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10,588 public-domain books, summarised. Page 209 of 221.

Cover of The Works of John Marston. Volume 3

The Works of John Marston. Volume 3

John Marston

Two men plot a wild escape to Virginia that collapses in the stormy Thames, leaving a trail of bankrupt foolishness, vengeful spouses, and biting moral satire in early modern London.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Great Violinists and Pianists

Great Violinists and Pianists

George T. (George Titus) Ferris

A sweeping survey of the nineteenth century’s virtuoso masters, tracing the evolution of classical music from the delicate craft of the violin-maker to the grand, emotive storms of the concert hall.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of In the Foreign Legion

In the Foreign Legion

Erwin Rosen

The broken man who joins the French Foreign Legion to escape a ruined life finds only a harsher, more desperate version of the world he hoped to leave behind.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Nursery-Book: A Complete Guide to the Multiplication and Pollination of Plants

The Nursery-Book: A Complete Guide to the Multiplication and Pollination of Plants

L. H. (Liberty Hyde) Bailey

This manual serves as a definitive, century-old blueprint for the multiplication of plants, offering clear, technical guidance on how to propagate everything from garden-variety shrubs to delicate orchids.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The Skull

The Skull

Philip K. Dick

HOOK A man is sent through time to execute a stranger, only to discover that the skeletal remains he carries for identification are his own.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of The Wages of Virtue

The Wages of Virtue

Percival Christopher Wren

A disgraced English gentleman finds anonymity and redemption in the brutal ranks of the French Foreign Legion, where honor is measured by survival and the weight of one’s past.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Clothing and Health: An Elementary Textbook of Home Making

Clothing and Health: An Elementary Textbook of Home Making

Helen Kinne

The mastery of needle and thread is presented here as a vital component of self-reliance and hygiene. It guides the reader through the foundational practices of home-based textile care, sewing, and the intelligent consumption of clothing.

Fashion6 min read
Cover of Light O' the Morning: The Story of an Irish Girl

Light O' the Morning: The Story of an Irish Girl

L. T. Meade

Nora O’Shanaghgan carries the weight of a crumbling ancestral estate and a father’s fading spirit, yet she remains a vibrant, untamable force in a world caught between tradition and modernization.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Lives of the English Poets: Gay, Thomson, Young, Gray, &c

Lives of the English Poets: Gay, Thomson, Young, Gray, &c

Samuel Johnson

These collected biographies explore the human cost of artistic ambition, balancing rigorous literary evaluation with the intimate, often melancholic, details of lives spent in pursuit of fame and poetic craft.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Mozart

Mozart

Thomas Tapper

This gentle biography chronicles the early life and rapid rise of a musical prodigy, capturing the wonder of a childhood defined by both extraordinary talent and the simple joys of play.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Prime Ministers and Some Others: A Book of Reminiscences

Prime Ministers and Some Others: A Book of Reminiscences

George William Erskine Russell

This collection of reminiscences offers a refined, intimate tour through the corridors of Victorian power, guided by a witness who knew the era’s giants not as icons, but as men.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of The Works of Lucian of Samosata

The Works of Lucian of Samosata

of Samosata Lucian

This collection of dialogues and essays serves as a sharp-edged mirror to the pretensions of the ancient world. Through wit, satire, and a refusal to take dogma seriously, it invites readers to question the sincerity of philosophers, the vanity of historians, and the gullibility of the public.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of Are Women People? A Book of Rhymes for Suffrage Times

Are Women People? A Book of Rhymes for Suffrage Times

Alice Duer Miller

The struggle for the vote is rarely waged with such sharp, witty precision as it is in these verses, which dismantle the arguments of the era with effortless grace.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Bohemian Days in Fleet Street

Bohemian Days in Fleet Street

William Mackay

The ghosts of a bygone London press corps haunt these pages, where journalists lived on wit, camaraderie, and cheap gin before the modern corporate machine polished their trade into a respectable profession.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Jean Baptiste: A Story of French Canada

Jean Baptiste: A Story of French Canada

James Edward Le Rossignol

A young man seeks a grand destiny in the Canadian wilderness, only to discover that the true path to fulfillment lies in the quiet, enduring ties of home and heart.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 5 (of 10)

Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 5 (of 10)

J. G. (John Gibson) Lockhart

The world’s most celebrated author navigates the zenith of his fame while balancing the crushing weight of professional ambition, aristocratic social life, and the persistent, often bewildering, demands of his inner circle.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Crimson Conquest: A Romance of Pizarro and Peru

The Crimson Conquest: A Romance of Pizarro and Peru

Charles B. (Charles Bradford) Hudson

This tale of sixteenth-century exploration captures the brutal collision between the Spanish conquistadors and the Inca Empire, framing the historical tragedy through the eyes of a disillusioned soldier seeking redemption. It is a sweeping, romanticized account of loyalty and conscience set against the backdrop of…

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Geologic Story of Palo Duro Canyon

The Geologic Story of Palo Duro Canyon

William Henry Matthews

This guide illuminates the deep history hidden within a Texas landscape, transforming a scenic park into a vivid timeline of ancient seas, prehistoric creatures, and the relentless forces of erosion.

Environmental Issues6 min read
Cover of Yarmouth Notes, 1830-1872. Collated from the File of the Norwich Mercury

Yarmouth Notes, 1830-1872. Collated from the File of the Norwich Mercury

Frederick Danby Palmer

A chronicle of local life in a Victorian coastal town, this collection captures the daily rhythm, political fervor, and peculiar social customs of Great Yarmouth across four transformative decades.

History - British7 min read
Cover of Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents, and Strange Events

Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents, and Strange Events

S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

Yorkshire is a land of singular characters, and this collection chronicles the lives of its most eccentric inhabitants, from local prophets and hermits to notorious thieves and self-taught engineers.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Essays and Tales

Essays and Tales

Joseph Addison

This collection of classic eighteenth-century essays offers a refined, observant window into the social habits, intellectual curiosities, and moral aspirations of a bygone era. It serves as an elegant guide for those seeking to sharpen their wit and deepen their reflection.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Life of Flavius Josephus

The Life of Flavius Josephus

Flavius Josephus

A high-ranking priest finds himself caught between a crumbling nation and a rising empire, navigating the treacherous politics of a failed revolution with nothing but his wits and his pen.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Romance of a Poor Young Man

The Romance of a Poor Young Man

Octave Feuillet

A disgraced aristocrat sacrifices his pride to serve as a humble estate steward, only to find his true character tested by the daughter of his wealthy, cynical employers.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair

The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair

Nathaniel Hawthorne

This collection of historical sketches presents the American story not through dry dates, but through the witness of a sturdy, oaken fireside chair. By tracing the lives of those who sat in it, the narratives bridge the gap between cold, distant facts and the intimate reality of the people who shaped a nation.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Lectures on Art, Delivered Before the University of Oxford in Hilary Term, 1870

Lectures on Art, Delivered Before the University of Oxford in Hilary Term, 1870

John Ruskin

The fine arts are not mere luxuries for the idle, but essential disciplines for the moral and intellectual development of a nation. These lectures argue that true beauty is inseparable from truth, utility, and the discipline of a well-ordered life.

Art7 min read
Cover of Women of the Romance Countries

Women of the Romance Countries

John R. (John Robert) Effinger

The influence of women on history is an elusive, powerful force that defies simple categorization. This survey explores the multifaceted roles—both heroic and scandalous—played by women across the evolving tapestry of Italy and Spain.

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of Astounding Stories of Super-Science January 1931

Astounding Stories of Super-Science January 1931

Various

This collection of stories captures a pivotal moment in early twentieth-century speculative fiction, where raw wonder meets the nascent tropes of the space age. It serves as a time capsule, preserving the earnest, high-stakes imagination of an era that viewed science as a limitless tool for both salvation and…

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Chats on Royal Copenhagen Porcelain

Chats on Royal Copenhagen Porcelain

Arthur Hayden

This volume provides a thorough, appreciative history of Denmark’s most storied porcelain factory, tracing its evolution from eighteenth-century royal patronage to the artistic revival of the modern era. It serves as a guide for the curious collector and an ode to a distinct national craft.

Art6 min read
Cover of Home Life in All Lands—Book III—Animal Friends and Helpers

Home Life in All Lands—Book III—Animal Friends and Helpers

Charles Morris

The natural world has long been shaped by the hand of man, but the animals we invite into our homes and barnyards offer a fascinating, often surprising, partnership that defines our own history.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Musical Portraits

Musical Portraits

Paul Rosenfeld

These essays capture the vibrant, shifting landscape of early twentieth-century music, examining the souls of twenty masters who defined the sound of their era.

Art6 min read
Cover of Pictorial Photography in America 1921

Pictorial Photography in America 1921

Pictorial Photographers of America

Photography is not merely a mechanical process of recording images; it is a profound medium of artistic expression, demanding both technical mastery and a refined, imaginative soul. This collection serves as a definitive look at the state of American pictorialism in the early 1920s.

Art6 min read
Cover of Reflections upon Two Pamphlets Lately Published: One called, A Letter from Monsieur de Cros, concerning the Memoirs of Christendom, and the Other, An Answer to that Letter

Reflections upon Two Pamphlets Lately Published: One called, A Letter from Monsieur de Cros, concerning the Memoirs of Christendom, and the Other, An Answer to that Letter

Anonymous

The reputations of public figures often rest upon fragile foundations, easily disturbed by the sharp, petty quills of those who feel slighted by the truth. This investigation exposes the vanity and artifice inherent in the political pamphlets of the late seventeenth century.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Great Civil War in Lancashire (1642-1651)

The Great Civil War in Lancashire (1642-1651)

Ernest Broxap

The struggle in Lancashire serves as a vivid microcosm of the English Civil War, tracing the rapid escalation from local tension to open, bloody conflict. This account captures the human cost of a deeply divided county.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony, in Eight Fits

The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony, in Eight Fits

Lewis Carroll

A crew of misfits sails to a desolate land to hunt a mysterious, elusive creature. They do not know what they are chasing, only that catching the wrong one spells certain doom.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Memoirs of François René Vicomte de Chateaubriand sometime Ambassador to England, Volume 2 (of 6): Mémoires d'outre-tombe, volume 2

The Memoirs of François René Vicomte de Chateaubriand sometime Ambassador to England, Volume 2 (of 6): Mémoires d'outre-tombe, volume 2

Chateaubriand, François-René, vicomte de

An exiled aristocrat navigates the wreckage of the French Revolution, wandering from the siege of Thionville to the quiet parlors of England and the landscapes of the East, seeking meaning in a world turned upside down.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Paston Letters, A.D. 1422-1509. Volume 2 (of 6): New Complete Library Edition

The Paston Letters, A.D. 1422-1509. Volume 2 (of 6): New Complete Library Edition

Unknown

A raw and unvarnished window into fifteenth-century England, these documents reveal the daily struggles, legal battles, and domestic anxieties of a family navigating the violent, shifting tides of the Wars of the Roses.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Story of Cooperstown

The Story of Cooperstown

Ralph Birdsall

This local history chronicles the evolution of Cooperstown, New York, from a desolate wilderness outpost into a storied, picturesque village. It offers a selective, anecdotal survey of the characters and incidents that defined the community’s identity.

History - American7 min read
Cover of A Florentine Tragedy

A Florentine Tragedy

Oscar Wilde

The search for love often leads to a sudden, violent confrontation between the soul and its own hidden nature. In this piercing drama, a merchant and his wife face the arrival of a prince who reveals the fractures in their marriage.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Pilgrimage to Nejd, the Cradle of the Arab Race. Vol. 1 [of 2]: A Visit to the Court of the Arab Emir, and "our Persian Campaign."

A Pilgrimage to Nejd, the Cradle of the Arab Race. Vol. 1 [of 2]: A Visit to the Court of the Arab Emir, and "our Persian Campaign."

Blunt, Anne, Lady

The deserts of Arabia hold a siren call for the romantic traveler, promising not merely a journey across sand, but a passage into the cradle of chivalry and the ancient heart of a race.

History - Other5 min read
Cover of The Book of Fables and Folk Stories

The Book of Fables and Folk Stories

Horace Elisha Scudder

This collection gathers the foundational stories that have shaped Western childhood for centuries, preserving the stark, essential wisdom of folklore. It is an unadorned, direct treasury of morality, wonder, and the inevitable consequences of human—and animal—folly.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery: Tourist's Edition

The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery: Tourist's Edition

Samuel Adams Drake

The White Mountains of New Hampshire emerge as a living presence in this evocative blend of travelogue and regional history, inviting readers to experience the sublime scale of the peaks as a retreat from modern life.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Story of Grettir the Strong

The Story of Grettir the Strong

William Morris

A man of immense, tragic strength fights monsters and men, only to find that his most persistent enemy is the darkening isolation of a life lived outside the bounds of human society.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Chushingura

Chushingura

Izumo Takeda

The code of the samurai is written in blood, and nowhere is its rigid, tragic beauty more famously codified than in this tale of forty-seven men who trade their lives for a single act of justice. It remains the definitive portrait of loyalty pushed to the absolute breaking point.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of Glimpses of Ocean Life

Glimpses of Ocean Life

John Harper

This guide to the hidden life of tide-pools illuminates the intricate habits of marine creatures, transforming the seashore into a living classroom for the curious observer. It balances rigorous scientific curiosity with a profound reverence for the natural world.

Nature/Gardening/Animals6 min read
Cover of Gwen Wynn: A Romance of the Wye

Gwen Wynn: A Romance of the Wye

Mayne Reid

The Wye valley conceals secrets as deep as its river, where beauty often masks a sinister design. A vanishing heiress and a determined search reveal that innocence is rarely safe from those who covet wealth and power.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of History of Friedrich II of Prussia

History of Friedrich II of Prussia

Thomas Carlyle

HOOK A transformation unfolds as a young, philosophy-loving prince inherits a kingdom and is abruptly forced to trade his dreams of enlightenment for the harsh, steel-bright realities of war.

History - European5 min read
Cover of History of the Origin, Formation, and Adoption of the Constitution of the United States, Vol. 1: With Notices of Its Principle Framers

History of the Origin, Formation, and Adoption of the Constitution of the United States, Vol. 1: With Notices of Its Principle Framers

George Ticknor Curtis

The path to American governance was not a single stride, but a slow, precarious climb out of the wreckage of war and the failures of a loose confederation of states.

History - American7 min read
Cover of Much Ado about Nothing

Much Ado about Nothing

William Shakespeare

A sharp-witted battle of words masks the deeper, more dangerous vulnerabilities of love and honor in this enduring exploration of human folly and fragile trust.

British Literature6 min read
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