The whole shelf
All free summaries — page 328
47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 328 of 988.
The Young Explorer
Alger, Horatio, Jr.
A young orphan leaves his country home to seek his fortune in the Gold Rush, only to find that the journey to adulthood requires more integrity than gold.
Unravelled Knots
Orczy, Emmuska Orczy, Baroness
An eccentric, string-twisting recluse solves the most baffling criminal mysteries of his day from the quiet isolation of a corner table in a London teashop.
Weird Tales, Volume 1, Number 3, May, 1923: The unique magazine
Various
A singular collection of pulp-era fiction and earnest vocational advertisements, this volume captures the breathless, sensational spirit of early twentieth-century genre magazines.
Who goes there?
B. K. (Blackwood Ketcham) Benson
The fog of war is profound, but for a soldier plagued by recurring amnesia, the greatest battle is the one he fights to reclaim his own name and identity.
Wood Carvings in English Churches: I. Stalls and Tabernacle Work. II. Bishop's Thrones and Chancel Chairs
Francis Bond
Wood and stone speak of the past, capturing the quiet dignity of ritual and the precise craftsmanship of centuries gone by. These remnants of devotion offer a window into the artistic evolution of the English church.
Wulf the Saxon: A Story of the Norman Conquest
G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
This historical narrative follows a young Saxon thane caught in the turbulent clash of cultures during the Norman Conquest, charting his journey from loyal page to a man navigating a transformed England.
A Hundred Anecdotes of Animals
Percy J. Billinghurst
This collection gathers one hundred curious tales of animal behavior, ranging from the domestic to the exotic, to challenge our assumptions about the creatures that share our world.
A Short History of English Liberalism
W. Lyon (Walter Lyon) Blease
This analysis traces the evolution of British political life, interpreting 150 years of legislative shifts through the lens of a philosophy that prizes individual liberty and state accountability.
A Short Narrative of the Life and Actions of His Grace John, D. of Marlborogh
Daniel Defoe
A brilliant general faces the shifting tides of political favor in this urgent defense of England’s most celebrated military commander, written by a master of polemical prose.
America, Through the Spectacles of an Oriental Diplomat
Tingfang Wu
An observant Chinese diplomat offers a candid, cross-cultural critique of early 20th-century American life, balancing admiration for democratic energy with skepticism toward Western habits and social conventions.
April Hopes
William Dean Howells
The polished surface of Boston society hides a nervous, shifting instability that young lovers must navigate with more sincerity than they possess. This study of courtship exposes the fragile illusions that govern the most important of human choices.
Ardours and Endurances
Robert Nichols
A young poet captures the shattering transition from the pastoral beauty of England to the mechanical, soul-cleaving violence of the Great War’s front lines.
At Suvla Bay: Being the notes and sketches of scenes, characters and adventures of the Dardanelles campaign, made by John Hargrave ("White Fox") while serving with the 32nd field ambulance, X division, Mediterranean expeditionary force, during the great war
John Hargrave
The true nature of war is not found in grand strategies, but in the grit of a soldier’s boots, the stench of a cattle-boat, and the silence of a desert night under sniper fire.
At the gateways of the day
Padraic Colum
Legends of gods, heroes, and little people emerge from the mists of the Pacific to reveal the ancient heart of Hawaii. This collection breathes new life into the foundational myths that shaped a civilization’s understanding of the world.
Beehive for Bairns, Vol. 2: From 1st Size to 2 Years: With Special Supplement: Bed Jackets
Various
Whether you are a seasoned hand at needlework or a novice looking to create something meaningful, these patterns offer a timeless, practical approach to crafting essential items for the youngest members of the family.
Botticelli
Henry Bryan Binns
The spirit of the Italian Renaissance finds its most poignant expression in the wistful, wind-swept figures of a master painter who navigated a world of shifting light and shadow.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume 05 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &c
Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
HOOK This sweeping inquiry into the animal kingdom explores the boundary between the instinctual lives of beasts and the rational soul of humanity.
Deficiency and Delinquency: An Interpretation of Mental Testing
James Burt Miner
The link between limited mental capacity and criminal behavior remains a persistent point of contention. This study examines how early psychological testing sought to formalize that relationship through statistical classification.
Diane of the Green Van
Leona Dalrymple
The open road offers no sanctuary when a woman inherits a dangerous, centuries-old secret along with a house on wheels. A spirited heiress leaves society behind, only to find that her path leads directly into a web of international intrigue.
Diary And Notes Of Horace Templeton, Esq. Volume II (of II)
Charles Lever
A traveler reflects on his fading life while wandering through the majestic landscapes of the Tyrol and the courts of Europe. It is an introspective farewell to the world, captured in the final, wandering notes of a weary man.
Dinners and Luncheons: Novel Suggestions for Social Occasions
Paul Pierce
This guide offers a glimpse into the vanished world of early 20th-century social etiquette, providing a comprehensive manual for the organized hostess. It serves as both a historical record of domestic expectations and a practical handbook for those interested in the art of formal entertaining.
Don Orsino
F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford
A young Roman aristocrat struggles to break free from his family’s suffocating expectations, seeking purpose in the grit of business rather than the hollow luxury of his heritage.
Ethelyn's Mistake
Mary Jane Holmes
A young woman’s pride and her husband’s rigid judgment collide, leading to years of estrangement and a painful search for redemption. This story explores the high cost of vanity and the difficult path back to love.
Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of Matthew
John Monro Gibson
This scholarly examination of the Gospel of Matthew serves as a verse-by-verse exposition designed to illuminate the character and mission of Christ for the nineteenth-century reader. By balancing rigorous theological analysis with accessible moral instruction, it bridges the gap between historical context and…
Fletcherism: What It Is
Horace Fletcher
A simple shift in how one interacts with food can unlock boundless physical vigor, reversing the decline of age and transforming the body into a well-oiled engine of endurance.
Folk-Lore and Legends: Scandinavian
Unknown
HOOK This collection gathers the ghosts, giants, and ancient gods of the North into a single volume. It captures the haunting, moral, and often capricious spirit of Scandinavian folklore through tales passed down across generations.
Food of the Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm, in South-central Kansas
Dwight R. Platt
An examination of avian diet reveals the complex, often misunderstood role of a common scavenger within a specific agricultural ecosystem.
Forest Scenes in Norway and Sweden: Being Extracts from the Journal of a Fisherman
Henry Newland
A clergyman and his companions seek refuge from the routine of professional life in the wild, rugged landscapes of Scandinavia, trading parish duties for the unpredictable thrill of the rod and rifle. This is a journey defined not by grand ambition, but by the quiet, enduring camaraderie of men who prefer the…
Freedom of speech
Chafee, Zechariah, Jr.
The First Amendment is not a static relic but a living boundary, tested most severely when the nation’s survival feels at stake and the impulse to silence dissent grows strongest.
Ground Tumbling
Henry Walter Worth
Learning to flip and roll on a soft sandy beach transforms a simple swim into an exhilarating pursuit. Ground tumbling turns ordinary movement into an art of agile, gravity-defying joy.
John Ward, Preacher
Margaret Wade Campbell Deland
A marriage built on absolute devotion falters when a fundamental disagreement over faith creates an unbridgeable chasm between a husband and his wife.
Luther's Little Instruction Book: The Small Catechism of Martin Luther
Martin Luther
A concise guide for the home, this manual distills complex theological doctrines into simple, practical instructions meant for daily family life. It serves as a foundational text for religious instruction and personal conduct.
Mariner Mission to Venus
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.)
A precision vehicle falls toward the Sun, transmitting tiny pulses of data across tens of millions of miles of void to unveil an inhospitable, cloud-shrouded world.
Masterman Ready
Frederick Marryat
The Pacific, a sturdy vessel carrying the Seagrave family toward a new life in Sydney, encounters a catastrophic gale that leaves it dismasted and foundering in the vast Atlantic. With the ship lost, the survivors—Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave, their four children, their servant Juno, and the faithful, grizzled seaman…
Mrs. Falchion, Complete
Gilbert Parker
This novel follows the collision of a woman with a hidden past and the men who are haunted by their own mistakes. It is a story of how a single, irrevocable act can ripple through a life, leaving only the choice of how to carry the weight.
My Three Years in America
Bernstorff, Johann Heinrich, Graf von
The German ambassador to the United States during the Great War offers a sobering post-mortem of the failed diplomacy that pushed two nations toward inevitable conflict. He chronicles a desperate, often lonely struggle to maintain peace in the face of escalating submarine warfare and mounting mutual distrust.
Napoleon and Josephine
Walter Geer
The rise and fall of the French Empire is mirrored in the volatile, enduring, and ultimately tragic union between a Corsican soldier and a Creole widow.
Naval Warfare
James R. (James Richard) Thursfield
This concise, authoritative volume demystifies the strategic complexities of naval power, translating the technical arcana of maritime history into accessible principles for the informed citizen. It serves as a foundational guide to understanding how nations project force, secure trade, and navigate the high-stakes…
New York: Confidential!
Jack Lait
This is an unvarnished, street-level guidebook to a vanished mid-century New York. It strips away the city's glamour to reveal the grifters, mobsters, and social hierarchies operating beneath its neon glow.
Observations Upon the Windward Coast of Africa: The religion, character, customs, &c. of the natives
Joseph Corry
A firsthand account of the West African coast in the early nineteenth century, this work provides a rare window into the colonial ambitions and ethnographic curiosities of the era.
Only an Irish Boy
Alger, Horatio, Jr.
The story follows an earnest, hardworking Irish teenager who rises above his impoverished station through grit and unwavering integrity. He defies the prejudices of the local elite to secure a future for his family and himself.
Paganism Surviving in Christianity
Abram Herbert Lewis
The distance between the simple, communal faith of the earliest apostles and the formalized, ritualistic structure of the fourth-century Church reveals a profound transformation. This history tracks how pagan customs and philosophies gradually reshaped Christian doctrine and practice.
Quotes and Images from Celebrated Crimes
Alexandre Dumas
History is often written in the ink of violence and the blood of those who dared to defy the conventions of their age. These chronicles serve as a stark, unvarnished autopsy of power, passion, and the darkest impulses of the human spirit.
Seat Weaving
L. Day Perry
Mastering the quiet geometry of cord and cane transforms a simple wooden frame into a functional piece of art. This guide provides the foundational techniques for rehabilitating furniture through the tactile discipline of weaving.
Secret Societies: A Discussion of Their Character and Claims
David Macdill
A sharp, rigorous examination of the moral and religious validity of fraternal organizations, this work challenges the compatibility of secret oaths and rituals with the foundational tenets of Christian life.
Serpent-Worship, and Other Essays, with a Chapter on Totemism
C. Staniland (Charles Staniland) Wake
An ambitious nineteenth-century inquiry traces the hidden, sacred threads connecting primitive nature rites, ancient serpent myths, and the evolving social structures of human civilization.
Seven Keys to Baldpate
Earl Derr Biggers
A writer seeking solitude in a shuttered mountain inn finds his quiet retreat transformed into a chaotic stage for political intrigue, hidden identities, and an unexpected romance.
Seven O'Clock Stories
Robert Gordon Anderson
A child’s world is a place where small discoveries—a bird’s nest, a hidden pond, or a rainy afternoon—become the stuff of grand, enduring legends. Through the eyes of three siblings, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.