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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 323 of 988.

Cover of A Terrible Tomboy

A Terrible Tomboy

Angela Brazil

A spirited, tree-climbing girl fights to save her family’s ancestral home from debt, finding her true strength not in defying convention, but in the steadfast love she shows her father.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of A Tramp Abroad

A Tramp Abroad

Mark Twain

A wanderer’s grand expectations for a continental walking tour collide with the absurdities of travel, resulting in a journey less about the destination and more about the hilarious friction of being a stranger in a strange land.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of A Traveler from Altruria: Romance

A Traveler from Altruria: Romance

William Dean Howells

A visitor from a distant land arrives in America, his gentle innocence serving as a mirror to the contradictions and social inequities of the Gilded Age. Through polite, persistent questioning, he forces his hosts to confront the reality of their own ideals.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A true & exact history of the island of Barbados

A true & exact history of the island of Barbados

Richard Ligon

This seventeenth-century account documents the rapid transformation of a Caribbean landscape into a highly organized, brutal engine of sugar production. It serves as a stark testament to the colonial ambition and human cost defining the era.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)6 min read
Cover of A Woman-Hater

A Woman-Hater

Charles Reade

A woman’s search for her past intersects with a singer’s ascent and a gentleman’s skepticism in this expansive, spirited Victorian novel. It explores the social and professional limitations placed upon women while weaving a complex tapestry of romantic longing and personal redemption.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope: including a description of the methods of preparing and mounting objects, etc

An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope: including a description of the methods of preparing and mounting objects, etc

J. W. (John William) Griffith

This practical handbook serves as a foundational guide for the amateur naturalist, demystifying the mechanical and scientific complexities of microscopy. It provides a clear, methodical path for anyone seeking to explore the hidden structural intricacies of the natural world.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich

Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich

Stephen Leacock

This satirical cycle of interconnected stories portrays the absurd, insulated world of the ultra-wealthy, where the pursuit of profit transforms every human endeavor into a business transaction. It serves as a sharp, enduring critique of how concentrated capital shapes the social and moral fabric of a modern city.

Humour6 min read
Cover of Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 455: Volume 18, New Series, September 18, 1852

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 455: Volume 18, New Series, September 18, 1852

Various

This collection of nineteenth-century journalism captures a world in the throes of rapid transition, where the steam engine and scientific inquiry meet enduring social and moral questions. It serves as a curated window into the intellectual and cultural landscape of 1852.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Charlotte's Inheritance

Charlotte's Inheritance

M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

A woman’s survival becomes a race against a calculated, murderous conspiracy. This Victorian drama weaves a chilling web of inheritance, poisoning, and the desperate search for redemption.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Cornwall

Cornwall

S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

The rugged Cornish peninsula, defined by its granite moors, treacherous coastlines, and ancient tin-mining heritage, offers a distinct, isolated identity within the fabric of England. This survey of the county’s geography, history, and industry captures a land shaped by the Atlantic.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Deaconesses in Europe and their Lessons for America

Deaconesses in Europe and their Lessons for America

Jane M. (Jane Marie) Bancroft

This historical study advocates for the revival of a formal female diaconate within the American church, drawing inspiration from European models of organized, compassionate service to the urban poor.

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of Essays of Michel de Montaigne

Essays of Michel de Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne

HOOK A candid exploration of the human condition, this work navigates the messy, contradictory reality of aging, desire, and the art of living with oneself.

Classics of Literature7 min read
Cover of Fantasy: A Novel

Fantasy: A Novel

Matilde Serao

A masterful study of obsession and the performative nature of suffering, this portrait of a toxic friendship dissects the psychological wreckage left by a woman who weaponizes her own melancholy.

Novels7 min read
Cover of Faro Nell and Her Friends: Wolfville Stories

Faro Nell and Her Friends: Wolfville Stories

Alfred Henry Lewis

This collection of stories captures the rowdy, vernacular spirit of an Arizona frontier town through the eyes of its most colorful residents. It is a portrait of a place where social customs are as rigid as the law is loose.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Fathers of Men

Fathers of Men

E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung

HOOK A raw, defiant boy from a rough background struggles to survive the rigid social hierarchy of an English boarding school, where his solitary nature clashes with the expectations of his masters and peers.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of First Impressions on a Tour upon the Continent: In the summer of 1818 through parts of France, Italy, Switzerland, the borders of Germany, and a part of French Flanders

First Impressions on a Tour upon the Continent: In the summer of 1818 through parts of France, Italy, Switzerland, the borders of Germany, and a part of French Flanders

Marianne Baillie

A keen-eyed observer captures the sights, sounds, and social textures of post-Napoleonic Europe, balancing a sharp wit against the romantic awe of a continent newly opened to travelers.

Travel Writing7 min read
Cover of Frank Merriwell's Chums

Frank Merriwell's Chums

Burt L. Standish

The young cadet at Fardale Military Academy finds himself caught in a web of gambling schemes, dangerous feuds, and mysterious riddles. He must prove his integrity while navigating the treacherous social landscape of boarding school life.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Fugitive Slaves (1619-1865)

Fugitive Slaves (1619-1865)

Marion Gleason McDougall

The persistent struggle of the enslaved to reclaim their humanity from the machinery of state law is a defining, often overlooked, thread of American history.

History - American5 min read
Cover of History of the transmission of ancient books to modern times: together with the process of historical proof

History of the transmission of ancient books to modern times: together with the process of historical proof

Isaac Taylor

A bridge across time, this work examines the physical and logical realities that allow human history to survive the centuries. It provides a methodical guide for evaluating the reliability of the ancient written record.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of History Plays for the Grammar Grades

History Plays for the Grammar Grades

Mary Ella Lyng

This collection of short dramas offers a window into the pedagogical methods of early twentieth-century American classrooms. Designed for students in the grammar grades, these plays transform significant historical milestones—from the arrival of Columbus to the suffrage movement—into participatory classroom…

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of In the Riding-School

In the Riding-School

Hamlin, G., Miss

Guided by a patient, demanding instructor, a young woman learns the rigorous art of horsemanship through a series of disciplined lessons. She discovers that riding is not merely a social outing, but a technical study requiring physical awareness, mental focus, and absolute obedience to the horse’s language.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Introduction of the Locomotive Safety Truck: Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology: Paper 24

Introduction of the Locomotive Safety Truck: Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology: Paper 24

John H. White

Early American railroads were dangerous, chaotic experiments until engineers invented the "safety truck," a crucial mechanical innovation that allowed locomotives to navigate rough, winding tracks without derailing.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Itinerary of Provence and the Rhone: Made During the Year 1819

Itinerary of Provence and the Rhone: Made During the Year 1819

John Hughes

This refined travelogue captures the essence of the South of France in 1819, blending the keen observations of an Oxford scholar with the practical needs of the gentleman tourist. It remains a rare, vivid window into a vanished landscape.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Journeys to Bagdad

Journeys to Bagdad

Charles S. (Charles Stephen) Brooks

The urge to abandon the ledger for the winding road finds its most articulate expression in these pages. A quiet, contemplative invitation, these essays capture the restless spirit of the armchair traveler.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Legends That Every Child Should Know

Legends That Every Child Should Know

Hamilton Wright Mabie

Old tales and myths are the connective tissue of our shared history, offering timeless windows into the human experience. These stories, passed down through generations, reveal the enduring nature of our curiosity, fears, and hopes.

Children & Young Adult Reading7 min read
Cover of Letters from an Old Railway Official. Second Series: [To] His Son, a General Manager

Letters from an Old Railway Official. Second Series: [To] His Son, a General Manager

Charles De Lano Hine

This collection of letters serves as a candid, no-nonsense manual on corporate efficiency, written by a seasoned railroad veteran to his son as he ascends to the role of general manager. It frames the complex, sprawling world of early 20th-century railroading not merely as a business of steel and steam, but as a…

Business/Management6 min read
Cover of Life of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen

Life of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen

Sarah Tytler

The life of a monarch is often filtered through the lens of history, but here it is seen through the intimate, domestic, and personal experiences of a woman balancing the crown with her private heart.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Maxims and Instructions for the Boiler Room: Useful to Engineers, Firemen & Mechanics

Maxims and Instructions for the Boiler Room: Useful to Engineers, Firemen & Mechanics

N. (Nehemiah) Hawkins

Reliable, practical, and deeply attentive to the hidden dangers of the power plant, this guide serves as a foundational manual for the turn-of-the-century engineer tasked with the heavy responsibility of steam boiler management.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Measure for Measure

Measure for Measure

William Shakespeare

A hypocritical judge demands a woman’s virtue as the price for her brother’s life. This gripping drama explores the dangerous intersection of power, desire, and the law.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Meteoric astronomy: A treatise on shooting-stars, fire-balls, and aerolites

Meteoric astronomy: A treatise on shooting-stars, fire-balls, and aerolites

Daniel Kirkwood

The heavens are not the immutable, silent void once imagined; they are a bustling, violent theater of debris, where stones and icy swarms trace paths that intersect our own.

Science - Physics6 min read
Cover of Motors

Motors

James Slough Zerbe

The turning of a wheel is never magic; it is the liberation of inherent energy through the careful arrangement of materials and forces. This guide demystifies the mechanical heart of the industrial age for the curious mind.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Oaths of Allegiance in Colonial New England

Oaths of Allegiance in Colonial New England

Charles Evans

The legal instruments of seventeenth-century New England reveal the foundational tension between royal authority and the self-governing ambitions of early settlers. These documents serve as the blueprints for a nascent American political identity.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Old Trails on the Niagara Frontier

Old Trails on the Niagara Frontier

Frank H. (Frank Hayward) Severance

This collection of historical essays illuminates the Niagara Frontier, revealing a landscape defined by centuries of missionaries, soldiers, captives, and those seeking the silent promise of liberty.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Outlines of Jewish History from B.C. 586 to C.E. 1885

Outlines of Jewish History from B.C. 586 to C.E. 1885

Magnus, Katie, Lady

This sweeping historical narrative traces the resilience and evolution of the Jewish people from the collapse of the Judean state through centuries of global dispersion and eventual civil emancipation in the West.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of Polly of the Circus

Polly of the Circus

Margaret Mayo

HOOK A young circus performer and a small-town pastor find their worlds colliding when a tragic accident forces them to confront the boundaries between their disparate lives.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Preston Fight

Preston Fight

William Harrison Ainsworth

The Jacobite cause is a portrait of misplaced devotion, where the chivalry of noble lords clashes against the cold, tactical realities of a doomed rebellion. It is a story of honor, sacrifice, and the heavy price of loyalty to a fallen crown.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Queen Sheba's Ring

Queen Sheba's Ring

H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard

HOOK Three explorers stumble into a forgotten North African kingdom where ancient, buried civilizations and modern political intrigue collide, forcing them to fight for survival against a fanatical enemy.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Robert Boyle

Robert Boyle

Flora Masson

A life of quiet, relentless inquiry emerges from the shadow of the seventeenth century, revealing the mind behind the man who transformed natural philosophy.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Round the Wonderful World

Round the Wonderful World

G. E. (Geraldine Edith) Mitton

A bustling global odyssey, this narrative captures the wonder of a world connected by steamship and rail, framed through the eyes of curious travelers discovering far-flung lands.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of Stonehenge, a Temple Restor'd to the British Druids

Stonehenge, a Temple Restor'd to the British Druids

William Stukeley

This foundational work of British archaeology reinterprets Stonehenge not as a Roman construction, but as a sacred temple erected by ancient Druids according to the primal, mathematical measures of the patriarchs.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Tanar of Pellucidar

Tanar of Pellucidar

Edgar Rice Burroughs

In a world hollowed out at the center of the Earth, a captive warrior fights across prehistoric jungles and pirate-infested seas to protect the woman he loves. This breathless quest pits human spirit against the primal brutality of a land where the sun never sets.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Art of Conversation: Twelve Golden Rules

The Art of Conversation: Twelve Golden Rules

Josephine Turck Baker

True social grace is not a matter of innate charm, but a disciplined practice of mindfulness toward those with whom we share our thoughts. This guide provides a structured, thoughtful framework for becoming a more considerate conversationalist.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The Black Lion Inn

The Black Lion Inn

Alfred Henry Lewis

A weary traveler finds sanctuary in a rustic tavern, where a circle of colorful characters spins sprawling, irreverent tales of the American frontier.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Chief End of Man

The Chief End of Man

George Spring Merriam

The search for a modern foundation for human purpose begins with the recognition that old religious certainties have faded, leaving the individual to navigate a world that feels increasingly vast, complex, and indifferent to ancient creeds.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862: Devoted to Literature and National Policy

The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862: Devoted to Literature and National Policy

Various

This mid-nineteenth-century periodical serves as a vibrant, urgent dispatch from the front lines of the American Civil War, blending literary sketches with fierce political advocacy. It captures a nation in the throes of self-definition.

History - American6 min read
Cover of The Coryston Family: A Novel

The Coryston Family: A Novel

Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

The Coryston family occupies a precarious position at the center of English social and political upheaval. Caught between the iron will of a matriarch and the radical impulses of her children, they must navigate the fraying ties of tradition, class, and conscience.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Day of Days: An Extravaganza

The Day of Days: An Extravaganza

Louis Joseph Vance

A daydreaming clerk suddenly finds his humdrum existence upended when a single, extraordinary day propels him into a high-stakes world of romance, violence, and criminal intrigue.

Humour6 min read
Cover of The Deserter, and Other Stories: A Book of Two Wars

The Deserter, and Other Stories: A Book of Two Wars

Harold Frederic

The echoes of ancient armor and the stark, cold reality of the American frontier find a common heartbeat in this collection of tales. War is never an abstract concept here, but a visceral, life-altering presence for the young and the old alike.

American Literature6 min read