myebooksbuy
My Books

The whole shelf

All free summaries — page 429

34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 429 of 714.

Cover of Molly Make-Believe

Molly Make-Believe

Eleanor Hallowell Abbott

A sickbed becomes a theater of unexpected romance when a lonely invalid subscribes to a whimsical letter-writing service and falls for the imagination behind the ink.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Montezuma: An Epic on the Origin and Fate of the Aztec Nation

Montezuma: An Epic on the Origin and Fate of the Aztec Nation

Hiram Hoyt Richmond

This epic poem chronicles the sweeping, mythical migration of the Aztec people from the ancient cradle of civilization in Egypt to their tragic downfall in the New World. It serves as both a historical reimagining and a moral meditation on the costs of empire, religious fervor, and the inevitable clash of cultures.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of More Bab Ballads

More Bab Ballads

W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert

Victorian propriety collapses under the weight of its own absurd logic in these nimble narrative verses.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of More Portmanteau Plays

More Portmanteau Plays

Stuart Walker

These three plays capture the essence of a visionary theatrical experiment, blending Japanese folklore, modern social comedy, and the poignant struggles of youth to define the spirit of early twentieth-century American drama.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Mount Music

Mount Music

E. Oe. (Edith Oenone) Somerville

A young girl twists her arm out of her brother's grip to chase hounds across a Irish estate, unaware how completely her home, her heart, and her country's ancient hierarchy are about to unravel.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Mr. Punch at the Play: Humours of Music and the Drama

Mr. Punch at the Play: Humours of Music and the Drama

Unknown

A sharp, satirical look at the Victorian stage, capturing the vanity of actors, the absurdity of dramatic trends, and the relentless blunders of the theater-going public with timeless, biting wit.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Much Ado About Something

Much Ado About Something

C. E. (Charles Edward) Lawrence

This fable of an enchanted intervention in the heart of London offers a whimsical yet earnest look at how a touch of magic might mend the social divides of a bustling, weary city.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Narcissus, a Twelfe Night Merriment

Narcissus, a Twelfe Night Merriment

Unknown

A troupe of Oxford undergraduates breathes new life into Ovid’s myth, blending classical tragedy with the rowdy, vernacular wit of a sixteenth-century campus. This rare window into Elizabethan student life captures the spirit of a Twelfth Night revel.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Fourteenth Annual Meeting: Washington D.C. September 26, 27 and 28 1923

Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Fourteenth Annual Meeting: Washington D.C. September 26, 27 and 28 1923

Unknown

A dedicated band of early-twentieth-century horticulturists meets in the nation's capital to transform native and imported nut trees into standard American crops.

Reports & Conference Proceedings5 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Number 208, October 22, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Number 208, October 22, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

Curious readers, antiquaries, and amateur scholars come together across the mail to unravel forgotten histories, dissect regional superstitions, and debate the finest points of etymology.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference5 min read
Cover of On Yachts and Yacht Handling

On Yachts and Yacht Handling

Thomas Fleming Day

The sea is a teacher that demands both skill and humility, and for those who dare to venture out, success lies in understanding the vessel as intimately as one’s own hands. This practical guide serves as an essential companion for the aspiring sailor, grounding the technicalities of yachting in the hard-won lessons…

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Oracles of Nostradamus

Oracles of Nostradamus

Nostradamus

The prophetic verses of the sixteenth-century seer offer a dense, cryptic map of history, inviting the reader to discern the faint outlines of the future within the shadows of the past. Through a collection of enigmatic quatrains and historical commentary, the text seeks to bridge the gap between ancient intuition…

General7 min read
Cover of Polly: A New-Fashioned Girl

Polly: A New-Fashioned Girl

L. T. Meade

Six motherless sisters and two wild Australian cousins collide in a rambling English vicarage, where independence and fiery tempers spark domestic chaos.

British Literature8 min read
Cover of Prince Ricardo of Pantouflia: Being the Adventures of Prince Prigio's Son

Prince Ricardo of Pantouflia: Being the Adventures of Prince Prigio's Son

Andrew Lang

A royal heir prefers foolish reckless action over books, leaving a clever father and a practical princess to save him from his own magical misadventures.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, November 14, 1891

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, November 14, 1891

Various

A caustic letter opens a showcase of Victorian social hypocrisies, political theater, and absurd suburban ambitions.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Russia in the Shadows

Russia in the Shadows

H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

A seasoned observer travels into the heart of a crumbling revolutionary state, seeking to understand whether a new world is truly being built or if civilization is simply vanishing into the shadows.

History - European7 min read
Cover of Siouan Sociology

Siouan Sociology

James Owen Dorsey

A intricate social machinery governs the Plains, where kinship determines law, war, and the alignment of every lodge in the circle.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Springfield in the Spanish American War

Springfield in the Spanish American War

Walter W. Ward

The men of Springfield, Massachusetts, left behind their civilian lives in the spring of 1898 to confront a grueling campaign in the tropics and the harsh realities of a short, violent war.

History - American7 min read
Cover of Stories By English Authors: Italy (Selected by Scribners)

Stories By English Authors: Italy (Selected by Scribners)

Unknown

A mid-Victorian anthology of British fiction set in Italy captures a landscape where foreign passion, criminal hazards, and social absurdities routinely derail the best-laid plans of English travellers.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Stories of Boys and Girls Who Loved the Saviour: A Token for Children

Stories of Boys and Girls Who Loved the Saviour: A Token for Children

James Janeway

A collection of seventeenth-century Puritan accounts depicts young children who undergo profound spiritual awakenings, dedicate their brief lives to fervent prayer and scripture study, and face early death with calm, unwavering faith.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Symzonia: Voyage of Discovery

Symzonia: Voyage of Discovery

Seaborn, Adam, Captain

A daring captain pushes his steamship into the frozen south, only to discover a hollow earth populated by a society of profound moral and social perfection.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The American Missionary

The American Missionary

Various

Through reports of violent resistance, financial accounts, and institutional updates, a nineteenth-century missionary periodical details the complex, courageous effort to educate and empower marginalized communities across Reconstruction-era America.

History - American5 min read
Cover of The Barrel Mystery

The Barrel Mystery

William J. (William James) Flynn

A chilling, firsthand account of early twentieth-century organized crime, this narrative follows the relentless efforts of federal agents to dismantle a murderous counterfeiting syndicate operating within New York’s Italian immigrant communities.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Behavior of the Honey Bee in Pollen Collecting

The Behavior of the Honey Bee in Pollen Collecting

Dana Brackenridge Casteel

This technical study uncovers the intricate, mechanical choreography by which a worker honeybee collects, grooms, and transports pollen to the hive. It offers a precise, observation-based correction to the long-standing biological myths surrounding these tiny, industrious laborers.

Nature/Gardening/Animals6 min read
Cover of The Blind Musician

The Blind Musician

Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko

A blind boy struggles to find his place in a sighted world, eventually discovering that true sight comes not from his eyes, but from the depth of his connection to others’ suffering.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Blue Venus

The Blue Venus

Robert Emmett McDowell

The fugitive known as The Renegade orchestrates a daring infiltration of a cruel plantation owner’s estate, turning the tables on a man whose reach extends from illicit human experimentation to the exploitation of planetary serfdom.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Castaways

The Castaways

Harry Collingwood

A disabled ship, a hidden stash of jewels, and a crew consumed by greed set two survivors against an ocean of peril.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Chautauquan, Vol. 04, June 1884, No. 9

The Chautauquan, Vol. 04, June 1884, No. 9

Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle

This periodical offers a snapshot of late 19th-century American intellectual life, serving as a structured curriculum for self-improvement and moral instruction through the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle.

Journals7 min read
Cover of The Comedies of William Congreve: Volume 1 [of 2]

The Comedies of William Congreve: Volume 1 [of 2]

William Congreve

In the glittering, treacherous drawing rooms of Restoration London, every conversation is a duel, love is an enterprise of strategy, and the sharpest tongue wins the prize.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Conditions of Existence as Affecting the Perpetuation of Living Beings: Lecture V. (of VI.), "Lectures to Working Men", at the Museum of Practical Geology, 1863, on Darwin's Work: "Origin of Species"

The Conditions of Existence as Affecting the Perpetuation of Living Beings: Lecture V. (of VI.), "Lectures to Working Men", at the Museum of Practical Geology, 1863, on Darwin's Work: "Origin of Species"

Thomas Henry Huxley

Exploring the mechanisms of natural selection and variation in species, as inspired by Darwin's *On the Origin of Species*.

Science - Biology7 min read
Cover of The Decoration of Leather: From the French of Georges de Récy

The Decoration of Leather: From the French of Georges de Récy

Georges de Récy

This practical guide demystifies the tactile art of leather decoration, offering a bridge between historical techniques and modern artistic expression. It serves as both a manual for the artisan and a record of a disappearing craft.

Art6 min read
Cover of The Doré Bible Gallery, Volume 8

The Doré Bible Gallery, Volume 8

Unknown

A central figure moves through teaching, betrayal, and execution, leaving those around him to grapple with the divine and the human in their midst.

Art6 min read
Cover of The Flag Replaced on Sumter: A Personal Narrative

The Flag Replaced on Sumter: A Personal Narrative

William A. Spicer

A Northern veteran journeys southward to a ruined cradle of secession, celebrating a fragile peace just as tragedy strikes the nation.

History - American6 min read
Cover of The Four-Faced Visitors of Ezekiel

The Four-Faced Visitors of Ezekiel

Arthur W. Orton

An ancient prophet’s strange vision of whirling fire, glowing metal, and four-faced creatures might not be mystical at all, but humanity's very first eyewitness record of an extraterrestrial landing.

Religion/Spirituality6 min read
Cover of The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume I

The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume I

Thomas Clarkson

A rigorous, eyewitness account details how a handful of dedicated reformers exposed the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and organized a movement that transformed British public conscience and law.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Jade Story Book

The Jade Story Book

Penrhyn Wingfield Coussens

This collection brings together ancient fables and moralistic tales from across the Orient, capturing the wit, wonder, and wisdom of diverse cultures in a singular, evocative volume.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Letters of the Duke of Wellington to Miss J., 1834-1851: Edited, with Extracts from the Diary of the Latter

The Letters of the Duke of Wellington to Miss J., 1834-1851: Edited, with Extracts from the Diary of the Latter

Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of

A storied military hero finds himself in an unlikely, decades-long epistolary entanglement with a woman who believes she has been divinely appointed to save his soul.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Life and Adventures of Guzman D'Alfarache, or the Spanish Rogue, vol. 2/3

The Life and Adventures of Guzman D'Alfarache, or the Spanish Rogue, vol. 2/3

Mateo Alemán

This picaresque narrative follows a self-proclaimed rogue whose life is a restless cycle of petty crime, elaborate schemes, and moral posturing. It serves as a sharp, cynical mirror held up to the human condition, detailing the downfall of a man who believes he can outsmart fortune itself.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The life and times of George Villiers, duke of Buckingham, Volume 2 (of 3): From original and authentic sources

The life and times of George Villiers, duke of Buckingham, Volume 2 (of 3): From original and authentic sources

Thomson, A. T., Mrs.

The second volume of this historical survey captures a moment of high-stakes diplomacy, charting the volatile shift from the end of the Spanish marriage negotiations to the early, strained years of Charles I’s reign. It serves as a meticulous exploration of the personal and political influence held by the Duke of…

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson, Volume 2

The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson, Volume 2

James Harrison

Driven by duty and personal pride, Britain’s most celebrated admiral navigates shifting Mediterranean alliances, military insubordination, and the relentless strain of command before meeting his fate at Trafalgar.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of The Logic of Vegetarianism: Essays and Dialogues

The Logic of Vegetarianism: Essays and Dialogues

Henry S. Salt

The pursuit of a meat-free life is often dismissed as a sentimental indulgence, but this rigorous investigation asserts that it is, in fact, a matter of moral logic and social consistency. By dismantling the biological, historical, and ethical defenses of flesh-eating, the text challenges the reader to align their…

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of The Manchester and Glasgow Road, Volume 2 (of 2): This Way to Gretna Green

The Manchester and Glasgow Road, Volume 2 (of 2): This Way to Gretna Green

Charles G. (Charles George) Harper

An historical journey across northern England and into Scotland reveals how industrial ambition, bloody rebellions, and the steady march of turnpike roads transformed the British landscape.

History - British5 min read
Cover of The Master Spirit

The Master Spirit

Magnay, William, Sir

A promising young lawyer enters a dark pact with a brilliant, bedridden genius to climb the professional ladder, only to find himself entangled in a murder mystery that threatens his life and his love.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The McBrides: A Romance of Arran

The McBrides: A Romance of Arran

John Sillars

A boy steps out from an Island window, drawn into a web of smugglers, old mountain feuds, and fierce Scottish ties.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Merriweather Girls in Quest of Treasure

The Merriweather Girls in Quest of Treasure

Lizette M. (Lizette McCully) Edholm

A group of energetic high school friends set off for a summer in the Arizona mountains, only to find themselves unraveling local legends, outwitting local schemers, and unearthing actual buried treasure.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Pot of Gold, and Other Stories

The Pot of Gold, and Other Stories

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman

Magic touches the soil of everyday life in unexpected ways. A single nap in a sunlit meadow leads to a lost horned beast, while a small act of bravery in a New England snowstorm binds two hearts together forever.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Satyricon

The Satyricon

Petronius Arbiter

Trapped aboard a Tarentine galley by their own past misdeeds, a band of clever rogues must shave their heads and fake branding marks to evade their vengeful pursuers, only to find that even a violent sea storm cannot quiet their endless bickering or halt their spontaneous poetry recitations.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of The Secrets of a Savoyard

The Secrets of a Savoyard

Henry A. Lytton

A master of the light comic stage reflects on a life spent within the distinct, witty world of Victorian musical theatre. This memoir captures the disciplined joy of preserving a theatrical legacy while navigating the precarious realities of a performer’s career.

Biographies6 min read
Advertisement