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All free summaries — page 270
13,367 public-domain books, summarised. Page 270 of 279.
Ultima Thule
Mack Reynolds
HOOK A young recruit enters a clandestine agency to hunt a legendary interstellar revolutionary, only to discover the unsettling truth about the organization he has sworn to serve.
Zigzag Journeys in Europe: Vacation Rambles in Historic Lands
Hezekiah Butterworth
This travel narrative follows a teacher and his diverse group of students as they embark on a summer excursion through England and France, blending contemporary sightseeing with historical discovery.
A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade: Addressed to the freeholders and other inhabitants of Yorkshire
William Wilberforce
A moral plea to end the slave trade, this work argues that national righteousness and economic stability are inextricably linked to the cessation of human trafficking.
A Modern Instance
William Dean Howells
A young man’s ambition and a woman’s devotion collide in this searching portrait of a marriage, a story that peels back the layers of Victorian social propriety to reveal the raw, unvarnished truth of human character.
A Virginia Scout
Hugh Pendexter
HOOK A seasoned Virginia scout navigates the brutal, shifting alliances of the 1774 frontier, where the promise of settlement is carved into the wilderness with rifle fire and blood.
Aunt Charlotte's Stories of Greek History
Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge
A foundational survey of Greek history, this work bridges the gap between ancient myth and the modern era for young readers. It combines legendary tales with centuries of political evolution, offering a clear, moralizing perspective on the rise and fall of civilizations.
Cap'n Dan's Daughter
Joseph Crosby Lincoln
A retired sea captain and his family struggle to navigate the treacherous, artificial waters of high society after an unexpected inheritance.
Charles Gounod: Autobiographical Reminiscences with Family Letters and Notes on Music
Charles Gounod
This collection of memories offers an intimate, reflective portrait of a nineteenth-century composer navigating the tension between artistic calling and the demands of a changing world. It serves as both a personal history and a meditation on the nature of creative life.
Charles Sumner: his complete works, volume 18 (of 20)
Charles Sumner
The promise of the American experiment is measured here against the harsh realities of post-Civil War governance. These pages document a persistent fight to align the nation’s laws with the mandate of human equality.
Christmas-Tide
Charles Dickens
This collection offers a blend of pedagogical philosophy and classic holiday narratives, serving as a guide for parents and teachers who seek to imbue the Christmas season with lasting moral depth.
Christopher Carson, Familiarly Known as Kit Carson
John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
This biographical narrative chronicles the life of an American folk icon, painting a portrait of a man who bridged the gap between untamed wilderness and the encroaching influence of civilization. It captures the rugged essence of the mid-nineteenth-century frontier through the eyes of a legendary scout.
Cloud Studies
Arthur William Clayden
This elegant guide elevates the sky from a mere backdrop to a vast, observable laboratory, inviting readers to look upward with the precision of a scientist and the soul of an artist. It bridges the gap between casual observation and rigorous meteorological study, offering a detailed taxonomy of clouds that…
Dio's Rome, Volume 6: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During the Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form
Cassius Dio Cocceianus
The record of a vanishing world, this history chronicles the brutal unraveling of the Roman Empire through the eyes of a statesman who watched its foundations crack under the weight of tyranny and caprice. It serves as both a witness to the decline of imperial virtue and a testament to the inescapable cycles of…
English Lands, Letters and Kings, vol. 3: Queen Anne and the Georges
Donald Grant Mitchell
The march of English letters moves from the elegant polish of the Augustan age to the raw, romantic fervor of the poets who redefined the soul of nature.
Gardening without irrigation
Steve Solomon
Gardening without irrigation turns the challenge of a rainless summer into a masterclass on soil science and plant biology. It provides a practical, temperate-climate manual for cultivating food using the moisture already stored in the earth.
Greek Sculpture: A collection of sixteen pictures of Greek marbles with introduction and interpretation
Estelle M. (Estelle May) Hurll
This guide offers an approachable, illustrated introduction to the beauty of classical marble, connecting the silent stone of ancient Greece to the enduring narratives of its mythology and history.
Home Amusements
M. E. W. (Mary Elizabeth Wilson) Sherwood
A guide for the Victorian parlor, this manual curates the domestic arts and social diversions that turn a private residence into a vibrant center of activity and familial connection.
In Time of Emergency: A Citizen's Handbook on Nuclear Attack, Natural Disasters (1968)
United States. Office of Civil Defense
This official civilian guide outlines practical, concrete preparations for surviving the immediate aftermath of a nuclear detonation or severe natural disaster.
Jewish History
Simon Dubnow
This survey offers a sweeping, philosophical look at the Jewish experience, arguing that the true essence of a people lies not in territory or power, but in an unbroken, resilient life of the spirit.
Lectures and biographical sketches
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The search for a moral compass in an age of skepticism defines these reflections, where the inward life of the spirit is held as the ultimate standard for human conduct.
Lightning Conductors: Their History, Nature, and Mode of Application
Anderson, Richard, F.C.S.
A practical guide to the science of atmospheric electricity, this work provides both a historical account of lightning protection and a technical manual for safeguarding buildings against the destructive force of nature’s most erratic element.
Louis XIV and La Grande Mademoiselle, 1652-1693
Arvède Barine
The Bourbon dynasty’s most powerful monarch meets his match in a cousin who expects a grand romance, only to find herself trapped in a world of stifling ceremony and heartbreak.
Moral Poison in Modern Fiction
R. Brimley (Reginald Brimley) Johnson
This critical study examines how the changing moral landscape of early 20th-century literature—specifically the rise of "sex-revolt" themes—threatens the stability of social values, family life, and the emotional development of post-war youth.
Old Gorgon Graham: More Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son
George Horace Lorimer
The seasoned merchant writes from a position of hard-won authority, mentoring his son through the complexities of professional advancement, courtship, and the responsibilities of leadership in a rapidly modernizing industrial world.
Once a week
A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne
This collection captures the lighthearted, witty spirit of Edwardian-era England, offering a series of humorous sketches that find absurdity in the mundane routines of comfortable, middle-class life.
Out-of-Doors in the Holy Land: Impressions of Travel in Body and Spirit
Henry Van Dyke
HOOK Seeking to reconcile faith with the physical reality of the Holy Land, a traveler embarks on a journey that finds the sacred not in stone, but in the wide, open air.
Over the Border: A Novel
Herman Whitaker
Three seasoned outlaws living in the Mexican wilderness find their lawless existence transformed when they adopt a young American woman caught in the chaotic grip of the Mexican Revolution.
Personae
Ezra Pound
HOOK Through the voices of ancient ghosts and forgotten wanderers, these verses reclaim the raw, untamed spirit of poetry from the stifling grip of modern lethargy.
Records of Later Life
Fanny Kemble
An aristocratic British actress marries into American society, only to find herself torn between two continents, caught in the crossfire of anti-slavery agitation, and forced back onto the stage to secure her own financial independence.
Rembrandt and His Etchings: A Compact Record of the Artist's Life, His Work and his Time. With the complete Chronological List of his Etchings
Louis A. (Louis Arthur) Holman
A master etcher’s life is captured through the lens of his most intimate work, mapping his journey from a young man in Leyden to the forgotten figure who died in poverty but achieved immortality.
Robert Kimberly
Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman
A wealthy, powerful man finds his life’s trajectory irrevocably altered when he falls for a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage. This intimate study of conscience and consequence spans the quiet tensions of high-society life.
Rung Ho! A Novel
Talbot Mundy
HOOK In the high-stakes intrigue of colonial India, a young officer and a brave missionary navigate a web of princely treachery, religious fervor, and shifting loyalties to survive a collapsing political order.
Sons and Fathers
Harry Stillwell Edwards
A young man seeks to uncover the truth of his parentage, only to find himself caught in a web of scandal, betrayal, and high-stakes mystery in the post-Civil War South.
South Wind
Norman Douglas
The south wind—the sirocco—has a habit of unhinging the orderly minds of those who visit the island of Nepenthe, where morality is treated more as a suggestion than a rule.
Special Days and Their Observance: September 1919
Anonymous
This instructional manual serves as a comprehensive guide for teachers to instill patriotism and civic virtue through the structured observance of holidays and daily classroom exercises. It transforms the schoolroom into a space for shaping the moral character and national identity of American youth.
The Adventure of Two Dutch Dolls and a 'Golliwogg'
Bertha Upton
In the quiet of a frosty Christmas Eve, the wooden inhabitants of a toy shop awaken to claim their one night of liberty. This whimsical chronicle follows two Dutch dolls and their newfound companion as they trade the confines of the counter for a series of high-stakes escapades, from reckless rides on wooden steeds…
The age of the crusades
James M. (James Meeker) Ludlow
The Crusades emerge not merely as a series of battles, but as the turbulent adolescence of European civilization. This study maps how a fractured, superstitious continent found a violent, transformative unity by looking eastward.
The Black Douglas
S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett
A young knight finds his loyalties tested in a dark, sprawling tale of Scottish political intrigue and a terrifying, occult nightmare across the sea in fifteenth-century France.
The Blue Raider: A Tale of Adventure in the Southern Seas
Herbert Strang
Stranded on a hostile coast, a group of survivors must outwit a ruthless band of German pirates to secure their freedom and escape the island.
The Coming of Cuculain
Standish O'Grady
A legendary Irish hero rises from his humble boyhood to become the "star that is to shine forever" upon the forehead of his people, destined to defend the Red Branch Knights.
The Flying U Ranch
B. M. Bower
The Happy Family of the Flying U Ranch face the loss of their leader and the encroachment of rival sheepmen, testing their loyalty and grit in the wide Montana landscape.
The Green Hand: Adventures of a Naval Lieutenant
George Cupples
High seas adventure, romantic intrigue, and the sharp bite of maritime life converge in this classic story of an undercover midshipman.
The Land of Song, Book 2. For lower grammar grades
Unknown
The path into the "Land of Song" is a journey through the storied landscape of verse, where the rhythmic heartbeat of classic poetry serves as a guide for the curious and the young. It is a collection meant to stir the imagination and nurture a lifelong affection for the written word.
The Last of the Flatboats: A Story of the Mississippi and Its Interesting Family of Rivers
George Cary Eggleston
HOOK Five boys embark on a precarious flatboat journey down the Mississippi River, finding that navigating the currents requires as much intellectual rigor and character as it does physical strength.
The Later Works of Titian
Phillips, Claude, Sir
Titian’s later years reveal an artist whose mastery evolved from balanced, serene perfection into a darker, more emotionally charged, and technically bold expression of the human condition.
The Mirror of the Graces: Containing General Instructions for Combining Elegance, Simplicity, and Economy with Fashion in Dress
active 19th century Lady of distinction
True elegance requires a harmony of mind and body, where grace is not merely a fashion, but a virtue expressed through simplicity, health, and a well-regulated character.
The Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536-1537, and the Exeter Conspiracy, 1538, Volume 1 (of 2)
Madeleine Hope Dodds
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a widespread, desperate northern uprising against the religious and political changes of Henry VIII. This exhaustive account reconstructs the collision between a monarch’s centralizing will and the traditional loyalties of the English north.
The Pirate of the Mediterranean: A Tale of the Sea
William Henry Giles Kingston
An elusive outlaw haunts the waters, masking his true identity behind the guise of nobility while a relentless officer pursues him across the Mediterranean.