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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 414 of 988.

Cover of Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 3 of 3), Essay 5: On Pattison's Memoirs

Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 3 of 3), Essay 5: On Pattison's Memoirs

John Morley

An agonizing lack of nerve can paralyze even the most brilliant intellect, reducing a life of boundless scholarly promise to a shadow of unfulfilled ambition.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Crusoe's Island: A Ramble in the Footsteps of Alexander Selkirk: With Sketches of Adventure in California and Washoe

Crusoe's Island: A Ramble in the Footsteps of Alexander Selkirk: With Sketches of Adventure in California and Washoe

J. Ross (John Ross) Browne

An observant 1849 traveler journeys across the Pacific, through rugged California trails, and into chaotic Nevada silver towns, recording every absurd and dangerous encounter with dry, irrepressible humor.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of Daedalus

Daedalus

J. B. S. (John Burdon Sanderson) Haldane

Modern industrial society stands on a precarious edge: either human beings will learn to adapt their ancient moral institutions to the staggering powers of applied science, or those powers will burn down the world.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Des Imagistes: An Anthology

Des Imagistes: An Anthology

Unknown

Stripping away ornamental Victorian rhetoric, this groundbreaking 1914 anthology establishes a sharp new poetic mode driven by vivid imagery, sparse phrasing, and unyielding focus.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Dumps - A Plain Girl

Dumps - A Plain Girl

L. T. Meade

Growing up in a chaotic household with her eccentric academic father and boisterous brothers, a plain-spoken young girl must navigate the quiet loneliness of feeling overlooked while learning to accept unexpected warmth and family transformation.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Early Australian Voyages: Pelsart, Tasman, Dampier

Early Australian Voyages: Pelsart, Tasman, Dampier

John Pinkerton

Across centuries of maps drawn from imagination and rumor, three real navigators carved out the jagged contours of Australia, replacing mythical continents with dangerous reefs, barren coasts, and unpredictable currents.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Eastern Nights - and Flights: A Record of Oriental Adventure

Eastern Nights - and Flights: A Record of Oriental Adventure

Alan Bott

Captivity in the Ottoman Empire turns a downed British aviator into an inventor of desperate schemes, trailing through prison camps, fake lunacy, and disguises.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Eva's Adventures in Shadow-Land

Eva's Adventures in Shadow-Land

Mary D. (Mary Dummett) Nauman

A young girl ventures past her quiet parlor into a realm of magical trials, sentient nature, and elusive fairy creatures.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Explorers into infinity

Explorers into infinity

Ray Cummings

Out beyond the stars lies an expanse where Time and Space are mere dimensions to be navigated, scaled, and ultimately conquered by human curiosity.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy7 min read
Cover of Forty Years of It

Forty Years of It

Brand Whitlock

A lawyer and reform mayor reflects on two decades spent inside the machinery of American municipal politics, charting how local idealists challenged corporate privilege to reshape midwestern city life.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Gel It! Easy Ways to be a Spectacular Cook

Gel It! Easy Ways to be a Spectacular Cook

Inc. Knox Gelatine

Transform everyday meals into structured culinary showcases through speed, temperature control, and unflavored gelatine.

Cooking & Drinking5 min read
Cover of Gideon's Band: A Tale of the Mississippi

Gideon's Band: A Tale of the Mississippi

George Washington Cable

Along the glittering lengths of the antebellum Mississippi, a fierce rivalry between two steamboat dynasties gives way to the perilous magic of first love and the silent onset of a deadly plague.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Hempfield: A Novel

Hempfield: A Novel

David Grayson

A small-town newspaper in Westmoreland County becomes the quiet center where an unlikely group of idealists, practical hustlers, and wandering souls find purpose, romance, and one another.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Hero Tales

Hero Tales

James Baldwin

Ancient stories of divine interference, mortal hubris, and heroic sacrifice survive because they capture the enduring, unyielding weight of human destiny.

Children & Young Adult Reading9 min read
Cover of Historic towns of the southern states

Historic towns of the southern states

Unknown

A regional legacy carved from wilderness, trade, and trial.

History - American5 min read
Cover of Historical Record of the Third, or Prince of Wales' Regiment of Dragoon Guards: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1838

Historical Record of the Third, or Prince of Wales' Regiment of Dragoon Guards: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1838

Richard Cannon

A meticulously compiled military chronicle tracing the formation, campaigns, and evolving identity of a distinguished British cavalry regiment from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century.

History - British5 min read
Cover of Historical Record of the Third, Or the King's Own Regiment of Light Dragoons: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1846

Historical Record of the Third, Or the King's Own Regiment of Light Dragoons: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1846

Richard Cannon

Born out of domestic treason and forged through two centuries of global warfare, a single cavalry regiment charts the violent evolution of modern military power.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Honest Money

Honest Money

Arthur Isaac Fonda

A clear, rational blueprint for monetary reform, this work dismantles traditional reliance on precious metals to advocate for a stable, scientifically managed currency based on real commodity values.

Economics6 min read
Cover of In The Seven Woods: Being Poems Chiefly of the Irish Heroic Age

In The Seven Woods: Being Poems Chiefly of the Irish Heroic Age

W. B. (William Butler) Yeats

In quiet glades where ancient legends linger, human hearts break under the weight of lost youth, impossible loves, and the cruel interference of the gods.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore8 min read
Cover of Joe's Luck

Joe's Luck

Alger, Horatio, Jr.

Left penniless after his father's death, an independent teenager escapes a stingy employer to seek his fortune in the 1850s California Gold Rush.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of L'Arrabiata and Other Tales

L'Arrabiata and Other Tales

Paul Heyse

A quiet shore, a silent house, a sudden turn of affection—these stories turn on the brief, irreversible moments when guarded hearts finally give way.

German Literature9 min read
Cover of Liberty and the news

Liberty and the news

Walter Lippmann

Public decisions now depend on information filtered through an unregulated media apparatus, turning the protection of accurate reporting into democracy's most urgent moral and political test.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Life of George Washington, volume 2 of 5

Life of George Washington, volume 2 of 5

Washington Irving

A fragile army faces professional British forces while internal feuds, shortages, and desertions threaten to collapse the American Revolution.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Looking Back

Looking Back

Fortescue, Seymour John, Sir

This memoir traces a life of service in the Royal Navy and the inner circles of the Edwardian court, offering an intimate perspective on a vanished era of British aristocracy and global travel. It is a portrait of a man who found his greatest happiness in the shadow of a king, written with the clear-eyed nostalgia…

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Lord Dolphin

Lord Dolphin

Harriet A. (Harriet Anna) Cheever

A clever sea creature narrates his own wild journey from the deep ocean to a glass tank on land, blending playful humor with natural history.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Memories: A Story of German Love

Memories: A Story of German Love

F. Max (Friedrich Max) Müller

A quiet soul discovers that earthly affection can expand into a divine, universal love, transforming deep grief into a lifelong spiritual sanctuary.

German Literature7 min read
Cover of Modern Illustration

Modern Illustration

Joseph Pennell

An art form that touches millions every day deserves to be judged by its highest achievements rather than its cheapest manifestations.

Art6 min read
Cover of Mysteries of Paris

Mysteries of Paris

Eugène Sue

A relentless descent into the Parisian underworld where high-society intrigue collides with desperate poverty, driven by one secret royal vigilante seeking justice.

French Literature11 min read
Cover of Mysteries of the Libyan Desert

Mysteries of the Libyan Desert

W. J. Harding King

Out in the blinding heat south of Dakhla, a traveler risks his life on unmapped dunes to track forgotten roads and lost oases.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Nelson's Home Comforts: Thirteenth Edition

Nelson's Home Comforts: Thirteenth Edition

Mary Hooper

Mastering Victorian domestic management requires a shrewd blend of kitchen economy, exact chemical technique, and modern culinary convenience.

Cooking & Drinking6 min read
Cover of North Italian Folk: Sketches of Town and Country Life

North Italian Folk: Sketches of Town and Country Life

Alice Vansittart Strettel Carr

A vivid, empathetic portrait of nineteenth-century North Italian life, capturing the rhythm of rural hamlets, seaside towns, and regional festivals through its ordinary people.

Travel Writing5 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Number 69, February 22, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Number 69, February 22, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

A gathering of Victorian intellects unspools across these pages, where anonymous scholars, country clergy, and sharp-eyed antiquaries pool their quirks and discoveries to solve historical riddles.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference5 min read
Cover of Oregon and Eldorado

Oregon and Eldorado

Thomas Bulfinch

Nature lays clear water-pathways across both South and North America, inviting ambitious travelers to cross a continent from sea to sea.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Patchwork: A Story of 'The Plain People'

Patchwork: A Story of 'The Plain People'

Anna Balmer Myers

A spirited young girl from Pennsylvania’s "plain people" dreams of escaping her quiet, restrictive life for the sophistication of the city, only to discover the true value of home and duty.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Peace

Peace

Norman Arkawy

A bureaucratically cheerful conquest announcement slowly reveals that the peaceful alien victory Earth just suffered is actually a hyper-regulated, terrifying nightmare.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Peeps at Many Lands: England

Peeps at Many Lands: England

John Finnemore

From the bustling, fog-shrouded avenues of Edwardian London to the wave-battered rocks of the Cornish coast, this classic travelogue captures the landscapes, traditions, and enduring legends that shaped the heart of early twentieth-century England.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Pioneer Roads and Experiences of Travelers (Volume 1)

Pioneer Roads and Experiences of Travelers (Volume 1)

Archer Butler Hulbert

Deeply worn animal paths and narrow Indian traces gave birth to the paved roads of the modern United States through a slow, chaotic evolution.

History - American13 min read
Cover of Practical Argumentation

Practical Argumentation

George K. (George Kynett) Pattee

A clear argument requires disciplined thought, careful evidence, and absolute fairness to opponents. Master these fundamentals to turn raw passion into undeniable proof.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Proceedings of the third National Conservation Congress at Kansas City, Missouri, September 25, 26 and 27, 1911

Proceedings of the third National Conservation Congress at Kansas City, Missouri, September 25, 26 and 27, 1911

United States. National Conservation Congress

Settling the American continent without exhausting it requires a new national conscience, moving beyond mere resource extraction to systematic preservation.

Politics & Economics8 min read
Cover of Ring O' Roses: A Nursery Rhyme Picture Book

Ring O' Roses: A Nursery Rhyme Picture Book

Unknown

A classic compilation of nursery rhymes comes to life through brief, rhythmic verses and vivid illustrations. It captures the playfulness, absurdity, and gentle instruction of traditional English children's folklore.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Ruth Erskine's Son

Ruth Erskine's Son

Pansy

A mother’s protective devotion faces its ultimate test when her beloved son’s hasty marriage threatens to upend their lives and unearth a buried family secret.

Novels5 min read
Cover of Shakespeare's England

Shakespeare's England

William Winter

A journey through the quiet countryside and storied cities of England reveals how deep reverence for nature, history, and poetry can heal the modern spirit.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Some Imagist Poets, 1916: An Annual Anthology

Some Imagist Poets, 1916: An Annual Anthology

D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

Modern verse breaks free from traditional meter to capture the exact texture of daily life, shifting landscapes, and the lingering horrors of a continent at war.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Spanish Prisons: The Inquisition at Home and Abroad, Prisons Past and Present

Spanish Prisons: The Inquisition at Home and Abroad, Prisons Past and Present

Arthur Griffiths

Shadows stretch from medieval dungeons to modern penal colonies, tracking how state power enforces obedience through fear.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)6 min read
Cover of Tales Of Hearsay

Tales Of Hearsay

Joseph Conrad

An old warrior rebukes the callow youth who judge the retreat from Moscow, while a lover's tragic sacrifice and a sailor's desperate secret unfold across the dark shadows of history and the open sea.

British Literature9 min read
Cover of Tarr

Tarr

Wyndham Lewis

A searing satire of pre-war bohemian Paris, this novel exposes the absurdities, egoism, and destructive impulses of the modern avant-garde artist.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Tennessee's Partner

Tennessee's Partner

Bret Harte

A gold miner in the California hills offers his entire life savings to buy his partner out of a hanging, then quietly builds a flower-draped coffin when the law refuses his gift.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The $100 Prize Essay on the Cultivation of the Potato.: Prize offered by W. T. Wylie and awarded to D. H. Compton

The $100 Prize Essay on the Cultivation of the Potato.: Prize offered by W. T. Wylie and awarded to D. H. Compton

D. A. Compton

A masterclass in agricultural discipline, this 1870 manual turns the humble potato into a battleground of soil chemistry, pest management, and culinary perfection.

How To ...6 min read