The whole shelf
All free summaries — page 180
9,354 public-domain books, summarised. Page 180 of 195.
Some Diversions of a Man of Letters
Edmund Gosse
This collection of essays explores the evolution of English literature and the personal lives of its creators, bridging the gap between historical scholarship and the immediate, often painful, realities of the early twentieth century.
Songs of Kabir
Kabir
The divine is not found in distant temples, but within the breath of the seeker. This collection of lyrical songs invites the reader to look inward and discover the reality of the soul’s communion with God.
Stories of Old Greece and Rome
Emilie K. (Emilie Kip) Baker
These tales of ancient gods and heroes illuminate the foundational myths of Western culture, tracing the turbulent lives of deities and the tragic, often heroic, journeys of men.
Tales of lonely trails
Zane Grey
The majesty of the American West serves as both a sanctuary and a mirror in these rugged, contemplative accounts of wilderness travel. It captures a vanishing frontier through the eyes of a man seeking clarity in the silence of the desert and mountain.
The Book of Hallowe'en
Ruth Edna Kelley
A deep dive into the origins and traditions of Hallowe'en, tracing its journey from ancient solar festivals and Druidic fires to the modern, playful charms of the American autumn.
The Friendly Road: New Adventures in Contentment
David Grayson
The open road offers a simple, transformative cure for the weary soul, proving that the most profound adventures are found not in distant lands, but in the quiet, unexpected encounters of daily life.
The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. - Volume 07: Historical and Political Tracts-Irish
Jonathan Swift
These collected tracts offer a searing, masterful examination of eighteenth-century Ireland, documenting the systematic economic and political strangulation of a nation by the whims of its neighbor.
The Rights of War and Peace
Hugo Grotius
The fundamental question of whether war can ever be just, and how it must be conducted if it is, defines this essential inquiry into the moral boundaries of state violence.
The Surrender of Napoleon: Being the narrative of the surrender of Buonaparte, and of his residence on board H.M.S. Bellerophon, with a detail of the principal events that occurred in that ship between the 24th of May and the 8th of August 1815
Maitland, Frederick Lewis, Sir
A commanding officer faces an impossible dilemma when the world’s most famous fugitive surrenders to his ship, marking the final, quiet curtain call of a fallen emperor.
The Theory of the Theatre, and Other Principles of Dramatic Criticism
Clayton Meeker Hamilton
The stage is not a place for literature meant for the solitary reader; it is a living mechanism designed to captivate a crowd. This volume dissects the unique architecture of the theater, separating the art of the play from the art of the novel.
The Vital Message
Arthur Conan Doyle
This work serves as a reasoned argument for the existence of an afterlife, positing that modern psychic phenomena provide scientific proof of human survival beyond the physical death of the body.
Verdi: Man and Musician: His Biography with Especial Reference to His English Experiences
Frederick James Crowest
This biography captures the rise of a musical giant, documenting how a humble boy from a village inn evolved into the architect of modern Italian opera. It is a portrait of endurance, artistic transformation, and cultural triumph.
A History of Sarawak under Its Two White Rajahs 1839-1908
S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould
This account chronicles an extraordinary colonial anomaly: the transformation of a private English adventurer into the sovereign ruler of a thriving Bornean state, sustained by his successors for seven decades.
Archeological Investigations
Gerard Fowke
HOOK This field report documents the systematic search for evidence of ancient human life within the caves, mounds, and coastal sites of the American Midwest and the Hawaiian Islands.
Coral Reefs
Charles Darwin
The immense, ring-shaped islands of the Pacific were once believed to be the work of tiny creatures building upon the craters of submerged volcanoes. This book reveals the earth-shaking truth: those reefs are the tombstones of sinking land.
For Every Music Lover: A Series of Practical Essays on Music
Aubertine Woodward Moore
Music is not a cloistered study for the elite, but a universal language that reflects the inner life of humanity. This collection of essays serves as a guide for the listener and student to move beyond mere technical display toward a deeper, soulful appreciation of the art.
George Cruikshank
W. H. (Wilfrid Hugh) Chesson
The caricaturing instinct was fundamental to this artist’s life, a talent that transformed simple sketches into sharp social commentary and enduring visual satire.
Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation
Lafcadio Hearn
This investigation offers a profound, scholarly attempt to decode the inner social and religious architecture of Japan. It seeks to explain how an ancient, ghost-haunted culture maintained stability through centuries of profound isolation.
Leyte: The Return to the Philippines
M. Hamlin Cannon
The return to the Philippines marks the decisive turning point of the Pacific War, where the strategy of island-hopping gave way to a massive, full-scale campaign to liberate a nation.
Memoirs of General Lafayette: With an Account of His Visit to America and His Reception By the People of the United States
Samuel L. (Samuel Lorenzo) Knapp
The aging hero returns to the nation he helped forge, met by a people eager to crown his twilight years with the gratitude of a grateful republic.
Parodies of the works of English & American authors, vol. I
Unknown
This collection assembles the sharpest satirical retorts to the literary giants of the Victorian era. It proves that no poem is too famous to escape the mockery of a clever critic with a pen.
Studies of Trees
Jacob Joshua Levison
A practical manual for the aspiring arboriculturist, this guide bridges the gap between botanical science and the daily stewardship of the trees in our parks, streets, and woodlots. It provides a clear, foundational approach to tree identification, maintenance, and forestry management.
Tales of the Punjab: Folklore of India
Flora Annie Webster Steel
A vibrant collection of oral tradition, these tales capture the wit, magic, and moral complexity of a culture where jackals outsmart crocodiles and kings gamble their lives away on a roll of the dice.
The Maid of Orleans: A Tragedy
Friedrich Schiller
This drama follows the meteoric rise and tragic end of a peasant girl who believes she is divinely summoned to save France from English occupation. It is a work of high intensity, exploring the friction between human love, divine duty, and the cold machinery of war.
The preservation of antiquities
Friedrich Rathgen
Time, which eventually reduces all things to dust, finds its match in the methodical, chemical interventions required to stabilize the remnants of the ancient world.
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second Series
William Bottrell
This collection of West Cornish lore preserves the fading echoes of a world where ancient stone circles, hidden fairy folk, and local witches were as real as the salt air and the seasonal harvest.
Arkham House : The first 20 years
August Derleth
Born from the grief of a lost friend, this record chronicles the unlikely rise of a small-press powerhouse dedicated to preserving the literature of the macabre against all odds.
Butterflies Worth Knowing
Clarence Moores Weed
Butterflies are not merely garden ornaments; they are complex, living histories awaiting patient observers. This guide invites readers into the fields and forests to decode the intricate biological dramas unfolding on every leaf.
Chess and Checkers
Edward Lasker
Mastering the sixty-four squares requires more than memorizing moves; it demands a disciplined mind capable of long-range foresight and strategic patience. This instructional manual provides a rigorous foundation for those seeking to transform from novice players into tacticians.
How to Tell Stories to Children, and Some Stories to Tell
Sara Cone Bryant
This manual serves as a practical guide for those who wish to master the art of storytelling, blending pedagogical wisdom with a curated selection of tales designed to captivate young listeners.
Memorials of old Durham
Unknown
This collection of essays serves as a scholarly yet accessible window into the unique history, architecture, and folklore of the County Palatine of Durham. It captures the essence of a region that once functioned as a self-governing, semi-independent kingdom.
Taxidermy and Zoological Collecting: A Complete Handbook for the Amateur Taxidermist, Collector, Osteologist, Museum-Builder, Sportsman, and Traveller
William T. (William Temple) Hornaday
Preservation is a race against time, where the steady hand of the naturalist acts as the final safeguard for species vanishing from a rapidly changing world. This comprehensive manual serves as both an urgent plea for conservation and a rigorous technical guide for those dedicated to the meticulous art of mounting…
The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume I
John Payne
A merchant accidentally kills a genie’s son with a date stone, sparking a cascade of tales where life and death hang by the thread of a well-told story.
The future of an illusion
Sigmund Freud
The future of an illusion examines the origins and necessity of religious belief, arguing that humanity must eventually outgrow these inherited systems to face reality with the aid of science and reason.
The Inns of Court
Cecil Headlam
The legal heart of London beats within ancient, brick-walled enclaves that have quietly shaped the history of English law for centuries. These secluded precincts, where tradition and quietude endure, offer a rare glimpse into the medieval origins of professional life.
The Poetical Works of John Dryden, Volume 1: With Life, Critical Dissertation, and Explanatory Notes
John Dryden
A towering architect of English verse, this collection chronicles the rise, influence, and ultimate displacement of a poet who defined the sound of the seventeenth century. It reveals a master of satire, translation, and political allegory whose work remains a touchstone for rhetorical power and intellectual…
The Popol Vuh: The Mythic and Heroic Sagas of the Kichés of Central America
Lewis Spence
This exploration offers a rare window into the mythic heart of the Kiché people, revealing a foundational narrative of gods, giants, and the arduous struggle for human existence in the pre-Columbian Americas.
The Principles of Aesthetics
De Witt H. (De Witt Henry) Parker
This inquiry into the philosophy of art bridges the gap between scholarly rigor and the lived experience of beauty. It provides a systematic framework for understanding why human beings create, value, and find meaning in artistic expression.
The Shores of the Adriatic: The Austrian Side, The Küstenlande, Istria, and Dalmatia
F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton) Jackson
The Adriatic coast of the Austro-Hungarian Empire serves as a living museum of antiquity, where Roman ruins and medieval goldsmiths' work endure within the daily lives of isolated, tradition-bound maritime communities.
The True History of Tom & Jerry
Pierce Egan
A whirlwind tour of Regency-era London, this narrative tracks the restless pursuit of pleasure through both the gilded parlors of the West End and the desperate, rowdy shadows of the East End.
Theodore Roosevelt and His Times: A Chronicle of the Progressive Movement
Harold Howland
The life of Theodore Roosevelt serves as an enduring epitaph for a man who met every challenge with a fight. This chronicle charts the rise of the Progressive movement through the lens of its most magnetic, combative figure.
A Short History of Christianity: Second Edition, Revised, With Additions
J. M. (John Mackinnon) Robertson
The story of Christianity is not the biography of a single teacher, but the complex evolution of a mythic cult shaped by Roman politics, pagan traditions, and economic necessity. It remains a provocative, rigorous investigation into how belief systems establish institutional power.
Ancient Egyptian and Greek Looms
H. Ling (Henry Ling) Roth
To understand the origins of the textile industry, one must look past the faded ink of ancient wall paintings to the tangible remnants of thread and clay. This inquiry reconstructs the mechanics of antiquity by testing the physical logic of the loom against the surviving evidence of the Nile and the Aegean.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, October, 1930
Various
This collection gathers five distinct tales of speculative invention, capturing the dawn of an era where scientific marvels—from invisibility and mind control to subatomic travel—threaten to outpace the moral readiness of humanity.
Cenci: Celebrated Crimes
Alexandre Dumas
A noble Roman family descends into madness, betrayal, and state-sanctioned slaughter under the shadow of the Renaissance papacy. This unflinching account of the Cenci tragedy exposes the lethal intersection of unchecked power and domestic horror.
Chinese pottery and porcelain
R. L. (Robert Lockhart) Hobson
A comprehensive and scholarly survey, this work traces the evolution of Chinese ceramic craft from the earliest earthen vessels to the sophisticated porcelain centers of the later dynasties. It serves as a foundational guide for understanding the materials, artistic influences, and historical development of a…
Historical Manual of English Prosody
George Saintsbury
This authoritative guide decodes the mechanical heart of English poetry, mapping the evolution of verse from the rhythmic experiments of the thirteenth century to the sophisticated music of the Victorian masters. It provides a technical foundation for understanding how the language creates harmony.
History of Spanish and Portuguese Literature (Vol 1 of 2)
Friedrich Bouterwek
The cultural landscape of Spain and Portugal reveals itself through the evolution of its poetry and prose, from the medieval era to the sophisticated literary movements of the eighteenth century. This scholarly survey maps the changing national identity of two nations by tracing the voices of their most influential…