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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 422 of 988.

Cover of Through South Africa: His Visit to Rhodesia, the Transvaal, Cape Colony, Natal

Through South Africa: His Visit to Rhodesia, the Transvaal, Cape Colony, Natal

Henry M. (Henry Morton) Stanley

This account captures the shifting political and economic landscape of turn-of-the-century South Africa, offering a stark perspective on the collision between colonial ambition and regional resistance. It serves as both a travelogue of industrial expansion and a sharp, partisan critique of the strained relations…

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Ticket No. "9672"

Ticket No. "9672"

Jules Verne

A young woman’s romantic hopes become entangled with the cold calculations of a predatory lender when a message in a bottle surfaces from a shipwrecked lover. This story explores how fortune—both financial and existential—can hinge on the most improbable threads of coincidence.

Novels7 min read
Cover of Uncle Wiggily in the Woods

Uncle Wiggily in the Woods

Howard Roger Garis

A kindly, elderly rabbit with a penchant for adventure and a signature red, white, and blue crutch navigates the woods, using his wit to assist animal friends and solve the small, pressing dilemmas of his neighbors.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of Valperga Volume 1 (of 3)

Valperga Volume 1 (of 3)

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

A young exile’s ascent to power clashes with the ideals of the woman he loves amidst the brutal factional wars of fourteenth-century Italy.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Van Bibber and Others

Van Bibber and Others

Richard Harding Davis

The world of the late nineteenth-century gentleman is a stage, and those who inhabit it are often merely players performing for an audience of their peers.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Voices for the Speechless: Selections for Schools and Private Reading

Voices for the Speechless: Selections for Schools and Private Reading

Unknown

This collection offers a profound invitation to recognize the moral worth of animals, serving as a gentle yet firm plea for the compassion we owe to creatures who cannot speak for themselves.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Woman

Woman

Magdeleine Marx

A woman’s search for identity unfolds against the backdrop of war, challenging the inherited traditions of marriage, motherhood, and the stifling domestic expectations placed upon her gender.

Novels6 min read
Cover of A Christmas Sermon

A Christmas Sermon

Robert Louis Stevenson

Life is a long, difficult struggle, yet grace lies in the quiet persistence of the everyday. Through the lens of a weary soldier, one finds that true success is not found in grand achievements, but in humble, imperfect service.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of A Dark Night's Work

A Dark Night's Work

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

A lawyer’s daughter hides a terrible secret that shadows her life for decades, testing the limits of loyalty, memory, and the possibility of redemption. This somber, psychological study of guilt follows the quiet aftermath of an impulsive crime.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Gamekeeper's Note-book

A Gamekeeper's Note-book

Owen (Gamekeeper) Jones

The life of a British gamekeeper is a quiet, rhythmic existence governed by the seasons, the behavior of wildlife, and the eternal, invisible war against those who would poach upon his master's preserves.

Nature/Gardening/Animals6 min read
Cover of A House Party with the Tucker Twins

A House Party with the Tucker Twins

Nell Speed

The Tucker Twins and their spirited circle of friends escape to an old country estate for an unforgettable fortnight of laughter, mischief, and gentle romance. This story captures a vanishing world of youthful high jinks and the enduring bonds of friendship.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A Living Lie

A Living Lie

Paul Bourget

The human heart is a theatre of shadows where sincerity is often the first casualty of desire. This clinical, relentless examination of love and deception unmasks the fragile boundaries between our public masks and our private ruins.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of A Struggle for Rome, v. 1

A Struggle for Rome, v. 1

Felix Dahn

A master strategist manipulates the crumbling remnants of the Roman Empire, weaving a web of political intrigue that pits Gothic kings against the shadows of a lost, imperial past.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of A Surgeon in Belgium

A Surgeon in Belgium

Henry Sessions Souttar

This account captures the harrowing, high-stakes reality of a medical volunteer working in the chaos of Belgium during the opening months of the Great War. It provides a sobering, firsthand perspective on the shift from nineteenth-century battlefield expectations to the brutal, industrialized realities of modern…

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Abbeychurch

Abbeychurch

Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge

The life of a clergyman’s daughter in the early nineteenth century is defined less by grand adventure than by the quiet, often agonizing struggle to govern one’s own impulses. This tale of young women navigating social expectations, family duty, and the pitfalls of their own vanity offers a sharp, sympathetic look…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Behind the Veil in Persia and Turkish Arabia: An Account of an Englishwoman's Eight Years' Residence Amongst the Women of the East

Behind the Veil in Persia and Turkish Arabia: An Account of an Englishwoman's Eight Years' Residence Amongst the Women of the East

M. E. Hume-Griffith

A medical missionary’s wife provides a rare, intimate look at the sequestered lives of women in turn-of-the-century Persia and Turkish Arabia. These observations bridge the gap between foreign domesticity and the hidden realities of Eastern harems.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 374, December, 1846

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 374, December, 1846

Various

This final 1846 installment of a storied literary monthly offers a panoramic view of Victorian thought, blending political critique, historical revisionism, and the era’s restless curiosity about the wider world.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Bobby Blake at Rockledge School

Bobby Blake at Rockledge School

Frank A. Warner

A spirited, freckle-faced boy leaves his quiet home for the challenges of boarding school, where he discovers that true character is forged in the fires of friendship and fair play.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Book of Needs of the Holy Orthodox Church

Book of Needs of the Holy Orthodox Church

Russkaia pravoslavnaia tserkov

The rhythm of a life, from the first cry to the final resting place, is captured here in the ancient, precise language of liturgical tradition. This collection serves as a manual for the milestones that define the spiritual journey within the Orthodox Church.

Religion/Spirituality7 min read
Cover of Brief Account of the English Character

Brief Account of the English Character

Charles Marjoribanks

This short, earnest pamphlet serves as a bridge between two worlds, offering a nineteenth-century perspective on the virtues of British commerce and the desired nature of Anglo-Chinese relations. It stands as a historical artifact of its time, capturing the tensions of an era when global trade was often mediated…

History - British6 min read
Cover of British Sea Birds

British Sea Birds

Charles Dixon

This detailed survey of British marine avian life provides a foundational look at the species that populate the islands' cliffs, marshes, and tideways. It serves as a comprehensive field companion for understanding the habits, plumages, and migratory patterns of these resilient creatures.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Buffon's Natural History, Volume 02 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Mineral, &c. &c

Buffon's Natural History, Volume 02 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Mineral, &c. &c

Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de

The earth is a restless, shifting body of land and water, driven by natural laws that mirror the same biological forces governing the life, growth, and reproduction of every creature upon its surface.

Nature/Gardening/Animals6 min read
Cover of Canada under British Rule 1760-1900

Canada under British Rule 1760-1900

John George Bourinot

The roots of the present lie deep in the past, and the significance of modern political conditions cannot be grasped without understanding the historical causes that shaped them.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Capitola's Peril: A Sequel to 'The Hidden Hand'

Capitola's Peril: A Sequel to 'The Hidden Hand'

Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth

This sequel follows the irrepressible Capitola Black as she navigates a web of villainous plots, secret identities, and frontier dangers. It is a high-spirited exploration of courage, redemption, and the ultimate triumph of truth over darkness.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Christmas Roses and Other Stories

Christmas Roses and Other Stories

Anne Douglas Sedgwick

Winter’s harshness serves as the backdrop for these delicate, probing studies of internal quietude and the persistent, often painful, effort required to sustain human affection.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Doctor Hathern's daughters

Doctor Hathern's daughters

Mary Jane Holmes

HOOK Two sisters navigate the lingering shadows of the American Civil War and the volatility of the heart in a sprawling, character-driven story set against the backdrop of an old Virginia homestead.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Drake's Great Armada

Drake's Great Armada

Walter Bigges

This chronicle captures a pivotal moment in Elizabethan history, detailing a high-stakes maritime expedition that reshaped the reach of the English crown and the fortunes of its adventurers. It stands as a firsthand record of ambition, conflict, and sudden, devastating loss.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles: Phillis - Licia

Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles: Phillis - Licia

Thomas Lodge

These twin collections of Elizabethan verse capture the frantic, artful intensity of a generation obsessed with the architecture of desire. They map the transition of a foreign poetic form into the uniquely restless, English heart.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Favorite Dishes

Favorite Dishes

Carrie V. Shuman

HOOK This collection of period recipes, curated by the women who organized the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, offers a rare, intimate window into the domestic arts and social aspirations of late nineteenth-century America.

Cooking & Drinking6 min read
Cover of Five Thousand Miles Underground

Five Thousand Miles Underground

Roy Rockwood

The intrepid crew of a custom-built airship ventures into the heart of the world, discovering a subterranean realm of giants, deadly vegetation, and ancient, diamond-filled ruins.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Folly as It Flies

Folly as It Flies

Fanny Fern

The modern reader encounters here the candid, sharp-witted voice of a pioneering nineteenth-century columnist, offering a vital, unvarnished look at the domestic and social expectations of her era.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Gifts of Genius: A Miscellany of Prose and Poetry by American Authors

Gifts of Genius: A Miscellany of Prose and Poetry by American Authors

Unknown

This collection preserves the mid-nineteenth-century tradition of the "gift book"—an elegant, miscellaneous volume designed to offer readers a diverse sampling of the era's literary talent. It brings together prose and poetry from prominent American writers of the 1850s, serving as a time capsule of their aesthetic…

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Have faith in Massachusetts

Have faith in Massachusetts

Calvin Coolidge

This collection of speeches and proclamations serves as a testament to the political philosophy of a man who equated public service with moral stewardship. It offers an intimate look at the ideals that defined a specific era of New England governance.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Hints to Travellers, Scientific and General, Vol. 2: Tenth edition, revised and corrected

Hints to Travellers, Scientific and General, Vol. 2: Tenth edition, revised and corrected

Royal Geographical Society (Great Britain)

This comprehensive manual serves as a definitive field guide for the Victorian and Edwardian era explorer, distilling complex scientific methodologies into practical, actionable advice for those venturing into uncharted or remote territories.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Historical Guide to Old Charlottesville: With mention of its statues and of Albemarle's shrines

Historical Guide to Old Charlottesville: With mention of its statues and of Albemarle's shrines

Mary Rawlings

Old Charlottesville is a portrait of a landscape defined by its political heritage, where the quiet brick of a courthouse and the sweeping views of mountaintop estates serve as anchors for the history of a nation. This guide moves through the streets and surrounding hills of Albemarle County, linking the everyday…

History - American6 min read
Cover of Historical Record of the Sixth, or Inniskilling Regiment of Dragoons: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1689, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1846

Historical Record of the Sixth, or Inniskilling Regiment of Dragoons: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1689, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1846

Richard Cannon

This record chronicles the long and storied lineage of a legendary British cavalry regiment, detailing its formation during the Irish conflicts of 1689 through its varied global service in the mid-19th century.

History - British7 min read
Cover of Hittel on Gold Mines and Mining

Hittel on Gold Mines and Mining

John S. (John Shertzer) Hittell

The mountains of California hold a hidden fortune, waiting to be unlocked by those with the ingenuity to master the forces of water, stone, and gravity. This is an essential technical guide to the methods that transformed the American West.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Humphrey Bold: A Story of the Times of Benbow

Humphrey Bold: A Story of the Times of Benbow

Herbert Strang

Humphrey Bold, a timid youth from Shrewsbury, finds his life irrevocably altered when he is caught in the gears of a villainous conspiracy and forced to seek his fortune upon the high seas.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of In Beaver Cove and Elsewhere

In Beaver Cove and Elsewhere

Matt (Martha Jane) Crim

In these vivid, earth-bound narratives, the rugged landscapes of Georgia become the silent, watchful witnesses to the intense passions, feuds, and long-buried secrets of its people.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Instructions on Modern American Bridge Building

Instructions on Modern American Bridge Building

G. B. N. (George Bates Nichols) Tower

This technical manual provides a methodical, nuts-and-bolts examination of 19th-century timber engineering, distilling complex structural mechanics into actionable directives for the construction of wooden bridges.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Investigation of Communist activities in Seattle, Wash., Area, Hearings, Part 2

Investigation of Communist activities in Seattle, Wash., Area, Hearings, Part 2

United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities

These transcripts document a specific chapter of the mid-century American political climate, capturing the tension and rhetoric of a federal investigation into Communist influence in the Pacific Northwest. The hearings reveal how a government committee interrogated private citizens about their past affiliations,…

History - American6 min read
Cover of Is the Devil a Myth?

Is the Devil a Myth?

C. F. (Charles Franklin) Wimberly

This bracing theological treatise asserts that the adversary of humanity is not a metaphorical concept but a literal, supernatural personality. It serves as a rigorous, unyielding defense of traditional belief against the encroaching skepticism of the early twentieth century.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of Jerome, A Poor Man: A Novel

Jerome, A Poor Man: A Novel

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman

A young man commits his life to an impossible vow of poverty, only to find that the forces of love and grace demand he finally accept help from those he once scorned.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of John Hus: A brief story of the life of a martyr

John Hus: A brief story of the life of a martyr

William Dallmann

The life of a medieval scholar becomes a testament to the power of conviction when a humble priest dares to prioritize the authority of his conscience over the hierarchy of a crumbling church.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Journal of an American Prisoner at Fort Malden and Quebec in the War of 1812

Journal of an American Prisoner at Fort Malden and Quebec in the War of 1812

Reynolds, James, active 1812

A captured surgeon’s mate chronicles the harrowing daily life of American prisoners of war held by the British in 1812. This blunt, observant diary captures the confusion, neglect, and survival of soldiers caught in the opening months of a forgotten frontier conflict.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Kilo

Kilo

Ellis Parker Butler

The persistent book agent Eliph' Hewlitt arrives in the small town of Kilo armed with an encyclopedia and an unshakeable belief that every human problem—from courtship to cooking—can be solved by the right page. This lighthearted tale follows his gentle, persistent efforts to win the heart of local woman Sally…

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Le Cocu (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XVIII)

Le Cocu (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XVIII)

Paul de Kock

Jealousy, misunderstanding, and the heavy burden of marital vows propel a husband into a cycle of suspicion that threatens to destroy his family and his peace of mind.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Madame Young's Guide to Health: Her experience and practice for nearly forty years

Madame Young's Guide to Health: Her experience and practice for nearly forty years

Amelia Young

A practical, century-old compendium of domestic medicine, this work offers a window into a time when healing was a communal, garden-based craft defined by botanical knowledge and skepticism of professional authority.

Health & Medicine6 min read