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All free summaries — page 371
34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 371 of 714.
Happy Jack
Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess
A gray squirrel’s frantic race against a relentless predator turns into a lesson on greed, the value of kindness, and the danger of jumping to conclusions.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry
Joseph Priestley
This intellectual roadmap offers a clear, structured window into the foundational scientific principles and early chemical discoveries of the late eighteenth century.
Henry James, Jr
William Dean Howells
This insightful appreciation explores the life and evolving craft of one of literature’s most subtle observers. It serves as both a biographical sketch and a critical defense of a novelist who fundamentally redefined the form.
History of the United States, Volume 4
Elisha Benjamin Andrews
The American Republic emerges from the fire of Civil War to forge a singular national identity, grappling with the complexities of industrial growth, political reconstruction, and its burgeoning status as a global power.
How to Camp Out
John Mead Gould
The outdoors is a classroom where the only true failures are those of judgment, and the only true rewards are the quiet lessons learned through sweat, miles, and self-reliance.
Humanity's Gain from Unbelief: Reprinted from the "North American Review" of March, 1889
Charles Bradlaugh
Humanity has achieved its most significant moral and intellectual progress not through religious devotion, but through the courage to doubt supernatural authority. This is a rigorous, plain-spoken case for the social necessity of skepticism.
Illustrated Catalogue of the Collections Obtained from the Pueblos of Zuñi, New Mexico, and Wolpi, Arizona, in 1881: Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1881-82, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1884, pages 511-594
James Stevenson
This technical report documents the material culture of the Zuni and Hopi people through a meticulous inventory of tools, pottery, and ceremonial objects collected during an 1881 expedition. It stands as a foundational record of Southwest indigenous artistry and daily life as viewed by early Smithsonian researchers.
In the Days of Queen Victoria
Eva March Tappan
A young girl learns she is destined for a throne and navigates the weight of that responsibility, ultimately shaping an era through both the grandeur of her public duties and the intimacy of her private life.
In the Saddle: A Collection of Poems on Horseback-Riding
Various
The rhythm of hooves provides the pulse for this collection, where the horse serves as both a witness to history and a vessel for human longing. These poems capture the urgency of the rider and the singular bond between beast and human.
Independence Day
Unknown
A collection of orations, poetry, and historical analysis, this volume examines the meaning of American independence while advocating for a transition from chaotic, dangerous celebrations to a more thoughtful, respectful observance.
Ingersollia: Gems of Thought from the Lectures, Speeches, and Conversations of Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, Representative of His Opinions and Beliefs
Robert Green Ingersoll
The power of an unfettered mind is the only true engine of progress, capable of dismantling the ancient, rusted chains of superstition that have long held human intellect in bondage.
Insomnia
Henry M. (Henry Munson) Lyman
The restorative power of sleep remains a profound mystery, linking the quietude of our nightly rest to the final silence of death itself. Understanding this vital necessity requires navigating the delicate interplay between body and mind.
Ireland Since Parnell
D. D. (Daniel Desmond) Sheehan
The political history of Ireland from the death of Charles Stewart Parnell through the Easter Rising of 1916 is a chronicle of missed opportunities, broken promises, and the tragic splintering of a national cause. This narrative offers an insider’s view of the collapse of the Irish Parliamentary Party and the rise…
Italian Yesterdays, vol. 1
Fraser, Hugh, Mrs.
Rome breathes through these pages, a city where ancient marble whispers of martyrs and the sun-drenched gardens of the Renaissance still echo with the nightingale’s song.
John Frewen, South Sea Whaler: 1904
Louis Becke
A whaling officer, driven from his ship by a brutal captain, finds his life irrevocably linked to a stranded widow, a mutinous crew, and the complex loyalties of the South Pacific.
Joyce Kilmer
Joyce Kilmer
This collection of prose captures the spirit of a devoted writer, father, and soldier, documenting his transformation from a literary critic in New York to a sergeant in the American Expeditionary Forces. It offers an intimate window into a brief, vibrant life cut short by the First World War.
Judgments of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand on Proceedings to Review Aspects of the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Mount Erebus Aircraft Disaster: C.A. 95/81
New Zealand. Court of Appeal
The integrity of a nation’s judicial process is tested when a high-profile inquiry into a tragic aviation disaster descends into allegations of conspiracy, betrayal, and institutional dishonesty.
List of post offices in Canada, with the names of the postmasters ... 1865
Canada. Post Office Department
This administrative ledger serves as a snapshot of a nation’s communication infrastructure, mapping the physical reach of the Canadian Post Office at the dawn of 1865. It is a testament to the quiet, vital labor of connecting a growing colonial society.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 04: Little Journeys to the Homes of Eminent Painters
Elbert Hubbard
These biographical sketches explore the lives of history’s most celebrated painters, tracing the intersection of their private struggles and the enduring power of their creative work.
Malvina of Brittany
Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome
This collection of short stories captures the delicate, often melancholic intersection of the mundane and the supernatural. It explores how quiet lives are irrevocably altered by moments of inexplicable wonder or sudden, haunting loss.
Mr. Punch in Bohemia
Various
The literary life is a comedy of errors, where the ink is rarely as permanent as the debt. Here is a guided tour through the vanity, pretense, and absurdity of the artistic world.
Nevermore
Rolf Boldrewood
A proud, impulsive young man flees his ancestral home to seek fortune in the Australian goldfields, only to find that his aristocratic spirit is no match for the brutal, unforgiving realities of frontier life.
Notes and Queries, Number 15, February 9, 1850
Various
This publication serves as a nineteenth-century clearinghouse for the curious, a communal repository where scholars and enthusiasts gather to exchange hard-won knowledge on history, literature, and folklore.
Notes and Queries, Number 227, March 4, 1854: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc
Various
This mid-Victorian periodical serves as a decentralized clearinghouse for the curious, inviting readers to share obscure knowledge, solve historical puzzles, and exchange expertise across the sprawling disciplines of nineteenth-century scholarship.
On chloroform and other anæsthetics: their action and administration
John Snow
This definitive clinical study documents the emergence of modern anesthesia, mapping the transition of surgery from an agony to a controlled, scientific procedure. It serves as both a manual for medical practitioners and a somber historical record.
Paddy Finn
William Henry Giles Kingston
A spirited Irish midshipman navigates the perils of the Napoleonic-era Royal Navy, finding adventure, danger, and lifelong companionship on the high seas.
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Part 2
Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson) Grant
A commander looks back on the defining conflict of his era, tracing his path from an obscure civilian clerk to the architect of the Union’s victory.
Peter the Whaler
William Henry Giles Kingston
A wayward teenager’s impulsive escape to sea transforms into a harrowing struggle for survival against the unforgiving ice of the Arctic.
Pie for Magpie
W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle
This comedic Western captures the absurdity of human vanity, as a simple wager spirals into a chaotic tangle of mistaken identities, stolen clothes, and a motorized hearse. It is a sharp, witty look at how even the most "civilized" people can be undone by their own pride and the unforgiving wilderness.
Poems
George Pope Morris
A collection of song-lyrics, dramatic verse, and occasional odes, this volume captures the rhythmic sentimentality and patriotic fervor of early nineteenth-century American life.
Randolph Caldecott: A Personal Memoir of His Early Art Career
Henry Blackburn
A gifted illustrator balances the demands of commercial art and the pursuit of fine art, leaving behind a legacy of humor and grace in his pen-and-ink sketches.
Red Pottage
Mary Cholmondeley
The weight of a hidden secret can bend the iron of a man’s character until he is no longer recognizable to those he loves. This narrative explores the crushing cost of deception and the slow, painful process of finding one’s way back to the truth.
Rembrandt's Etching Technique: An Example
Peter Morse
The elusive nature of genius often hides in plain sight, tucked away within the quiet, methodical labor of a craftsman. This close examination of a single Dutch print reveals that even the most spontaneous-seeming masterpieces are built upon a foundation of rigorous preparation and technical mastery.
Rick and Ruddy: The Story of a Boy and His Dog
Howard Roger Garis
The bond between a boy and his dog serves as the heart of this gentle, episodic tale. It explores the loyalty, shared adventures, and mutual protection that define the relationship between a young master and his rescued companion.
Rounding up the Raider: A Naval Story of the Great War
Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman
Three British officers, captured by a deceptive German surface raider, must outwit their captors and navigate the treacherous wilds of East Africa to aid the Royal Navy’s hunt.
Rudimentary Treatise on the Construction of Locks
George Dodd
A meticulous examination of the mechanical evolution of locks, this text dissects the perpetual arms race between the locksmith’s craft and the persistent ingenuity of the lock-picker.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 711, August 17, 1889
Various
A window into the Victorian era’s boundless curiosity, this collection captures the intersection of industrial ambition and scientific inquiry at the height of the nineteenth century.
Scientific Romances (First Series)
Charles Howard Hinton
What if the limitations of our three-dimensional world are merely a result of our own inability to perceive a higher reality? This collection of essays and narratives proposes a startling, geometric path toward transcending our human perspective.
Shakespeare at the Globe, 1599-1609
Bernard Beckerman
By peeling back the physical and structural layers of the Globe Theatre, this study reconstructs how Shakespeare’s company transformed fleeting scripts into the enduring, rhythmic heartbeat of Elizabethan life.
Sketches of Our Life at Sarawak
Henriette McDougall
The remote frontier of nineteenth-century Sarawak serves as the backdrop for a missionary wife’s intimate record of survival, cultural collision, and the steady, often perilous, expansion of a colonial outpost.
Stories of Later American History
Wilbur F. (Wilbur Fisk) Gordy
This volume chronicles the development of the United States through the lives of its primary architects, soldiers, and pioneers, tracing the nation’s growth from the early days of the Revolution to the end of the Civil War.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline: A Story of the Development of a Young Girl's Life
Conklin, Nathaniel, Mrs.
A young woman navigates the delicate, often painful transition from romantic idealism to a grounded, mature sense of self. This is a story of internal growth, where the most significant events occur within the quiet corners of the heart.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 08, No. 47, September, 1861: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics
Various
This periodical captures a singular moment in history, balancing the intellectual fervor of nineteenth-century literary criticism with the encroaching, urgent realities of the American Civil War.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 10, No. 62, December, 1862: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics
Various
This collection captures the urgent, searching pulse of a nation caught in the throes of the American Civil War through a varied lens of literature, politics, and natural history.
The Battle of Gettysburg: The Country, the Contestants, the Results
W. C. (William Clayton) Storrick
This guide provides a foundational look at the Battle of Gettysburg, balancing tactical military history with the personal experiences of soldiers and the long-term preservation of the battlefield.
The Benson murder case
S. S. Van Dine
A refined, leisure-loving aesthete joins his friend the District Attorney to solve the murder of a Wall Street broker, relying on psychological intuition rather than standard police procedure.
The Broad Highway
Jeffery Farnol
A man of letters casts aside his books to wander the English countryside, only to find himself entangled in a dangerous inheritance, a mysterious romance, and a life of manual labor. This is a story about shedding one’s pretenses to discover the dignity of the road.
The Burglar's Fate, and The Detectives
Allan Pinkerton
A bank is robbed by four young men who believe their reputations and cleverness will shield them from discovery, only to find the relentless machinery of justice closing in. This account follows the methodical pursuit of the perpetrators as they scatter across the American frontier, trading their fleeting freedom…