The whole shelf
All free summaries — page 213
10,588 public-domain books, summarised. Page 213 of 221.
The Contest in America
John Stuart Mill
A rigorous defense of the American Northern cause, this work argues that the Civil War is a moral struggle against the expansion of slavery, rather than a mere political dispute over tariffs or territory.
The French Revolution: A Short History
R. M. (Robert Matteson) Johnston
This compact history strips away the clutter of historical minutiae to reveal the essential mechanisms of the French Revolution. It traces the collapse of Bourbon authority and the rise of a new, volatile political order.
The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet: Stored with all manner of rare receipts for preserving, candying and cookery. Very pleasant and beneficial to all ingenious persons of the female sex
Woolley, Hannah, active 1670
This manual offers an intimate glimpse into the seventeenth-century household, providing a sophisticated collection of culinary and medicinal "receipts" designed for the industrious woman. It serves as both a practical guide and a social map for the genteel home.
The up-to-date sandwich book
Eva Greene Fuller
The sandwich, once a utilitarian staple, is here elevated to an art form, offering 400 variations that transform simple bread and fillings into sophisticated fare for the Edwardian table.
The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary: A Curious Fable of the Cotton Plant.: To Which Is Added a Sketch of the History of Cotton and the Cotton Trade
Henry Lee
HOOK This investigation traces the bizarre evolution of a medieval myth, revealing how the simple cotton plant was transformed by travelers and scholars into a flesh-and-blood creature known as the "Vegetable Lamb of Tartary.
The Virginia Company Of London, 1606-1624
Wesley Frank Craven
The Virginia Company remains a singular testament to how a group of determined, if often divided, investors laid the early foundations for an English presence in North America. By charting the company’s life from its 1606 inception to its dissolution in 1624, this account reveals the complex interplay of…
A Book of Scoundrels
Charles Whibley
Criminals are often measured by their impact on the law, but they deserve a more nuanced appraisal as masters of their own peculiar, dark arts. This collection elevates the rogue to the status of an artist.
A catechism of Christian doctrine, no. 2
J. (Januarius) De Concilio
This definitive instructional text provides the foundational framework for American Catholic religious education, distilling complex theological mysteries into a structured, accessible guide for the faithful.
A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales
Jonathan Nield
This curated index serves as a thoughtful companion for readers seeking to anchor their literary explorations in the specific rhythms and settings of the past. It offers a structured, annotated path through centuries of historical fiction, acting as both a bridge between eras and a practical map for the curious.
Arius the Libyan: A Romance of the Primitive Church
Nathan C. (Nathan Chapman) Kouns
This narrative chronicles the life of an ascetic theologian caught in the collision between the primitive, communal spirit of early Christianity and the burgeoning political machinery of the Roman Empire. It is a portrait of ideological endurance set against the backdrop of a changing world.
Astounding Stories, July, 1931
Various
This vintage collection gathers the speculative pulses of early 1930s imagination, blending high-stakes adventure with the nascent dreams of space travel and technological catastrophe.
Boat sailing in fair weather and foul
A. J. (Ahmed John) Kenealy
For any aspiring mariner, this practical guide offers a deep, salt-crusted dive into the craft of small-boat sailing, blending technical instruction with the hard-earned wisdom of a lifetime at sea.
Bob Dexter and the Storm Mountain Mystery
Willard F. Baker
HOOK A young amateur detective finds himself caught in a web of deceit, strange ciphers, and a long-hidden treasure after befriending an injured hermit in a lonely mountain cabin.
Books and their makers during the Middle Ages
George Haven Putnam
This historical study traces the evolution of the book from the fall of Rome through the seventeenth century, examining the rise of printing, the development of publishing, and the persistent struggle for intellectual liberty.
Dave Fearless and the Cave of Mystery
Roy Rockwood
HOOK A young ocean diver and his father race against ruthless rivals to recover a stolen fortune hidden on a mysterious Pacific island.
Education and the good life
Bertrand Russell
Cultivating a free and rational mind is a parent’s greatest task, yet it requires a delicate balance between guiding a child’s natural instincts and avoiding the traps of repression.
Fragments of Ancient Poetry
James Macpherson
HOOK This collection of ancient song fragments offers a haunting, mist-shrouded vision of a heroic past, where the voices of fallen warriors and grieving lovers echo across a desolate, timeless landscape.
Henry Ford's Own Story: How a Farmer Boy Rose to the Power that goes with Many Millions, Yet Never Lost Touch with Humanity
Rose Wilder Lane
HOOK This portrait captures the relentless rise of an obscure farm boy who transformed mechanical obsession into a global industry, forever altering the relationship between man, machine, and capital.
Hortense: Makers of History Series
John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
A portrait of a woman caught in the violent tides of French history, whose life of exile and sorrow fueled her son’s path to the throne of an empire.
Lest We Forget: World War Stories
John G. (John Gilbert) Thompson
This collection offers a series of brief, vivid accounts detailing the heroism, tragedies, and ideals of the First World War. Written in 1918, it serves as a contemporary window into how the conflict was framed for a younger generation.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, October, 1877. Vol XX - No. 118
Various
The nineteenth-century literary magazine serves as a bridge between the rapid industrialization of the era and the enduring human concerns of art, history, and social behavior. This collection offers a kaleidoscopic view of the Victorian intellectual landscape, mixing travelogue, fiction, and sociological inquiry.
Paul Prescott's Charge
Alger, Horatio, Jr.
A young boy orphaned by poverty must navigate a hostile world, holding fast to his father’s final charge to live with integrity while proving his worth in an unforgiving city.
Pharais
William Sharp
The wind whispers of ancient sorrows and the tide pulls at the fraying edges of human hope in these haunting tales of the Scottish isles.
Philip Massinger
Alfred Hamilton Cruickshank
HOOK This scholarly examination illuminates the life and craft of a major Elizabethan dramatist, cataloging his artistic evolution through meticulous analysis of his surviving plays, collaborations, and the tragic loss of his unpublished manuscripts.
Picture and Text: 1893
Henry James
The intersection of artistic discipline and personal vision reveals the enduring power of the creator’s gaze. Through the lens of nineteenth-century illustration and performance, these reflections explore how the observer’s eye shapes the truth of the world.
Quantity Cookery: Menu Planning and Cooking for Large Numbers
Lenore Richards
Efficient kitchen management transforms the chaos of high-volume service into a rhythmic, predictable art. This guide provides the foundational mechanics required to serve hundreds of patrons without sacrificing quality or order.
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army: Gwalior and the Battle of Maharajpore, 1843
Gordon, Charles Alexander, Sir
A sweeping chronicle of a soldier-surgeon’s life, this narrative traverses the shifting frontiers of the nineteenth-century British Empire, from the sweltering plains of India to the besieged streets of Paris.
Rouen, Its History and Monuments: A Guide to Strangers
Théodore Licquet
A city of storied stone and river-mists unfolds through the eyes of a local scholar, offering a meticulously mapped itinerary for the curious traveler of the nineteenth century.
Some Specimens of the Poetry of the Ancient Welsh Bards
Evan Evans
This collection serves as a vital bridge to a lost world, rescuing the defiant, intricate voices of early Welsh poets from the encroaching shadows of history. It offers a rare, scholarly window into the soul of a culture defined by its resistance and its song.
The Death Shot: A Story Retold
Mayne Reid
This is a sweeping tale of vengeance and romantic devotion set against the volatile backdrop of the American frontier. It follows the harrowing struggle of a man left for dead who returns to claim justice and the woman he loves.
The Flag of Distress: A Story of the South Sea
Mayne Reid
A ghost ship drifts through the Pacific with its colors inverted, manned only by two orangutans and a pair of bound men, setting the stage for a desperate rescue.
The Fleet: Its Rivers, Prison, and Marriages
John Ashton
This historical chronicle unearths the forgotten layers of London’s Fleet district, where a polluted river, a notorious debtors' prison, and chaotic clandestine weddings once defined the city’s margins.
The Green Forest Fairy Book
Loretta Ellen Brady
The world is a place where trees speak, birds carry messages, and a kind heart is the most potent magic of all. Here, simple kindness often rewards the humble more than any royal decree.
The History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918
F. W. (Frederick William) Bewsher
The 51st (Highland) Division carved a singular reputation in the trenches of the Great War, and this chronicle captures their relentless service from the early battles of 1914 through the final, hard-won advances of 1918.
The journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Vol. VII, 1907
Various
This volume serves as a formal repository for the historical documentation and organizational updates of the American-Irish Historical Society during the year 1907. It functions both as a scholarly periodical and a commemorative record for its members.
The Lincoln Story Book: A Judicious Collection of the Best Stories and Anecdotes of the Great President, Many Appearing Here for the First Time in Book Form
Unknown
This collection offers an intimate, anecdotal portrait of a leader who navigated the burdens of a fractured nation through the enduring power of wit, storytelling, and deep-seated human empathy.
The Marble Faun
Nathaniel Hawthorne
A group of expatriate artists in Rome finds their innocence shattered by a sudden, impulsive act of violence that binds them together in a web of guilt, transformation, and moral reckoning.
The Origin of Tyranny
P. N. (Percy Neville) Ure
The archaic Greek tyrant was not merely a political usurper, but a pioneering capitalist who rose to power by mastering the burgeoning industries and trade networks of the ancient world.
The Story of a Confederate Boy in the Civil War
David E. (David Emmons) Johnston
This account offers an intimate, unvarnished look at the Civil War through the eyes of a young infantryman, capturing the transition from youthful idealism to the grim, grinding reality of a four-year struggle.
The Stronghold: A Story of Historic Northern Neck of Virginia and Its People
Miriam Haynie
The Northern Neck of Virginia—the long, narrow peninsula carved by the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers—serves as the stage for this expansive chronicle of American heritage. It is a portrait of a landscape and its inhabitants, woven from the threads of colonial expansion, revolution, and the quiet endurance of…
Three Sunsets and Other Poems
Lewis Carroll
This collection of verse captures the melancholic underside of a celebrated imaginative mind, trading whimsical nonsense for earnest, often sorrowful, reflections on memory, loss, and the nature of love. These poems reveal a writer preoccupied with the passage of time and the heavy, spiritual weight of human longing.
An apology for idlers, and other essays
Robert Louis Stevenson
To be truly happy is a question of how we begin and not of how we end, of what we want and not of what we have. A spirit of idle curiosity is the surest remedy for the drudgery of existence.
Bill Nye and Boomerang
Bill Nye
This collection of sketches and observations offers a dry, irreverent look at the American frontier, framed by a narrator who finds absurdity in everything from malfunctioning stoves to the solemnity of marriage. It is a portrait of a restless mind finding humor in the harsh, unpredictable edges of Wyoming life.
Chantilly in History and Art
Luise Richter
A scholarly pilgrimage through the halls and history of Chantilly, this volume surveys the storied lives of the castle’s inhabitants and the evolution of its incomparable art collection.
Circe
Isaac Flagg
The gods’ own magic is no match for the pull of home, as a weary traveler and a powerful sorceress test the limits of love and memory.
Diary of Anna Green Winslow, a Boston School Girl of 1771
Anna Green Winslow
A young girl’s observations in 1771 Boston turn the ordinary details of colonial childhood into an enduring, vibrant portrait of a life lived on the cusp of the American Revolution. Through these pages, a vanished world feels remarkably near.
Diary of Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
These intimate, candid entries offer a rare, unvarnished window into the daily life, professional anxieties, and shifting personal fortunes of a seventeenth-century London administrator.
Forest Neighbors: Life Stories of Wild Animals
William Davenport Hulbert
The wild residents of the northern woods live by ancient, unyielding rhythms, where every survival is a fleeting victory and every sunset brings a new, uncertain dawn.