The whole shelf
All free summaries — page 349
47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 349 of 988.
The Black Pearl
Woodrow, Wilson, Mrs.
A headstrong dancer finds her identity caught between the magnetic pull of the desert and the unexpected lure of a mountain cabin. She navigates a web of dangerous men and hidden secrets in this turn-of-the-century Western romance.
The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume II
John Payne
In this epic tapestry of shifting fortunes, kings, warriors, and lovers navigate a world defined by the unrelenting reach of destiny, the sting of betrayal, and the cyclical nature of power.
The Cost of Shelter
Ellen H. (Ellen Henrietta) Richards
The modern dwelling is failing its inhabitants, causing physical and moral deterioration while trapping families in a cycle of social pretense and crushing debt. This analysis argues that the home must be reinvented to match the realities of the twentieth century.
The Days Before Yesterday
Hamilton, Frederic, Lord
The world of the nineteenth-century aristocracy was a place of formal ritual, vanishing traditions, and a distinct, unhurried rhythm of life. These recollections capture the fading echoes of an era defined by social hierarchies and imperial reach.
The Epic: An Essay
Lascelles Abercrombie
The epic poem is the most rigorous test of the human spirit, a form that demands not merely narrative skill but a total, lifelong dedication to the profound mysteries of existence.
The History of Don Quixote, Volume 1, Part 06
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
The dream of chivalry collides with the hard, indifferent stone of reality in this portrait of a man who mistakes a squalid inn for a castle and its inhabitants for the figures of his noble fantasies.
The House on the Moor, v. 1/3
Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant
A brother and sister endure a stifling, mysterious existence on a desolate moor, until an unexpected visitor pierces their isolation and threatens to dismantle their father’s carefully guarded, melancholy world.
The Island of Yellow Sands: An Adventure and Mystery Story for Boys
Ethel C. (Ethel Claire) Brill
Two young men and their Ojibwa guide navigate the treacherous, cold waters of Lake Superior, hunting for a mythical treasure while evading a dangerous enemy in the wilderness.
The Life of General Francis Marion
M. L. (Mason Locke) Weems
Amid the desperate partisan struggle for the American South, a quiet, resolute farmer rises to outwit an empire through audacity, moral discipline, and unyielding devotion to freedom.
The Life of the Party
Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb
HOOK A sophisticated lawyer finds his dignity shredded after a fancy-dress party goes awry, leaving him stranded in New York City wearing nothing but a pair of pink rompers.
The Mary Frances cook book
Jane Eayre Fryer
A young girl’s ambition to help her mother transforms the kitchen into a realm of talking utensils and magical lessons. This story blends practical cooking instructions with the wonder of a three-week childhood adventure.
The Nation's River: A report on the Potomac: From the U.S. Department of the Interior
United States. Department of the Interior
The Potomac River stands at a critical crossroads, caught between the crushing demands of a growing metropolis and the timeless need for natural preservation. This official report maps the complex path toward a sustainable future.
The Nebuly Coat
John Meade Falkner
A crumbling medieval church tower and a long-hidden heraldic secret pull a young architect into the shadow of a powerful, mysterious nobleman.
The Plurality of Worlds
William Whewell
Does the vastness of the universe imply a crowded gallery of inhabited planets, or does the unique history of our own world suggest we are alone? This inquiry shifts the perspective from the heavens to the singular importance of the human story.
The Scientific Tourist through Ireland: in which the traveller is directed to the principal objects of antiquity, art, science & the picturesque
Thomas Walford
This guide serves as a meticulously organized 1818 handbook for the inquisitive traveler, offering a detailed survey of Ireland’s antiquities, geological wonders, and landscape beauties county by county.
The Second Deluge
Garrett Putman Serviss
When a wandering nebula threatens to submerge the world beneath an endless ocean, a visionary scientist constructs a modern ark to save the best of humanity from extinction.
The Swiss Family Robinson, Told in Words of One Syllable
Johann David Wyss
A shipwrecked family finds that with faith, industry, and a little ingenuity, even a deserted tropical island can become a home. This simplified adaptation of a classic survival story distills the sprawling original into a focused, accessible account of resilience and domestic discovery.
The Treaty With China, its Provisions Explained: New York Tribune, Tuesday, August 28, 1868
Mark Twain
This analysis explores the 1868 Burlingame Treaty, examining how a landmark diplomatic agreement sought to replace colonial exploitation with mutual respect and open the door to modern global commerce.
The Uncrowned King
Harold Bell Wright
HOOK A traveler crosses a desolate landscape to reach the Temple of Truth, where he discovers an allegorical tale about the heavy toll of power and the true nature of kingship.
The Voice and Spiritual Education
Hiram Corson
The voice is a revelatory instrument, a vital medium for the soul that requires cultivation far beyond mere intellectual training. This work argues that true literary appreciation is impossible without the holistic development of the reader’s inner, spiritual life.
The White Lady of Hazelwood: A Tale of the Fourteenth Century
Emily Sarah Holt
A tragic account of a medieval heroine’s fall, this story unearths the bitter reality behind a famous warrior-countess who was abandoned by the son she spent her life defending.
Trial of the Officers and Crew of the Privateer Savannah, on the Charge of Piracy, in the United States Circuit Court for the Southern District of New York
A. F. (Adolphus Frederick) Warburton
This transcript captures the tense, legal collision of a nation at war with itself, as the United States attempts to hang the crew of a captured Confederate privateer for the crime of piracy.
Uneasy Money
P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
A guileless British peer suddenly finds himself a millionaire, only to discover that wealth is a complication rather than a cure for his romantic entanglements. This breezy tale charts the collision of Old World manners and New World ambition.
Venetia
Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield
This is a story of two families bound by fate, exploring the tension between the sanctuary of a quiet life and the destructive, brilliant intensity of the world beyond. It is a work of reflection and romance that lingers on the high cost of genius and the enduring power of domestic duty.
We ten
Barbara Yechton
This story of a large, motherless family navigates the quiet, often painful transitions of growing up, where the weight of responsibility falls heaviest on those least prepared to bear it. Through the eyes of ten siblings, the narrative captures the precarious balance between childhood innocence and the sudden,…
A line-o'-verse or two
Bert Leston Taylor
This collection of lighthearted, rhythmic verse captures the daily rhythms, social pretenses, and small-town ironies of the early twentieth century. It serves as a witty, unpretentious mirror for anyone who finds life’s minor frustrations better handled with a rhyme than a complaint.
A Manual of Toy Dogs: How to breed, rear, and feed them
Williams, Leslie, Mrs.
This guide serves as a practical, no-nonsense primer for the dedicated owner who wishes to raise toy dogs with health and longevity in mind. It moves beyond sentimentality to provide a rigorous, experience-based framework for breeding, feeding, and showing these delicate companions.
Afterwhiles
James Whitcomb Riley
This collection of verse captures the quiet, persistent pulse of rural American life, finding profound beauty in the domestic, the nostalgic, and the everyday. It is a heartfelt portrait of a lost world where the hearth is the center of the universe.
America, Volume 3 (of 6)
Joel Cook
This volume offers a sweeping, scenic survey of the American Northeast, documenting the intersection of natural beauty, historical legacy, and the rising tide of Gilded Age prosperity.
Anne of Geierstein
Walter Scott
The alpine heights of the fifteenth century conceal a deadly, invisible justice. Beneath the shadow of ancestral mountains, personal loyalties and the shifting tides of European power collide in a desperate struggle for survival.
Artist and Public, and Other Essays on Art Subjects
Kenyon Cox
A collection of essays championing the classical tradition, offering a spirited defense of craftsmanship, moral purpose, and the vital, symbiotic relationship between the artist and the public.
Ballads and Lyrics of Old France, with Other Poems
Andrew Lang
Across the bridge of time, a scholar’s devotion recovers the fragile, ephemeral ghosts of French verse and folk song. This collection serves as a bridge between the vibrant, sun-drenched melodies of the Renaissance and the haunting, melancholy echoes of a fading past.
Belcaro
Vernon Lee
The intersection of art, morality, and the individual soul provides the terrain for these searching, erudite inquiries into the nature of aesthetic experience.
Bonaparte in Egypt and the Egyptians of To-day
Abdullah Browne
This historical study examines the long-term impact of Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt, arguing that the modern Egyptian character remains fundamentally misunderstood by Western observers due to a persistent failure to account for cultural differences.
Boys' Book of Model Boats
Raymond F. (Raymond Francis) Yates
This manual serves as a comprehensive guide for the budding marine engineer, detailing the construction of everything from simple wooden tugs to sophisticated, electrically powered model launches.
Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg: Bed Time Stories
Howard Roger Garis
Two adventurous guinea pigs navigate a series of small-scale domestic and woodland dramas. They learn to balance their curiosity with the safety of home in these gentle, episodic tales of childhood exploration.
Charles Sumner: his complete works, volume 20 (of 20)
Charles Sumner
This final volume of a statesmanship collection captures a veteran political leader at the precipice of a personal and partisan transformation. It documents a man wrestling with the moral erosion of his own party and the fraying spirit of national reconciliation.
Conjure wife
Fritz Leiber
The thin, scholarly veil of academic life at Hempnell College conceals a terrifying, centuries-old occult war. When a professor’s wife is targeted by a coven of faculty spouses, the mundane world of tenure and bridge games collapses.
Daisy's Work: The Third Commandment
Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews
A young flower-girl living in poverty touches a soldier’s heart, sparking a journey of spiritual awakening and the eventual reclamation of her forgotten identity. This story follows how one child’s quiet devotion influences everyone around her.
Dr. Jonathan
Winston Churchill
The great war for democracy ends not on the fields of France, but in the quiet, industrial heart of a New England town where the old order must finally confront the new.
Erling the Bold
R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne
The story of a young Norseman standing against the tide of history, this adventure follows a hero whose strength and moral clarity are tested by the ambition of a king. It is a stirring, vivid portrait of a world where honor is measured by the edge of a sword and the loyalty of one’s kin.
Four Americans: Roosevelt, Hawthorne, Emerson, Whitman
Henry A. (Henry Augustin) Beers
This collection of literary portraits offers a measured, reflective look at four defining figures of the American tradition, examining the tension between their public legends and their private realities.
Franklin Kane
Anne Douglas Sedgwick
This is a quiet, piercing study of emotional misalignment, where the kindness of the heart is often an obstacle to understanding the desires of the soul.
Friction, Lubrication and the Lubricants in Horology
W. T. (William T.) Lewis
HOOK This technical guide argues that even the most masterfully crafted timepiece is destined to fail if its lubrication is neglected or poorly understood.
From Crow-Scaring to Westminster: An Autobiography
Edwards, George, Sir
Rising from the poverty of a childhood spent scaring crows to the halls of Parliament, this memoir chronicles a life dedicated to the relentless, often brutal, fight for the dignity of the English agricultural laborer.
Georgina's Service Stars
Annie F. (Annie Fellows) Johnston
Hook A young woman chronicles her coming-of-age during the First World War, finding that the true weight of heroism lies not on the battlefield, but in the quiet, steady courage of those left behind.
Goldsmith: English Men of Letters Series
William Black
A wandering, penniless Irish scholar carves his name into the bedrock of English literature through sheer force of charm and an incurable, generous spirit. This is the portrait of a man who wrote like an angel while living like a vagabond.
Goldsmith's Friend Abroad Again
Mark Twain
This series of letters offers a biting, unflinching look at the chasm between American democratic ideals and the brutal reality faced by immigrants. Through the eyes of a bewildered observer, the promise of a "Land of the Free" is systematically dismantled by the mechanics of systemic exclusion.