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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 175 of 988.

Cover of Mother Goose in Prose

Mother Goose in Prose

L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

The nursery rhymes we hum to our children are often shards of forgotten histories, and this collection gathers the lives of those legendary figures to reveal the humanity behind the verses.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley

John Addington Symonds

The life of a brilliant, erratic, and misunderstood poet unfolds here as a tragic collision between a radical, visionary spirit and the unyielding machinery of 19th-century social and legal convention.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Art of Logical Thinking

The Art of Logical Thinking

William Walker Atkinson

The Art of Logical Thinking serves as a foundational primer on the mechanics of human reasoning. It demystifies the structure of thought, transforming abstract logic into a practical toolkit for evaluating arguments and clarifying ideas.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of The History of Silk, Cotton, Linen, Wool, and Other Fibrous Substances;: Including Observations on Spinning, Dyeing, and Weaving

The History of Silk, Cotton, Linen, Wool, and Other Fibrous Substances;: Including Observations on Spinning, Dyeing, and Weaving

Clinton G. Gilroy

The humble fiber is a thread of history, binding the rise of empires to the quiet ingenuity of the workshop. Through the lens of ancient looms and pastoral traditions, the story of human civilization is rewoven as a chronicle of industry rather than war.

History - Other8 min read
Cover of The History of the 36th (Ulster) Division

The History of the 36th (Ulster) Division

Cyril Falls

This account captures the harrowing trajectory of a single division through the crucible of the Great War. It balances the cold precision of military logistics with the visceral, human cost of modern combat.

History - Modern (1750+)7 min read
Cover of The Legends of the Jews

The Legends of the Jews

Louis Ginzberg

This expansive collection weaves together the vast tapestry of Jewish oral tradition, transforming sparse biblical accounts into vivid, human-centered narratives. It offers a portal into a world where ancient legends breathe life into the history of prophets, kings, and heroes.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The Progress of the Century

The Progress of the Century

Unknown

The nineteenth century stands as a bridge between the archaic and the modern, a hundred-year sprint of discovery that remapped our understanding of the physical, social, and spiritual world. This sweeping survey captures the pivotal shifts in human knowledge as they appeared at the dawn of the twentieth century.

Archaeology & Anthropology8 min read
Cover of The Triumph of Death

The Triumph of Death

Gabriele D'Annunzio

The desire to possess another person entirely, to the exclusion of all else, leads inevitably toward a hollow, self-destructive end. This is a story of how a consuming obsession with physical intimacy can mirror the decay of the soul.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 03

The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 03

Robert Louis Stevenson

A collection of essays examining the lives of historical figures, this volume blends rigorous literary criticism with a singular, chilling work of short fiction. It explores how great minds shape their legacies through art, morality, and contradiction.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Three Soldiers

Three Soldiers

John Dos Passos

The story of an artist caught in the grinding gears of a global conflict, this work explores the slow destruction of the individual spirit by the machinery of war. It captures the haunting realization that some systems are designed to erase the very people they recruit.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Woman as Decoration

Woman as Decoration

Emily Burbank

HOOK Treating dress as a deliberate art form, this guide explores how a woman’s silhouette, choice of color, and understanding of her own physical type transform her into a vital element of any environment.

Art5 min read
Cover of Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic

Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic

Benedetto Croce

Art is not a luxury or a decorative add-on to life, but a primary, autonomous form of human knowledge that precedes logic and exists independently of moral judgment. By defining the nature of expression, this work establishes art as a fundamental pillar of the human spirit.

Art6 min read
Cover of All about miniature plants and gardens indoors and out

All about miniature plants and gardens indoors and out

Bernice Brilmayer

HOOK This guide reveals the art of scaling down the natural world, offering precise techniques for cultivating miniature landscapes both inside your home and across your garden.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Doctor Pascal

Doctor Pascal

Émile Zola

A man of science grapples with the weight of his lineage, caught between the brutal truths of his past and the promise of a new generation. Hope survives even when the records of life turn to ash.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of George Washington: Farmer: Being an Account of His Home Life and Agricultural Activities

George Washington: Farmer: Being an Account of His Home Life and Agricultural Activities

Paul Leland Haworth

George Washington’s public leadership often eclipses his lifelong devotion to the land, yet his private records reveal a pioneer who managed Mount Vernon with the same meticulous rigor he brought to the battlefield.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic Nations: With a Sketch of Their Popular Poetry

Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic Nations: With a Sketch of Their Popular Poetry

Talvj

An expansive survey of the Slavic intellectual landscape, this work captures the soul and history of a vast linguistic family through its literature, folklore, and long-standing struggle for cultural identity.

History - European6 min read
Cover of History of Friedrich II of Prussia

History of Friedrich II of Prussia

Thomas Carlyle

The life of a king is rarely a single, steady march; it is a collision of temperaments, a molding of raw human will against the unforgiving anvil of statecraft.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Konrad Wallenrod: An Historical Poem

Konrad Wallenrod: An Historical Poem

Adam Mickiewicz

A man infiltrates his nation's deadliest enemy, rising to the highest seat of power only to dismantle them from within. This is a story of vengeance sustained by the total sacrifice of a soul.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of Mary and I: Forty Years with the Sioux

Mary and I: Forty Years with the Sioux

Stephen Return Riggs

HOOK This memoir chronicles the decades-long endeavor of a missionary couple to bring the Christian Gospel and education to the Dakota people of the American frontier.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of O. T., A Danish Romance

O. T., A Danish Romance

H. C. (Hans Christian) Andersen

The life of a young man is defined by the secret of his birth, a burden he carries like a physical mark beneath his clothes. This story explores how the shadow of an unhappy origin shapes a man’s identity, his friendships, and his capacity for love.

Novels7 min read
Cover of On the Trail: An Outdoor Book for Girls

On the Trail: An Outdoor Book for Girls

Lina Beard

The wilderness beckons to the modern girl, promising a life of self-reliance, physical vigor, and genuine discovery away from the stifling confines of city streets. Through mastery of the trail, the spirit finds its true home.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Rustic Sounds, and Other Studies in Literature and Natural History

Rustic Sounds, and Other Studies in Literature and Natural History

Darwin, Francis, Sir

This collection of essays offers an intimate, intellectual journey through the landscapes of natural history, literature, and the rigors of scientific discovery. Written with a gentle, inquisitive spirit, it serves as a bridge between the Victorian scientific tradition and the quiet, domestic observations of an…

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Tales of fishes

Tales of fishes

Zane Grey

The pursuit of the world’s most elusive giants beneath the waves offers a profound, rugged intimacy with the sea. This record of ocean angling captures the raw power of the hunt and the vast, untamed beauty of the Pacific coast.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The agricultural and forest products of British West Africa

The agricultural and forest products of British West Africa

Gerald C. (Gerald Cecil) Dudgeon

The landscape of British West Africa is transformed here into a vast, intricate map of agricultural possibility, where the study of soil, climate, and local tradition serves as a blueprint for colonial economic expansion.

Economics6 min read
Cover of The American scene

The American scene

Henry James

Returning to his native land after a quarter-century of absence, a seasoned observer traverses the United States, documenting the shifting currents of a society defined by rapid growth, industrial ambition, and the relentless erasure of the past.

American Literature8 min read
Cover of The Ladies' Paradise

The Ladies' Paradise

Émile Zola

The rise of a colossal department store consumes the small shops of old Paris, transforming the city’s heart into a cathedral of consumption where love and commerce collide.

French Literature7 min read
Cover of The Little Mother Goose

The Little Mother Goose

Unknown

A rhythmic, kaleidoscopic collection of verse, this enduring treasury captures the whimsy, tragedy, and practical humor of childhood through centuries-old rhymes.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Mad King

The Mad King

Edgar Rice Burroughs

In the volatile, mountainous kingdom of Lutha, a simple traveler from Nebraska is mistaken for the missing, long-imprisoned monarch, triggering a desperate struggle for the throne.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb

The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb

Charles Lamb

A life lived in the margins of genius, captured in the candid, witty, and deeply vulnerable letters of a man who found his greatest joy in books and his hardest trials in the care of his sister.

British Literature8 min read
Cover of A Month in Yorkshire

A Month in Yorkshire

Walter White

A thoughtful Victorian pedestrian traverses the varied landscape of Northern England, chronicling the intimate details of the Ridings with a keen eye for both natural beauty and the rapid encroachment of industry.

Travel Writing6 min read
Cover of An Essay on Comedy and the Uses of the Comic Spirit

An Essay on Comedy and the Uses of the Comic Spirit

George Meredith

The Comic Spirit is not merely the impulse to laugh, but a discerning, luminous intelligence that pricks the vanity and affectation of a society. It acts as a watchful guardian against the delusions of the human heart.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Constantinople and the Scenery of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor: Series One and Series Two in one Volume

Constantinople and the Scenery of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor: Series One and Series Two in one Volume

R. (Robert) Walsh

A travelogue of a vanished world, this work captures the fading splendor of the Ottoman Empire at a hinge point of history, blending architectural wonder with the intimate, often brutal realities of nineteenth-century life in the East.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of Dreamers of the Ghetto

Dreamers of the Ghetto

Israel Zangwill

These portraits capture the collision between ancient heritage and modern impulse, tracking the lives of men who dared to dream beyond the confines of their traditions.

Historical Novels7 min read
Cover of Early Carriages and Roads

Early Carriages and Roads

Gilbey, Walter, Sir

The history of the English road is a story told in shifting gears, documenting how simple wheeled carts evolved into the sophisticated mail coaches that once defined a nation’s pace.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Free Thought and Official Propaganda

Free Thought and Official Propaganda

Bertrand Russell

This lecture stands as a trenchant diagnosis of the modern mind, arguing that freedom of thought is currently imperiled not by the stake or the rack, but by the far more efficient tools of state education, mass propaganda, and economic coercion.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of God and the State

God and the State

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Bakunin

This foundational text of anarchist thought argues that the concepts of God and the State are the twin pillars of human enslavement. It contends that the liberation of humanity requires the total rejection of both divine and political authority.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of Hours in a Library, Volume 1: New Edition, with Additions

Hours in a Library, Volume 1: New Edition, with Additions

Leslie Stephen

Deep reading is a quiet act of companionship, transforming solitary study into a dialogue across centuries with the ghosts of literature. This collection of essays invites the reader to sit in the archives and re-evaluate the giants of the past with a sharp, discerning eye.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Oriental Women

Oriental Women

Edward B. Pollard

This survey examines the historical and cultural status of women across various Eastern civilizations, using their position as a yardstick for the development of each society.

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of Rudin: A Novel

Rudin: A Novel

Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev

An eloquent, restless intellectual arrives in a provincial Russian society, igniting hearts and minds before his inability to ground his ideals in action leads to a quiet, inevitable tragedy.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Studies of the Greek Poets (Vol 1 of 2)

Studies of the Greek Poets (Vol 1 of 2)

John Addington Symonds

To illuminate the origins of Western literature, one must journey through the sacred myths, the lyrical outbursts, and the dramatic heights of the ancient Greek soul. This survey traverses the evolution of a civilization’s voice from its earliest epics to its final, sophisticated decline.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of The Baitâl Pachchisi

The Baitâl Pachchisi

John T. (John Thompson) Platts

A legendary king undertakes a series of perilous nocturnal journeys to retrieve a shape-shifting sprite, whose cryptic riddles test the limits of human morality and judicial wisdom.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore5 min read
Cover of The Common People of Ancient Rome: Studies of Roman Life and Literature

The Common People of Ancient Rome: Studies of Roman Life and Literature

Frank Frost Abbott

By peering into the private letters, epitaphs, and price-lists of the ancient world, a forgotten portrait of the Roman populace emerges, revealing lives surprisingly familiar to our own.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of The First Book of Farming

The First Book of Farming

C. L. (Charles Landon) Goodrich

The successful farmer works in harmony with the natural laws that govern the growth of plants. Understanding these fundamental forces is the surest path to a productive harvest.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The Live Corpse

The Live Corpse

Tolstoy, Leo, graf

A man attempts to resolve his failed marriage by faking his own death, only to discover that the law and human hearts do not permit such clean, tragic exits.

Plays/Films/Dramas5 min read
Cover of The sex side of life

The sex side of life

Mary Ware Dennett

A refreshingly candid guide to human sexuality, this work replaces Victorian-era shame with a grounded, honest explanation of biology and emotion. It treats the development of the self as a vital journey toward mature, joyful connection.

Health & Medicine6 min read
Cover of The Two Paths

The Two Paths

John Ruskin

The beauty of a building or a vase is never merely a matter of decoration; it is an index of a nation’s moral health and its capacity for truth.

Art6 min read
Cover of Violin Making: 'The Strad' Library, No. IX

Violin Making: 'The Strad' Library, No. IX

Walter H. (Walter Henry) Mayson

A master craftsman reveals the precise, uncompromising art of building a violin, arguing that the pursuit of perfect tone must dictate every movement of the maker’s tools.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of A Unique Story of a Marvellous Career: Life of Hon. Phineas T. Barnum

A Unique Story of a Marvellous Career: Life of Hon. Phineas T. Barnum

Joel Benton

This biography chronicles the life of the nineteenth-century American showman P. T. Barnum, tracing his ascent from a struggling rural merchant to a global architect of public spectacle and political influence.

Biographies6 min read