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All free summaries — page 432
47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 432 of 988.
Illogical Geology, the Weakest Point in the Evolution Theory
George McCready Price
HOOK A skeptical examination of geological assumptions, this work challenges the scientific consensus of the early twentieth century by questioning the foundational claim that fossil layers provide a reliable, chronological history of life.
Illustrated Edition of the Life and Escape of Wm. Wells Brown from American Slavery: Written by Himself
William Wells Brown
A harrowing firsthand account of human endurance, this narrative documents the brutal machinery of American slavery and the courageous pursuit of freedom. It remains a foundational text in the literature of the enslaved.
In Morocco
Edith Wharton
In the waning days of the First World War, an American writer traverses a land of hidden cities and ancient deserts, documenting a culture on the brink of profound transformation. She offers a rare, fleeting glimpse of a Morocco soon to be reshaped by the currents of the modern world.
In the clouds
Charles Egbert Craddock
Against the towering, cloud-wreathed summits of the Great Smoky Mountains, a man’s life unravels when he is falsely accused of a crime that carries the weight of a death sentence. This atmospheric novel maps the collision between isolated mountain tradition and the encroaching judgment of the law.
In the Heart of the Vosges and Other Sketches by a "Devious Traveller"
Matilda Betham-Edwards
A seasoned observer traverses the lesser-known corners of France, blending vivid landscape descriptions with intimate portraits of industry, art, and the enduring resilience of local customs in a rapidly changing European landscape.
In the Wrong Paradise, and Other Stories
Andrew Lang
The intersection of ancient myth and modern absurdity defines these inventive tales, where the boundaries between the afterlife, the primitive past, and the contemporary Victorian world dissolve into satire.
Industrial Revolution
Poul Anderson
A clever, high-stakes standoff in deep space, this tale explores the volatile intersection of corporate independence and government overreach. It captures the tension of a frontier civilization fighting for autonomy against a home world that views them as mere property.
Invisible helpers
C. W. (Charles Webster) Leadbeater
HOOK Ordinary people, while sleeping, often perform remarkable acts of mercy in hidden realms. This text explores the mechanics of such service and the spiritual development required to participate in it.
King Henry IV, Part 2
William Shakespeare
A kingdom finds itself caught in the exhausting wake of rebellion, while a wayward prince must navigate the final, heavy transition from a life of tavern revelry to the sobering crown of leadership.
Lady Rosamond's Secret: A Romance of Fredericton
Rebecca Agatha Armour
This chronicle of 19th-century colonial life in New Brunswick weaves historical fact into a gentle, earnest narrative of duty, friendship, and the quiet persistence of the human heart.
Laramie Holds the Range
Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman
The sprawling high plains and mountain passes of the West form a rugged backdrop for a man of quiet integrity to face down the greed and violence of a powerful cattle empire.
Legal antiquities
Edward J. (Edward Joseph) White
This survey explores the evolution of legal systems, tracing the shift from primitive, superstitious practices to the more reasoned frameworks of modern civilization. It serves as a reminder that the institutions we rely on today are the products of hard-won lessons from a darker past.
Letters on Literature
Andrew Lang
This collection of critical essays invites readers to explore the nuances of classic literature and the pleasures of the book-hunter’s craft. It serves as an intimate guide for those seeking to deepen their appreciation of poetry, fiction, and the eccentric lives of writers.
Many furrows
A. G. (Alfred George) Gardiner
The humble, observant essayist finds the extraordinary within the ordinary, transforming simple encounters and daily routines into profound reflections on human nature. These pages offer a quiet, contemplative retreat into a world of thoughtful inquiry.
Memories of the future
Ronald Arbuthnott Knox
The future is a mirror reflecting the anxieties of the present, viewed through the eyes of those who have already lived it. This satirical memoir offers a wry, prophetic look at the decades between 1915 and 1972.
Mistress Nell: A Merry Tale of a Merry Time
George Cochrane Hazelton
This brisk, theatrical narrative reimagines the life of the legendary Nell Gwyn, portraying her as a vibrant, quick-witted actress who navigates the intrigue and romantic turbulence of the court of King Charles II.
Nan of Music Mountain
Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman
In the lawless reaches of the American West, a determined stage-line guard faces off against a violent mountain clan to protect his transit routes and the woman he loves. This is a story of clashing loyalties, where a man’s survival depends as much on his resolve as on his aim.
Neither Here Nor There
Oliver Herford
The world is a grandly absurd stage, and this collection of essays invites you to pull up a chair, watch the performance, and laugh at the scenery. It is a sharp-witted romp through the minor irritations and major follies of the early twentieth century.
Nooks & Corners of Old New York
Charles Hemstreet
This guide traces the hidden history of New York City through its physical remnants, transforming ordinary street corners into doorways to the colonial and nineteenth-century past.
North Africa and the desert
George Edward Woodberry
The arid majesty of the North African landscape serves as a canvas for profound contemplation, where the silence of the Sahara and the intricate beauty of ancient cities invite a timeless meditation on human existence.
Of Six Mediæval Women
Alice Kemp-Welch
These intimate portraits rescue six medieval women from the shadows of history, revealing their intellectual, spiritual, and domestic lives through the lens of their own era.
Old Wonder-Eyes, and Other Stories for Children
Grace Greenwood
This collection of mid-19th-century tales serves as a tender bridge between childhood innocence and the moral lessons of the Victorian era. The narratives dwell on the profound bond between human beings and the natural world, emphasizing empathy, kindness, and the sanctity of life in all its forms.
Omaha sociology (1884 N 03 / 1881-1882 (pages 205-370))
James Owen Dorsey
This detailed ethnographic report documents the social structure, daily customs, and complex kinship systems of the Omaha people during the late nineteenth century.
Oxford
Robert Peel
This elegant volume serves as a leisurely, illustrated companion to the storied stones of Oxford, inviting readers to look beyond the guidebooks and walk the city's ancient, hallowed streets with a discerning eye.
Poems
Marianne Moore
This collection of verse serves as a rigorous, unsentimental inquiry into the nature of observation, demanding that the reader look at the world with the precision of a scientist and the imagination of an artist.
Poetry of the Supernatural
Unknown
The boundary between the living and the dead has always been porous, and nowhere is this more evident than in the verses that have haunted the English language for centuries. This guide explores the spectral presence that lingers in the stanzas of our greatest poets.
Queer Stories for Boys and Girls
Edward Eggleston
These whimsical and instructive tales blend the everyday lives of nineteenth-century children with the surreal logic of classic fairy lore. They serve as gentle moral guides, teaching young readers about the value of industry, kindness, and finding one’s proper place in the world.
Red Eagle and the Wars With the Creek Indians of Alabama
George Cary Eggleston
The story of Red Eagle, a charismatic Creek leader, unfolds against the desperate, bloody backdrop of the Alabama frontier during the War of 1812, charting the collision between two irreconcilable worlds.
Revenge!
Robert Barr
In these cold, sharp stories of obsession and ruin, the quest for retribution rarely ends in justice, but almost always in a total accounting.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 324, March 18, 1882
Various
This collection of technical reports captures the ingenuity and industrial optimism of the late nineteenth century. It documents a pivotal era when mechanical engineering, chemistry, and electrical theory began to reshape the modern world.
Sisters
Ada Cambridge
This sweeping narrative of Australian social life charts the long, often painful evolution of three sisters navigating class expectations, romantic disillusionment, and the quiet endurance required by changing fortunes.
Spiritual Tales: Re-issue of the Shorter Stories of Fiona Macleod
William Sharp
This collection of mythic fiction invites readers into a twilight landscape where the veil between the ancient Celtic past and the divine is permanently threadbare. These stories function as moral fables, weaving together Christian hagiography, pagan folklore, and the desolate, elemental beauty of the Scottish islands.
Tales from the Veld
Ernest Glanville
Old Abe Pike is a local legend whose tall tales of South African frontier life blur the line between the wild, untamed veld and the limits of human imagination.
The American Housewife: Containing the Most Valuable and Original Receipts in All the Various Branches of Cookery
Anonymous
This practical guide demystifies the nineteenth-century kitchen, offering precise instructions for everything from roasting beef to dyeing fabrics. It serves as an essential bridge to understanding the domestic labor and culinary standards of early American life.
The Arabian Nights Entertainments
Jonathan Scott
A merchant faces a lethal secret, a fisherman drags magic from the sea, and a caliph walks the streets of Baghdad, all bound by the inexhaustible, life-saving power of a well-told story.
The Book of Enterprise and Adventure: Being an Excitement to Reading. for Young People. a New and Condensed Edition
Anonymous
This collection of true-life accounts invites young readers to step beyond their own doors and into a wider world of exploration, danger, and endurance. It serves as a nineteenth-century bridge between the comfort of home and the wild, often unpredictable realities of the globe.
The Boy Scouts of Woodcraft Camp
Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess
A young city boy enters the wilderness to find himself among a community of scouts, discovering that true courage is forged not in conflict, but in the quiet discipline of the woods.
The Capsina: An Historical Novel
E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson
The fight for Greek independence is a crucible of fire and sea-spray, where the fierce, untamable spirit of a woman becomes the rallying point for a nation struggling to cast off an ancient, heavy yoke.
The Celtic Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 2, December 1875: A Monthly Periodical Devoted to the Literature, History, Antiquities, Folk Lore, Traditions, and the Social and Material Interests of the Celt at Home and Abroad
Various
A vibrant, scholarly preservation of Highland heritage, this periodical serves as a bridge between the living traditions of the nineteenth-century Celt and the ancient, often misunderstood, roots of his ancestors.
The Century of Inventions of the Marquis of Worcester: from the Original MS., with Historical and Explanatory Notes and a Biographical Memoir
Worcester, Edward Somerset, Marquis of
A visionary collection of mechanical concepts, this work preserves the fleeting sparks of genius that ignited the engine of the industrial age. It offers a rare window into the mind of a seventeenth-century aristocrat wrestling with the limits of physical possibility.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 6, December 1863: Devoted to Literature and National Policy
Various
This collection captures the fervent spirit and anxious pulse of a nation mid-conflict, documenting a pivotal moment where political resolve, literary ambition, and daily survival collide on the American frontier.
The Dead Lake, and Other Tales
Paul Heyse
A wandering physician and a secluded woman find their lives inextricably bound in a remote Alpine inn, where the boundary between life, death, and lingering regret begins to dissolve.
The Egyptian Cat Mystery: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story
Harold L. (Harold Leland) Goodwin
A cryptic radio signal from space and a stolen artifact pull two teenagers into a dangerous web of international intrigue beneath the shadow of the Great Pyramids.
The Expositor's Bible: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians
James Denney
This volume offers a rigorous and deeply personal exploration of a foundational New Testament text, examining how a leader’s most painful experiences can be transmuted into a message of profound spiritual consolation.
The Glory of English Prose: Letters to My Grandson
Stephen Coleridge
The greatest inheritance one generation can pass to another is the ability to recognize and cherish the finest expressions of the human spirit. By curating a selection of masterful English prose, a grandfather invites his grandson to claim a literary heritage of strength, beauty, and moral clarity.
The Golden Slave
Poul Anderson
The Cimbrian warrior Eodan survives the Roman massacre of his people, only to endure the slow, grinding death of slavery before rising to forge a new destiny. This is a story of how a conquered man finds the strength to become a king, not through blood alone, but through the hard-won wisdom of a traveler.
The Hospital Murders
Means Davis
The halls of the Elijah Wilson Hospital hide a killer whose weapon is a syringe and whose targets are helpless patients. A desperate staff must root out a murderer before the institution’s reputation is destroyed forever.
The Incredible Honeymoon
E. (Edith) Nesbit
To believe in this story, one must hold fast to the Greater Gods: Love, Youth, and the wild, impossible grace of Coincidence.