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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 146 of 988.

Cover of A Diplomat in Japan: The inner history of the critical years in the evolution of Japan when the ports were opened and the monarchy restored, recorded by a diplomatist who took an active part in the events of the time, with an account of his personal experiences during that period

A Diplomat in Japan: The inner history of the critical years in the evolution of Japan when the ports were opened and the monarchy restored, recorded by a diplomatist who took an active part in the events of the time, with an account of his personal experiences during that period

Ernest Mason Satow

An ambitious young English interpreter steps directly into the chaos of feudal Japan during the mid-nineteenth century, recording first-hand the explosive collapse of the Shôgunate and the dramatic restoration of the Mikado.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of A Treatise on Adulterations of Food, and Culinary Poisons: Exhibiting the Fraudulent Sophistications of Bread, Beer, Wine, Spiritous Liquors, Tea, Coffee, Cream, Confectionery, Vinegar, Mustard, Pepper, Cheese, Olive Oil, Pickles, and Other Articles Employed in Domestic Economy

A Treatise on Adulterations of Food, and Culinary Poisons: Exhibiting the Fraudulent Sophistications of Bread, Beer, Wine, Spiritous Liquors, Tea, Coffee, Cream, Confectionery, Vinegar, Mustard, Pepper, Cheese, Olive Oil, Pickles, and Other Articles Employed in Domestic Economy

Friedrich Christian Accum

Everyday meals in nineteenth-century society carry invisible perils, as unscrupulous merchants systematically contaminate staple foods with toxic chemicals to maximize their commercial profits.

Cooking & Drinking6 min read
Cover of From North Pole to Equator: Studies of Wild Life and Scenes in Many Lands

From North Pole to Equator: Studies of Wild Life and Scenes in Many Lands

Alfred Edmund Brehm

A sea-bird's screech over Northern bergs; the sudden bloom of a Siberian steppe; the silent, terrifying march of African white ants.

Nature/Gardening/Animals8 min read
Cover of History of the Franks

History of the Franks

Gregory, Bishop of Tours, Saint

Amid the wreckage of the fallen Roman Empire, bloodlines clash, cities burn, and factional chaos threatens to consume early medieval Gaul. Through it all, one bishop records the volatile birth of the Merovingian world.

History - Medieval/Middle Ages5 min read
Cover of James Nasmyth, Engineer: An Autobiography

James Nasmyth, Engineer: An Autobiography

James Nasmyth

From an Edinburgh childhood surrounded by artists and antique coins to the roaring foundries of Industrial Britain, a master inventor crafts the mechanical tools that shaped the modern world.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Life histories of North American shore birds, Part 2 (of 2)

Life histories of North American shore birds, Part 2 (of 2)

Arthur Cleveland Bent

Across rocky coastlines, windswept tundra, and vast prairie marshes, wild shorebirds journey thousands of miles along fragile avian highways.

General10 min read
Cover of Lives of Boulton and Watt. Principally from the Original Soho Mss.: Comprising also a history of the invention and introduction of the steam engine

Lives of Boulton and Watt. Principally from the Original Soho Mss.: Comprising also a history of the invention and introduction of the steam engine

Samuel Smiles

A visionary industrialist and a melancholic inventor combine forces to tame the power of steam and ignite the modern world.

Biographies8 min read
Cover of Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume I: (Commodore B. Von Wullerstorf-Urbair,) Undertaken by Order of the Imperial Government in the Years 1857, 1858, & 1859, Under the Immediate Auspices of His I. and R. Highness the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, Commander-In-Chief of the

Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume I: (Commodore B. Von Wullerstorf-Urbair,) Undertaken by Order of the Imperial Government in the Years 1857, 1858, & 1859, Under the Immediate Auspices of His I. and R. Highness the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, Commander-In-Chief of the

Scherzer, Karl, Ritter von

A grand imperial voyage launches across distant oceans, charting forgotten currents, remote volcanic peaks, and bustling colonial ports with painstaking scientific curiosity.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known British Poets, Complete

Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known British Poets, Complete

Unknown

An expansive critical anthology charts the long, irregular journey of English verse from its early pre-Chaucerian shadows through the golden ages of drama, romance, and satire to the late eighteenth century.

British Literature10 min read
Cover of The Catholic World, Vol. 25, April 1877 to September 1877

The Catholic World, Vol. 25, April 1877 to September 1877

Various

A mid-nineteenth-century Catholic miscellany weaves serialized romance, travel writing, and theology into a sweeping defense of faith, culture, and human devotion across a rapidly changing world.

Archaeology & Anthropology13 min read
Cover of The Chartreuse of Parma: Translated from the French of Stendhal (Henri Beyle)

The Chartreuse of Parma: Translated from the French of Stendhal (Henri Beyle)

Stendhal

An idealistic Italian nobleman stumbles through the battle of Waterloo, dives headlong into court politics, and falls in love under the shadow of a prison tower.

French Literature9 min read
Cover of The Recollections of Alexis de Tocqueville

The Recollections of Alexis de Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville

A calm, clear-eyed witness steps onto the chaotic stage of the 1848 French Revolution, recording the collapse of a monarchy and the rise of a tumultuous republic.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 2

The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 2

Emperor of Rome Julian

Stripped of imperial posturing, these writings reveal a ruler wrestling with the gap between philosophical ideals and the messy realities of governing a divided empire.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Women of Modern France

Women of Modern France

Hugo P. (Hugo Paul) Thieme

Through detailed historic portraits, Hugo P. Thieme explores how French women cultivated social power, intellect, and personal influence to shape the political and cultural destinies of their nation.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Yama [The Pit], a Novel in Three Parts

Yama [The Pit], a Novel in Three Parts

A. I. (Aleksandr Ivanovich) Kuprin

Behind the glowing facades of a provincial red-light district lies a world of routine transaction, institutionalized cruelty, and the fragile humanity of women trapped within it.

Novels7 min read
Cover of A Child's Garden of Verses

A Child's Garden of Verses

Robert Louis Stevenson

A quiet world of bedtime shadows, carpet oceans, and windowsill voyages comes vividly alive through the eyes of an imaginative child.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Manual of Elementary Geology

A Manual of Elementary Geology

Lyell, Charles, Sir

A single shell held in the hand can decode the history of an ocean, revealing how time and quiet water alter the surface of the earth.

Science - Earth/Agricultural/Farming11 min read
Cover of A Source Book of Mediæval History: Documents Illustrative of European Life and Institutions from the German Invasions to the Renaissance

A Source Book of Mediæval History: Documents Illustrative of European Life and Institutions from the German Invasions to the Renaissance

Unknown

A vivid tapestry of primary texts traces how European culture rebuilt itself from the ashes of Rome into the vibrant spark of the Renaissance.

History - Medieval/Middle Ages10 min read
Cover of Biographical Sketches of the Generals of the Continental Army of the Revolution

Biographical Sketches of the Generals of the Continental Army of the Revolution

Mary Theresa Leiter

These pages chronicle the lives of the Continental Army’s commanders, revealing the men who steered a fragile revolution from its desperate, early volunteer days to the hard-won independence of a new nation.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland

Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland

Daniel Turner Holmes

Stepping onto the winter ferry, a traveler turns his gaze from the snow-covered peaks of Skye to the living stories, fierce debates, and rugged poetry scattered across the remote glens and stormy sea-lochs of northern Scotland.

Travel Writing6 min read
Cover of Original Short Stories

Original Short Stories

Guy de Maupassant

A world of quiet desperation, sudden twists, and sharp ironies, where bourgeois domesticity masks bitter hatred and modest lives founder on small miscalculations.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Choise of Valentines

The Choise of Valentines

Thomas Nash

A young man seeks his sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, only to find her in a brothel and himself in an erotic farce of exhausted stamina.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Englishman in China During the Victorian Era, Vol. 2 (of 2): As Illustrated in the Career of Sir Rutherford Alcock, K.C.B., D.C.L., Many Years Consul and Minister in China and Japan

The Englishman in China During the Victorian Era, Vol. 2 (of 2): As Illustrated in the Career of Sir Rutherford Alcock, K.C.B., D.C.L., Many Years Consul and Minister in China and Japan

Alexander Michie

A delicate game of diplomacy, culture, and coercion unfolds across nineteenth-century East Asia as Western powers demand access to reluctant imperial empires.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier

The History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier

Charles E. (Charles Eugene) Flandrau

Before Minnesota became a powerhouse of agriculture and industry, its borderlands were shaped by fierce territorial squabbles, economic gambles, and violent encounters between native inhabitants and expanding European settlers. This volume collects early historical records alongside vivid personal memoirs to trace…

History - American6 min read
Cover of The Water-Babies

The Water-Babies

Charles Kingsley

A neglected child tumbles out of a life of soot and blows into a realm of clear water and fierce fairies, where the only way to grow up is to learn to clean himself inside and out.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Tom Brown at Oxford

Tom Brown at Oxford

Thomas Hughes

An energetic boy trades rugby fields for Oxford quadrangles, discovering that growing into a man requires far more than winning races and picking fights.

British Literature10 min read
Cover of A Treatise on Physiology and Hygiene: For Educational Institutions and General Readers

A Treatise on Physiology and Hygiene: For Educational Institutions and General Readers

Joseph C. (Joseph Chrisman) Hutchison

A structured, accessible manual demystifies the mechanics of the human body, transforming complex anatomical science into everyday practical wisdom for the home and classroom.

Health & Medicine6 min read
Cover of At home with the Patagonians

At home with the Patagonians

George C. Musters

A year-long journey alongside the Tehuelche people reveals an immense, unmapped interior where surviving requires extraordinary skill, swift horses, and deep mutual trust.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Authors and Friends

Authors and Friends

Annie Fields

An intimate, unvarnished look at the private lives and quiet genius of New England’s classic literary circle.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Cannibals all! or, Slaves without masters

Cannibals all! or, Slaves without masters

George Fitzhugh

Every system of free market capitalism secretly feeds upon its own working class, exploiting the vulnerable under a thin veneer of personal liberty.

Politics6 min read
Cover of Copyright Basics

Copyright Basics

Library of Congress. Copyright Office

Ownership over creative expression does not begin in a courtroom or government office, but at the exact moment a line of text, a melody, or a drawing is fixed in tangible form.

Law & Criminology7 min read
Cover of Elements of Morals: With Special Application of the Moral Law to the Duties of the Individual and of Society and the State

Elements of Morals: With Special Application of the Moral Law to the Duties of the Individual and of Society and the State

Paul Janet

A structured account of human duty grounded in natural reason, Paul Janet’s standard textbook charts a methodical course through individual conduct, social obligations, and the institutional foundations of the state.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of Materials and Methods of Fiction: With an Introduction by Brander Matthews

Materials and Methods of Fiction: With an Introduction by Brander Matthews

Clayton Meeker Hamilton

An inquiry into the foundational mechanics of narrative, this treatise dissects how storytellers transform actualities into lasting human truths. It offers a precise roadmap for analyzing plot, character, and setting across verse and prose.

Essays, Letters & Speeches5 min read
Cover of Mind and Hand: Manual Training the Chief Factor in Education

Mind and Hand: Manual Training the Chief Factor in Education

Charles H. (Charles Henry) Ham

A radical proposal for educational reform, this nineteenth-century treatise argues that coupling manual tool-work with traditional academic study is essential for building intellect, moral character, and a truly equitable modern democracy.

Teaching & Education7 min read
Cover of The Conquest: The True Story of Lewis and Clark

The Conquest: The True Story of Lewis and Clark

Eva Emery Dye

A sweeping march across the American continent, where frontier warfare, high diplomacy, and the raw grit of wilderness survival collide to shape a young nation's destiny.

History - American6 min read
Cover of The Figure in the Carpet

The Figure in the Carpet

Henry James

A young literary critic learns from a famous author that a hidden pattern governs all his published novels, sparking a lifelong, destructive obsession with discovering the secret.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Flying Saucers are Real

The Flying Saucers are Real

Donald E. (Donald Edward) Keyhoe

Military aviation officers and commercial pilots keep sighting massive, high-speed metallic disks, forcing a former Marine Corps pilot to investigate whether the United States government is covering up visits from extraterrestrial space craft.

History - Modern (1750+)6 min read
Cover of The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Volume 10

The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Volume 10

Various

At the dawn of modern psychiatry, investigators grapple with the hidden mechanics of dreams, bodily symptoms, and unconscious conflicts, probing where physical illness ends and mental disturbance begins.

Journals9 min read
Cover of The Lilac Fairy Book

The Lilac Fairy Book

Andrew Lang

A clever monkey tricks a scheming shark, a foolish youth hunts a wolf, and a magic thread destroys a bride’s fine gown in a rich tapestry of international folklore.

Children & Young Adult Reading7 min read
Cover of The New World of Islam

The New World of Islam

Lothrop Stoddard

Across the Near and Middle East, a massive religious and political awakening is quietly dismantling centuries of decay and redrawing the global balance of power.

History - Modern (1750+)6 min read
Cover of The World's Greatest Books

The World's Greatest Books

Unknown

A vast library of classic fiction opens its doors, offering a guided journey through the moral crossroads, tragic downfalls, and quiet triumphs that shaped nineteenth-century storytelling.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of Tolerance

Tolerance

Hendrik Willem Van Loon

Humanity marches through a dark valley of fear, building intellectual prisons only to shatter them and begin the struggle anew.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of Bird Houses Boys Can Build

Bird Houses Boys Can Build

Albert Frederick Siepert

A modest manual keg post becomes a sanctuary, bridging human craftsmanship with wild life. Simple wood, clear plans, and thoughtful care invite nature back into built landscapes.

Children & Young Adult Reading5 min read
Cover of Birds and Poets

Birds and Poets

John Burroughs

A deep love for the open air meets a rigorous critical mind, proving that listening closely to a bird’s song is not so different from reading a great poet.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Complete Hypnotism, Mesmerism, Mind-Reading and Spiritualism: How to Hypnotize: Being an Exhaustive and Practical System of Method, Application, and Use

Complete Hypnotism, Mesmerism, Mind-Reading and Spiritualism: How to Hypnotize: Being an Exhaustive and Practical System of Method, Application, and Use

A. Alpheus

A century-old practical guide to the mysterious boundaries of the human mind, this book separates genuine psychological manipulation from theatrical illusion, offering a structured journey through hypnotic trances, mental influence, and spiritualist deception.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven

Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven

Mark Twain

A dead sea captain races a comet through the cosmos, misses his destination, and discovers that the conventional human picture of the afterlife is completely wrong.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Genghis Khan, Makers of History Series

Genghis Khan, Makers of History Series

Jacob Abbott

A steppe chieftain’s son rises through factional warfare to unite the Mongol tribes and forge an empire of unprecedented scale.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Vol. 2 (of 2)

Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Vol. 2 (of 2)

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

A brilliant mind wages a lifelong battle against illness, financial anxiety, and its own restless brilliance across the landscape of nineteenth-century Europe.

British Literature6 min read