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All free summaries — page 234
13,367 public-domain books, summarised. Page 234 of 279.
The Grandissimes
George Washington Cable
The volatile landscape of early nineteenth-century New Orleans serves as a crucible for personal honor and social reform in this panoramic study of a divided culture.
The Queen Of Spades
Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin
HOOK A calculated, cold-blooded obsession with a supernatural gambling secret drives a young officer toward ruin, proving that the price of fate is often far higher than gold.
The Secret of the League: The Story of a Social War
Ernest Bramah
Amid a future England paralyzed by class conflict and economic ruin, a quiet, conspiratorial resistance rises to challenge the established political order through a bloodless, calculated industrial revolt.
The Sorcery Club
Elliott O'Donnell
HOOK Three desperate men in San Francisco trade their souls for occult power, only to discover that the dark magic of ancient Atlantis brings more terror than wealth.
Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland, Second Series
Unknown
Between the physical world and the unseen lies a thin, permeable veil, kept in place only by the stubborn persistence of local memory and the shared whispers of those who live on the margins of the Irish countryside.
With the Night Mail: A Story of 2000 A.D.: (Together with extracts from the comtemporary magazine in which it appeared)
Rudyard Kipling
Navigating the crowded, electrified airways of a future century, a postal packet pilot faces the unforgiving elements and the hazards of a world transformed by the mastery of flight.
A cowboy detective : a true story of twenty-two years with a world-famous detective agency
Charles A. Siringo
The career of a frontier lawman takes a sharp turn into the shadows when he trades his spurs for a private investigator’s badge, spending two decades hunting outlaws across the American landscape.
Amerigo Vespucci
Frederick A. (Frederick Albion) Ober
The life of the man who unwittingly lent his name to two continents unfolds as a study in quiet intellectual ambition, scientific curiosity, and the complex, often cutthroat politics of the Age of Discovery.
Among the Mushrooms: A Guide For Beginners
Ellen M. (Ellen Markoe) Dallas
A gentle, persistent push from the earth is all it takes for a mushroom to shift the world above it. This quiet strength serves as the enduring metaphor for a life spent observing the mysteries of the forest floor.
Ancient art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia: Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-1885, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 3-188
William Henry Holmes
The ancient artistry of the Chiriquí province offers a quiet, enduring testament to a vanished culture, preserved within the silent vessels and ornaments retrieved from the earth.
Anti-Suffrage Essays
Unknown
Polished arguments, statutory evidence, and fierce civic conviction unite in a historical broadside against altering the American electorate.
Arms and Armor of the Pilgrims, 1620-1692
Harold L. (Harold Leslie) Peterson
Survival in a harsh, unfamiliar wilderness forced the Pilgrims to rapidly evolve their military technology, discarding European tradition in favor of faster, lighter, and more practical weaponry.
Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies
David P. (David Peck) Todd
Astronomy acts as a golden chain connecting the heavens to the earth, allowing humanity to interpret the oracles of the universe through the rigorous application of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. It represents the oldest of sciences, bridging the vast gap between our small terrestrial vantage point and the…
Beacon Lights of History, Volume 06: Renaissance and Reformation
John Lord
This series of historical portraits examines the titans of the Renaissance and Reformation, exploring how the shift from medieval tradition to modern inquiry fundamentally reshaped the Western soul and the structure of society.
Cosmic Consciousness: The Man-God Whom We Await
Alexander J. (Alexander James) McIvor-Tyndall
The dawn of a new human age is approaching, one where the boundaries of self dissolve into a universal, deathless love. We are entering an era of collective illumination, not through creeds, but through the realization of our own divine potential.
Fables in Rhyme for Little Folks: From the French of La Fontaine
Jean de La Fontaine
HOOK These verses bring the classic French animal world into a modern, nimble rhythm, proving that vanity, greed, and folly are as timeless as the woods and streams themselves.
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
Thomas Carlyle
This sweeping chronicle charts the rise of the Hohenzollern dynasty, tracing the transformation of a minor, lawless territory into a formidable European power through the disciplined, often ruthless, service of its rulers.
Lady Penelope
Morley Roberts
A young woman of formidable beauty and even more formidable theories decides to reform society by choosing a husband on her own radical terms, leaving her swarm of suitors chasing shadows.
Machine-Gun Tactics
R. V. K. (Reginald Vincent Kempenfeldt) Applin
This technical manual outlines the strategic integration of the machine gun into early 20th-century warfare. It serves as a comprehensive guide for officers tasked with mastering this rapidly evolving, high-volume fire capability.
Of one blood
Pauline E. (Pauline Elizabeth) Hopkins
A brilliant young medical student discovers his true heritage in the ruins of ancient Ethiopia. This sweeping narrative weaves together psychological mystery, romance, and a profound re-examination of history.
On the Irrawaddy: A Story of the First Burmese War
G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
A young man navigates the brutal realities of the First Burmese War, relying on his wits, linguistic skills, and newfound alliances to survive the front lines and rescue his kin.
Quality Street: A Comedy
J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie
In a quiet country town, a woman chooses between her dignity and her heart after a long-lost suitor returns, only to find the girl he once loved has vanished into the weariness of time.
Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet
Harold L. (Harold Leland) Goodwin
The vast, inhospitable silence of space serves as the testing ground for a young officer’s grit and ingenuity. Faced with impossible odds and a hostile enemy, he must master a lonely world to survive.
Sir Gawain and the Lady of Lys
Jessie L. (Jessie Laidlay) Weston
The chivalric ideal finds its most vibrant expression here, following Sir Gawain as he navigates a landscape defined by singular deeds, mysterious castles, and the complex demands of honor. This narrative offers a rare, textured glimpse into the Arthurian tradition as it existed before it was filtered through the…
Texas Flowers in Natural Colors
Eula Whitehouse
This field guide acts as a bridge between the rigorous botanical history of the Southwest and the casual observer’s desire to name the beauty blooming along the roadside. It provides a structured, accessible taxonomy of Texas flora, balancing scientific precision with the simple pleasure of identifying the natural…
The Burial Customs of the Ancient Greeks
Frank Pierrepont Graves
The duty of honoring the dead defined the moral and legal framework of classical society, revealing a culture where the final act of burial was as essential as life itself.
The drums roll
Ernest Haycox
The drums of the Continental Army hold a promise of glory that drives men through mud and mist, yet for one soldier, the true, desperate heart of the revolution lies in the chaos of a single, confused day.
The History of the Life of the Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great
Henry Fielding
A master thief navigates the treacherous underworld of London, proving that the distance between a common criminal and a "great man" is often merely a matter of scale. This biting satire explores the mechanics of ambition, corruption, and the hollowness of worldly success.
The Illustrated War News, Number 15, Nov. 18, 1914
Various
This periodical captures the visceral, immediate reality of the First World War in November 1914, serving as both a contemporary report on the front lines and a vivid snapshot of life on the British home front.
The Listeners and Other Poems
Walter De la Mare
This collection captures the elusive borderland between the waking world and the realm of dreams. It serves as a quiet, haunting meditation on memory, the passage of time, and the persistence of the unseen.
The Moravians in Georgia, 1735-1740
Adelaide L. (Adelaide Lisetta) Fries
Though initially branded a failure, the Moravian colony in Georgia served as a vital crucible that fundamentally reshaped the religious landscape of both England and the American frontier.
The Origin and Development of the Quantum Theory
Max Planck
This narrative traces the birth of a revolutionary physical concept from the quiet rigor of thermodynamic research to the explosion of modern atomic theory. It is a humble, precise account of how one investigator’s pursuit of a simple radiation formula inadvertently shattered the foundations of classical physics.
The pillars of Hercules
David Urquhart
In the mid-nineteenth century, a restless traveler bridges the divide between Africa and Europe, uncovering the shared histories of the Moors and the Spanish through their architecture, customs, and daily rhythms.
The Preacher of Cedar Mountain: A Tale of the Open Country
Ernest Thompson Seton
The story of a man whose wild, untamed spirit finds a difficult, meaningful tether in the vastness of the American West. It is a portrait of a soul caught between raw instinct and the call of duty.
The Prussian Terror
Alexandre Dumas
The Prussian occupation of 1866 transforms a peaceful corner of Germany into a theater of cold-blooded intimidation and tragic resistance. This narrative serves as a stark, personal witness to the territorial ambitions that reshaped the map of Europe.
The Religion of Geology and Its Connected Sciences
Edward Hitchcock
Geology and theology serve as twin pillars in a singular quest to understand the creator, reconciling the ancient, physical record of the earth with the spiritual truths found in scripture.
The Slave Trade, Domestic and Foreign: Why It Exists, and How It May Be Extinguished
Henry Charles Carey
Prosperity, human dignity, and true freedom emerge only when a nation fosters local industry and internal trade, rather than forcing its laborers to compete in the race to the bottom of global markets.
The Spirit Land
Samuel B. (Samuel Bulfinch) Emmons
Superstition is a contagion of the mind, born from ignorance and the misinterpretation of natural laws. This work serves as a rationalist’s manual for dismantling the supernatural claims that frequently lead the credulous toward madness.
The Works of John Greenleaf Whittier, Volume VII, Complete: The Conflict with Slavery, Politics and Reform, the Inner Life, and Criticism
John Greenleaf Whittier
The conscience of a nation finds its voice in these collected essays, which trace the moral struggle to abolish slavery and the relentless pursuit of social reform in the nineteenth century.
Titus Andronicus
William Shakespeare
A Roman general returns from war to find his world consumed by a cycle of horrific vengeance. This relentless tragedy explores the thin line between justice and total moral ruin.
Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II
Charles Lever
This sprawling chronicle of the Napoleonic era follows a young Irishman’s transformation from an idealistic exile into a seasoned officer of the French Imperial Guard, capturing the volatile atmosphere of nineteenth-century Europe.
Willis the Pilot : A Sequel to the Swiss Family Robinson
Adrien Paul
A castaway family’s survival story continues in this sprawling adventure, where the children of the original settlers grow up to navigate the perils of the South Seas and their own futures. It is a classic tale of colonial resilience, marked by earnest debates on science, morality, and the virtues of a civilized life.
Zeppelin: The Story of a Great Achievement
Harry Vissering
A visionary commander turns the disaster of war into a global blueprint for the future of flight. This account captures the relentless pursuit of aerial mastery that bridged the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
A Renaissance Courtesy-book: Galateo of Manners & Behaviours
Giovanni Della Casa
A manual of conduct from the Italian Renaissance, this work treats refined manners not as hollow pretension, but as a necessary lubricant for the friction of human society.
Among the Wild Tribes of the Afghan Frontier: A Record of Sixteen Years' Close Intercourse with the Natives of the Indian Marches
T. L. (Theodore Leighton) Pennell
A medical missionary moves through the rugged, volatile borderlands of the Indian frontier, finding that the healing arts often bridge the divide where military force and dogma fail.
Antique Works of Art from Benin: Collected by Lieutenant-General Pitt Rivers
Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers
A visual inventory of Benin bronzes and carvings, this volume serves as a private, descriptive record of artifacts acquired in the wake of the 1897 military expedition. It functions primarily as a catalog, providing detailed observations of metalwork, ivory, and wood to document the aesthetic traditions of the region.
Dutch and English on the Hudson: A Chronicle of Colonial New York
Maud Wilder Goodwin
This chronicle traces the evolution of New York from a Dutch fur-trading outpost to a pivotal British colonial province. It examines the shifting political, social, and economic forces that shaped the Hudson River valley.
Folk Lore Notes. Vol. II—Konkan
A. M. T. (Arthur Mason Tippetts) Jackson
These notes provide a meticulous survey of the spiritual life and ancient customs preserved in the Konkan region of India, capturing a world where the sacred and the supernatural remain woven into daily routine.