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All free summaries — page 420
46,038 public-domain books, summarised. Page 420 of 960.
The Trumpeter of Säkkingen: A Song from the Upper Rhine
Joseph Victor von Scheffel
A wandering trumpeter's music bridges the divide between a commoner's freedom and a noblewoman's world along the Rhine.
The Tyranny of God
Joseph Lewis
A relentless, uncompromising assault on religious belief, arguing that human suffering stems from the cold, indifferent mechanics of a universe we mistakenly worship.
The Wire Tappers
Arthur Stringer
A former convict and a quick-witted woman forge an unlikely partnership in the high-stakes world of urban espionage, where secrets are stolen through the wires of a changing city. This gripping tale of crime and redemption follows two outsiders who attempt to outmaneuver their pasts while navigating the treacherous…
The Young Colonists: A Story of the Zulu and Boer Wars
G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
Cruel weather and political blunders converge to throw two English youths into the high-stakes turmoil of nineteenth-century South African warfare.
Tom and Maggie Tulliver
George Eliot
A fierce, impulsive girl and her rigid, practical brother clash across a rural childhood, bound together by an intense family loyalty that neither can fully break.
Tom Clark and His Wife: Their Double Dreams, And the Curious Things that Befell Them Therein
Paschal Beverly Randolph
HOOK A fractious, unhappy couple finds their salvation through the mystical power of dreams, discovering that the health of a marriage is a choice rooted in the soul rather than the courtroom.
Tom Willoughby's Scouts: A Story of the War in German East Africa
Herbert Strang
A young Englishman’s routine inspection of his family’s East African coffee plantation quickly dissolves into a desperate, high-stakes game of survival against a duplicitous German manager during the outbreak of the First World War.
Vanished towers and chimes of Flanders
George Wharton Edwards
Lost beneath the falling artillery of the First World War, the soaring belffries and delicate carillons of old Flanders find a vivid, haunting afterlife in this affectionate travelogue and historical record.
Voyages from Montreal Through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in 1789 and 1793. Vol. II
Alexander Mackenzie
The pursuit of an overland route to the Pacific Ocean drives this rigorous account of North American exploration. It remains a foundational record of the daunting geography and the diverse indigenous cultures encountered during the late eighteenth century.
What America did
Florence Finch Kelly
A sweeping chronicle of mobilization, this account captures how a nation transformed its civilian life, industry, and social structures to meet the unprecedented demands of the First World War.
William Penn
George Hodges
A gentle, serious youth rejects his admiral father's worldly ambitions, embraces the persecuted Quakers, and creates an American refuge founded on religious freedom and absolute justice.
A Christian Woman
Pardo Bazán, Emilia, condesa de
A young man finds himself caught in the suffocating gravitational pull of an uncle’s loveless marriage, where duty and desire collide with the rigid expectations of nineteenth-century Spanish life.
A Discourse on the Study of the Law of Nature and Nations
Mackintosh, James, Sir
This intellectual roadmap argues that justice is not merely a legal construct but a permanent, objective interest for all nations, woven into the very fabric of human nature. It serves as a foundational lecture series designed to reconcile the cold requirements of civil law with the enduring moral necessities of…
A House to Let
Charles Dickens
A lonely woman observes a mysterious, vacant residence across the street, leading her and her loyal servant on a journey to uncover the hidden tragedies buried within its walls.
A revised and illustrated treatise on grain stacking
John N. De Lamater
Mastering the geometry of the harvest requires a steady hand and a clear eye for the elliptical curve. This guide elevates a humble farm chore into a deliberate, structural art form.
A Servant of the Public
Anthony Hope
A famous actress’s life becomes a public stage where the boundaries between her genuine feelings and her performative charisma blur, leaving those around her to navigate the wreckage of her charm.
AE in the Irish Theosophist
George William Russell
The bridge between the mundane world and a vast, unseen spiritual inheritance is the focus of these gathered writings, which seek to awaken the divine potential dormant within the modern soul.
An account of the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia: with various political observations relating to them
William Wilkinson
The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia emerge here as precarious buffers, constantly buffeted by the shifting ambitions of Russia, Turkey, and the encroaching influence of Western European powers.
An Artist in Crime
Rodrigues Ottolengui
A gentleman detective finds himself ensnared in a web of shifting identities and high-stakes gamesmanship, where the truth is never as simple as the evidence suggests.
An Epoch in History
P. H. (Peter Harden) Eley
This record of a pioneering educational mission marks a distinctive moment at the turn of the twentieth century, capturing the collision between American ambition and Philippine reality. It offers an eyewitness account of a society in transition, viewed through the lens of a young traveler participating in an…
An Essay on the Antient and Modern State of Ireland
Henry Brooke
HOOK This historical meditation reclaims the dignity of an ancient kingdom, arguing that true national security lies not in the punitive marginalization of its citizens, but in the unifying power of civic inclusion and shared prosperity.
Angels and Ministers, and Other Victorian Plays
Laurence Housman
These intimate, imagined dialogues peel back the curtain on the private lives of world leaders, capturing the quiet, human vulnerability hidden behind the imposing masks of Victorian and post-war history.
Arizona Sketches
J. A. (Joseph Amasa) Munk
The American Southwest stands as a land of profound transformation, where an arid, seemingly desolate landscape conceals a rich history and untapped potential. This portrait of a frontier captures the raw beauty and rugged independence of a territory on the cusp of modern development.
As We Forgive Them
William Le Queux
A dying man’s refusal to reveal the source of his vast fortune leaves his associates in despair, sparking a global hunt for a hidden, ciphered secret. This mystery of inheritance and buried treasure spans the dark streets of London and the historic landscapes of Italy.
Barrington. Volume 2 (of 2)
Charles Lever
A dispossessed gentleman and his family navigate the intrigue of a cunning imposter while struggling to regain their lost inheritance.
Bernard Treves's Boots: A Novel of the Secret Service
Laurence (Laurence Ayscough) Clarke
A man adopts the identity of a disgraced soldier to infiltrate a German spy ring, only to find himself entangled in the complex loyalties of a family he has never known.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, No. 411, January 1850
Various
This collection of mid-nineteenth-century essays captures the intellectual pulse of a turbulent era, blending geopolitical analysis, travelogue, and sharp debates over the economic future of British agriculture.
Bucholz and the Detectives
Allan Pinkerton
The shadow of a crime looms large over a quiet, unsuspecting community when a wealthy recluse is brutally murdered for his fortune. A desperate struggle for truth ensues, pitting the cold calculation of an assassin against the methodical persistence of those who hunt him.
Bygone Church Life in Scotland
Unknown
The deep shadows of Scotland's religious history hold more than just prayer; they contain the echoes of a people defined by their iron-willed devotion, peculiar superstitions, and the relentless discipline of the Kirk.
Correggio: A Collection of Fifteen Pictures and a Portrait of the Painter with Introduction and Interpretation
Estelle M. (Estelle May) Hurll
This collection of masterworks offers a focused window into the luminous, atmospheric world of one of Italy’s most technically daring Renaissance painters. It serves as an accessible bridge for those who find the major art galleries daunting or the history of Parma obscure.
Cross Roads
Margaret E. (Margaret Elizabeth) Sangster
The candlelight catches a flicker of domestic warmth against the encroaching shadows of a wider world, grounding the reader in a space where personal grief and global conflict meet.
Crystals
A. E. H. (Alfred Edwin Howard) Tutton
This account explores the intricate architecture of crystals, blending historical discovery with the rigorous physical measurements that define their structure. It serves as an invitation to see the hidden symmetry in the natural world.
Cyprus, as I Saw It in 1879
Baker, Samuel White, Sir
HOOK A seasoned explorer traverses the rugged, newly occupied landscape of 1879 Cyprus, offering a sharp-eyed, unsentimental portrait of a land caught between ancient tradition and the arrival of British administration.
Discourse of the Life and Character of the Hon. Littleton Waller Tazewell
Hugh Blair Grigsby
A portrait of a brilliant, elusive statesman, this discourse chronicles the life of Littleton Waller Tazewell, capturing the mind and character of a Virginian who wielded immense influence while shunning the spotlight of national fame.
Fair Em
Unknown
A disguised monarch and a resilient miller’s daughter navigate a web of romantic misunderstandings, testing the true nature of nobility and devotion in a kingdom defined by shifting loyalties.
Flat Machine Knitting and Fabrics
H. D. (Horace Davis) Buck
The intricate mechanics of the flat knitting machine reveal a precise, automated world where thousands of loops form the foundation of global textile production. This technical guide illuminates the complex relationship between needles, cams, and yarn.
Forest Trees of Illinois: How to Know Them
George D. (George Damon) Fuller
This pocket manual serves as a definitive, practical guide for identifying the varied tree species found throughout Illinois, blending botanical observation with the utilitarian spirit of mid-twentieth-century conservation. It acts as an enduring bridge between the casual observer of the landscape and the…
Gentle Julia
Booth Tarkington
This is a sympathetic, sharp-eyed study of a small-town social orbit, capturing the absurdities of romantic obsession and the meddling mischief of a precocious teenager. It is a work of ironic observation that finds humor in the high drama of the young and the weary resignation of their elders.
Greater Greece and Greater Britain
Edward A. (Edward Augustus) Freeman
Greater Greece and Greater Britain is a scholarly examination of colonial history and political terminology, drawing parallels between the expansion of ancient Greek city-states and the contemporary British Empire.
Guide to the Geologic Map of Illinois
Illinois State Geological Survey
The landscape beneath our feet is a layered archive, recording millions of years of shifting seas, advancing ice, and the slow, rhythmic pulse of geological time. This survey invites readers to look past the topsoil and perceive the intricate, ancient structure that defines the state of Illinois.
Her Benny: A Story of Street Life
Silas K. (Silas Kitto) Hocking
A resilient street urchin battles poverty and profound loss in a Victorian city, ultimately finding salvation through faith, industry, and the kindness of strangers.
Hints on the use and handling of firearms generally, and the revolver in particular
H. Onslow (Henry Onslow) Curling
Mastering the revolver requires more than a steady hand; it demands an unwavering commitment to safety, mechanical discipline, and the cool-headed judgment that separates a true marksman from a dangerous novice.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942
Various
HOOK In a world of shadows, the mysterious vigilante known as the Black Hood battles a criminal mastermind while fighting to clear his own name. This collection of pulp tales captures the frantic, high-stakes energy of 1942.
Horace Chase
Constance Fenimore Woolson
A wealthy, powerful businessman marries a young, impulsive Southern woman in post-Civil War America, setting the stage for a quiet, psychological collision between his pragmatic world and her restless, unanchored spirit.
How Jerusalem Was Won: Being the Record of Allenby's Campaign in Palestine
W. T. (William Thomas) Massey
The capture of the Holy City stands as a monumental objective, marking an epoch in history that resonates with the gravity of a second birth for the region. This chronicle documents the arduous path taken by British forces to secure this prize and neutralize the threat of Turkish domination.
Imogen: A Pastoral Romance
William Godwin
This pastoral romance traces the arduous journey of two innocent lovers through a landscape of ancient legend, where virtue acts as a shield against the supernatural machinations of a corrupted magician. It explores the enduring power of sincerity when tested by the trials of a complex world.
Ireland and Poland: A Comparison
T. W. (Thomas William) Rolleston
The United Kingdom’s governance of Ireland stands in sharp contrast to the German Empire’s treatment of its Polish subjects, revealing the disparity between imperial reform and systemic suppression.
Jack Sheppard: A Romance, Vol. 1 (of 3)
William Harrison Ainsworth
This is a gritty, atmospheric exploration of the criminal underworld in eighteenth-century London, where the threads of high-born intrigue and common villainy entangle in the shadows of the Old Mint.