It offers a window into a world where power is measured in proximity to a king’s favor and every gesture is a calculated move in a high-stakes game of survival.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of My past and thoughts, vol. 1 (of 6)

My past and thoughts, vol. 1 (of 6)

Aleksandr Herzen

This sprawling memoir captures the birth of a revolutionary consciousness, charting the passage from a stifling aristocratic childhood in Moscow to the cold reality of exile under the watchful eye of a paranoid tsar.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Northumberland Yesterday and To-day

Northumberland Yesterday and To-day

Jean F. (Jean Finlay) Terry

Northumberland is a land of Roman ruins, medieval fortresses, and industrial rivers, where history is written in stone and song. This guidebook captures the essence of the northern county, tracing its evolution from ancient battleground to modern hub.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Original Short Stories, Complete, Volumes 1-13: An Index to All Stories

Original Short Stories, Complete, Volumes 1-13: An Index to All Stories

Guy de Maupassant

These stories map the hidden landscapes of the human heart with cold precision and startling empathy. They offer an unmatched panorama of French life during the late nineteenth century.

French Literature5 min read
Cover of Tarzan the Untamed

Tarzan the Untamed

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Driven by the false belief that his wife has been murdered, Tarzan wages a solitary, vengeful war against German forces in Africa until a shocking discovery changes everything.

Adventure6 min read
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