myebooksbuy
My Books

The whole shelf

All free summaries — page 315

47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 315 of 988.

Cover of The Destruction of the Greek Empire and the Story of the Capture of Constantinople by the Turks

The Destruction of the Greek Empire and the Story of the Capture of Constantinople by the Turks

Edwin Pears

The final days of the Byzantine Empire arrive not with a whisper, but with the roar of heavy artillery against the ancient walls of Constantinople. This account captures the inevitable collapse of a thousand-year civilization under the pressure of a rising Ottoman power.

History - European8 min read
Cover of The Fallen Star, or, the History of a False Religion by E.L. Bulwer

The Fallen Star, or, the History of a False Religion by E.L. Bulwer

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

The humble and the ambitious are easily led astray, for history proves that humanity’s inherent craving for mystery and miracles consistently outweighs its commitment to demonstrated truth.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898

Unknown

This collection of seventeenth-century archival records captures the precarious administration of the Spanish Philippines, detailing a world of colonial bureaucracy, religious mission work, and strategic naval anxiety.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)7 min read
Cover of The planet of peril

The planet of peril

Otis Adelbert Kline

A bored socialite is whisked from a Chicago opera house to a lethal, alien world, where he must trade his tuxedo for a sword and his privilege for survival.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of The Poor Little Rich Girl

The Poor Little Rich Girl

Eleanor Gates

A lonely child, trapped within the sterile, gilded confines of her parents' mansion, discovers that the only way to reach those she loves is to cross the borders of a dream.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Saxons: A Drama of Christianity in the North

The Saxons: A Drama of Christianity in the North

Edwin Davies Schoonmaker

The struggle for the soul of the North pits ancient, wild traditions against the encroaching shadow of a rigid, institutionalized faith. Through a lyrical, dense, and dreamlike drama, the clash between forest dwellers and an expansionist abbey reveals the fragile line between divinity and human cruelty.

History - Medieval/Middle Ages6 min read
Cover of The Scholfield Wool-Carding Machines

The Scholfield Wool-Carding Machines

Grace Rogers Cooper

The mechanical secrets of wool processing transformed a young nation’s economy, bridging the gap between laborious hand-carding and the industrial age. This study traces the arrival of two English innovators and the machines that became their legacy.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of The School of Recreation (1696 edition): Or a Guide to the Most Ingenious Exercises of Hunting, Riding, Racing, Fireworks, Military Discipline, the Science of Defence

The School of Recreation (1696 edition): Or a Guide to the Most Ingenious Exercises of Hunting, Riding, Racing, Fireworks, Military Discipline, the Science of Defence

R. H. (Robert Howlett)

A practical compendium of seventeenth-century pastimes, this guide offers a window into the structured leisure and necessary skills of the English gentry, from the art of the hunt to the science of fireworks.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The Shogun's Daughter

The Shogun's Daughter

Robert Ames Bennet

HOOK A young American naval officer survives a shipwreck on the coast of Japan, only to be thrust into a high-stakes power struggle within the isolationist Shogunate.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Strand Magazine, Vol. 17, No. 97, January to June 1899: An Illustrated Monthly

The Strand Magazine, Vol. 17, No. 97, January to June 1899: An Illustrated Monthly

Various

HOOK This collection captures the Victorian zeitgeist through a vibrant mosaic of suspenseful fiction, travel reportage, and the era’s burgeoning fascination with science, technology, and the curiosities of the wider world.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Three Midshipmen

The Three Midshipmen

William Henry Giles Kingston

Three young schoolboys embark on a lifetime of adventure in the British Navy, facing pirates, slavers, and the perils of the sea in a relentless pursuit of duty and glory.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The treatment of nature in English poetry between Pope and Wordsworth

The treatment of nature in English poetry between Pope and Wordsworth

Myra Reynolds

The landscape of English poetry did not transform overnight; it evolved through a quiet, century-long shift in how writers observed the woods, the mountains, and the shifting skies of their own world.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Trail Tales

Trail Tales

James David Gillilan

HOOK A minister’s collection of frontier sketches captures the raw, human pulse of the American Northwest, where arid sagebrush plains transformed into blooming settlements through faith, grit, and the relentless labor of pioneers.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Trivia

Trivia

Logan Pearsall Smith

A collection of brief, luminous observations, this work captures the fleeting ironies of human existence through the eyes of a self-aware, whimsical observer. These prose sketches transform the mundane into the profound, offering a sharp, witty meditation on what it means to be alive.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of True Irish Ghost Stories

True Irish Ghost Stories

Unknown

The restless dead of Ireland rarely stay in their graves, preferring to walk the halls of old mansions and schoolrooms, leaving behind only the cold air of their passing and the terror of those who encounter them.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of Uther and Igraine

Uther and Igraine

Warwick Deeping

A tale of star-crossed devotion set against the brutal, mist-shrouded backdrop of a world transitioning from ancient chaos to the dawn of a new order.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of White Lies

White Lies

Charles Reade

A proud, impoverished aristocratic family attempts to preserve their crumbling chateau through a web of desperate, tangled deceptions. Amidst the chaos of the Napoleonic era, honor clashes with the urgent, hidden desires of the heart.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Why Lincoln Laughed

Why Lincoln Laughed

Russell H. Conwell

Laughter was not merely a respite for the wartime leader, but a profound survival strategy and a tool for intellectual clarity.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of With British Guns in Italy: A Tribute to Italian Achievement

With British Guns in Italy: A Tribute to Italian Achievement

Dalton, Hugh Dalton, Baron

The front lines of the First World War rarely felt more beautiful or more harrowing than in the high, jagged reaches of the Italian Alps. This account offers a rare, ground-level perspective of a British artillery officer navigating the camaraderie, the logistical nightmares, and the profound moral exhaustion of a…

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Woman in Sacred History: A Series of Sketches Drawn from Scriptural, Historical, and Legendary Sources

Woman in Sacred History: A Series of Sketches Drawn from Scriptural, Historical, and Legendary Sources

Harriet Beecher Stowe

These biographical sketches explore the lives of biblical women, revealing how their stories of faith, trial, and domestic influence shaped the foundations of religious history.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Women of America: Woman: In all ages and in all countries Vol. 10 (of 10)

Women of America: Woman: In all ages and in all countries Vol. 10 (of 10)

John Ruse Larus

The history of a nation is, at its core, the history of its women. This sweeping survey examines the shifting status of women across the Americas, tracing their evolution from the original inhabitants through the colonial era and into the dawn of the twentieth century.

Gender & Sexuality Studies7 min read
Cover of A Book on Vegetable Dyes

A Book on Vegetable Dyes

Ethel Mairet

Quality in craft is a fragile inheritance, easily lost to the relentless hum of industrial efficiency. This guide serves as a manual for those who wish to reclaim the ancient, deliberate art of hand-dyeing.

Art6 min read
Cover of A brief narrative of the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, Wheeler's Corps, Army of Tennessee

A brief narrative of the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, Wheeler's Corps, Army of Tennessee

George B. Guild

The remnants of a cavalry unit recount their service, moving from the excitement of initial mobilization to the quiet, melancholy reflections of men who have outlived their cause.

History - American6 min read
Cover of A Likely Story

A Likely Story

William De Morgan

A portrait that remembers its own creation holds the key to a modern marriage caught in a tangle of jealousy, war, and miscommunication. Within these pages, the past is not merely prologue; it is a speaking participant in the present.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Man of Business

A Man of Business

Honoré de Balzac

In a city where debt is a social language, the most dangerous man is not the one with the most money, but the one who best understands the art of avoiding payment.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of A Master of Fortune: Being Further Adventures of Captain Kettle

A Master of Fortune: Being Further Adventures of Captain Kettle

C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne

Captain Owen Kettle is a diminutive, iron-willed sea captain who navigates the brutal realities of late-Victorian maritime life with a Bible in one pocket and a revolver in the other. He is a man of relentless competence, a master of salvage and survival who treats every crisis—whether a mutiny on the Congo or a…

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Ancient rhetoric and poetic

Ancient rhetoric and poetic

Charles Sears Baldwin

To interpret the ancient arts of composition is to uncover the foundational theories that shaped Western literature. By examining the essential precepts of oratory and poetry, the evolution of human expression becomes clear.

Journalism/Media/Writing6 min read
Cover of Bracebridge Hall

Bracebridge Hall

Washington Irving

A nostalgic portrait of an English country estate captures a vanishing way of life through its eccentric inhabitants and timeless rituals. This gentle, observational work celebrates the enduring charm of tradition and the quiet hum of rural society.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Bunyan Characters (1st Series)

Bunyan Characters (1st Series)

Alexander Whyte

To study the moral landscape of the soul, one must look past the surface of human affairs to the hidden springs of character, where the deepest battles between shadow and light are fought and won.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Buried Cities, Volume 3: Mycenae

Buried Cities, Volume 3: Mycenae

Jennie Hall

The hunt for lost civilizations captures the imagination, turning dusty ruins into gateways to the past. This exploration reveals how a legendary Greek city was pulled from the earth, uncovering treasures that confirm the truth behind ancient songs.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Civil Government in the United States Considered with Some Reference to Its Origins

Civil Government in the United States Considered with Some Reference to Its Origins

John Fiske

This foundational text explores the historical evolution and practical mechanics of the American political system, framing the government as a living institution built upon centuries of English precedent.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects

Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects

Charles V. (Charles Valentine) Riley

To capture the hidden life of the meadows and forests, one must master the humble tools of the field. This guide serves as a foundational manual for the systematic collection, preservation, and study of insect life.

How To ...5 min read
Cover of Electricity

Electricity

W. H. (William Henry) McCormick

The mastery of electricity represents a triumph of human ingenuity, transforming the invisible forces of nature into the mechanical and communicative backbone of the modern world. This guide illuminates the path from static curiosity to global infrastructure.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of Farmhouse Plans

Farmhouse Plans

Wallace Ashby

HOOK Designed to help families build efficient, long-lasting homes, these architectural plans offer a practical roadmap for creating a dwelling that grows alongside the needs of a rural household.

Architecture6 min read
Cover of Flowing Gold

Flowing Gold

Rex Beach

The Texas oil boom transforms a wilderness into a high-stakes arena where sudden fortunes and bitter rivalries collide. A drifter turned operator navigates this volatile landscape, proving that in the quest for gold, the most dangerous wells are often the ones dug by human ambition.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of From the Five Rivers

From the Five Rivers

Flora Annie Webster Steel

HOOK These stories capture the vibrant, dust-swept rhythms of Punjab village life, where ancient traditions and modern pressures collide with startling, human intimacy.

Novels7 min read
Cover of Garden Pests in New Zealand: A Popular Manual for Practical Gardeners, Farmers and Schools

Garden Pests in New Zealand: A Popular Manual for Practical Gardeners, Farmers and Schools

David Miller

This manual serves as a definitive guide for identifying and managing the diverse insect populations that inhabit New Zealand’s gardens and farmlands. It offers a clear, practical bridge between scientific entomology and the daily needs of the horticulturist.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Gleanings in Graveyards: A Collection of Curious Epitaphs

Gleanings in Graveyards: A Collection of Curious Epitaphs

Horatio Edward Norfolk

Death is a universal destination, yet the ways we mark our final arrival are as varied, eccentric, and occasionally absurd as the lives we lead. This collection gathers the wit and wonder etched into stone across the graveyards of Great Britain.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of How Lisa Loved the King

How Lisa Loved the King

George Eliot

The story follows a young girl in medieval Sicily whose secret, unrequited love for the King of Aragon leads her to the brink of death, only to be transformed by an act of royal grace. It is a luminous study of the interior life, exploring how devotion can refine the soul even when its object remains perpetually…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Illustrations of political economy, Volume 3 (of 9)

Illustrations of political economy, Volume 3 (of 9)

Harriet Martineau

Industrial strife, the failures of charity, and the cycles of rural poverty collide in a series of dramatized economic lessons. These narratives examine how individual choices and systemic pressures shape the lives of the working class.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Introductory American History

Introductory American History

Henry Eldridge Bourne

The journey to America begins not on the Atlantic, but in the ruins of ancient temples and the harbors of the Mediterranean, where the foundations of Western civilization were first laid.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Invention and Discovery: Curious Facts and Characteristic Sketches

Invention and Discovery: Curious Facts and Characteristic Sketches

Anonymous

Curious minds will find a treasure trove of scientific anecdotes, historical quirks, and mechanical marvels gathered in this collection of informative sketches. It serves as a fascinating bridge between the intellectual pursuits of the past and the enduring questions of human innovation.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Japanese Swords

Japanese Swords

Yamanaka & Company

A technical examination of the Japanese sword, tracing its transition from a martial emblem to a coveted object of art following the social upheaval of the 1868 Restoration.

Art6 min read
Cover of John Dough and the Cherub

John Dough and the Cherub

L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

The life of a baker’s creation is short, but for one gingerbread man, accidental magic grants him a soul and a long, perilous journey toward true independence.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of King John of Jingalo: The Story of a Monarch in Difficulties

King John of Jingalo: The Story of a Monarch in Difficulties

Laurence Housman

A monarch trapped in a web of tradition discovers that his true power lies in the startling, disruptive act of simply telling the truth.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Lady Connie

Lady Connie

Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

A young woman of means arrives in an insular university city, only to find her heart caught between a reckless aristocrat and the vulnerable musician he has cruelly wronged.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians

Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians

Elias Johnson

An indigenous chief offers a corrective lens on the history and spirit of his people, challenging the prevailing narratives of the nineteenth century by reclaiming the Iroquois and Tuscarora experience from the margins of colonial record.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Life of Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States

Life of Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States

Frank Crosby

A chronicle of the sixteenth president’s path through the crucible of the Civil War, told primarily through the official words that defined his administration and preserved a fractured nation.

Biographies7 min read