myebooksbuy
My Books

The whole shelf

All free summaries — page 470

47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 470 of 988.

Cover of The book of the American Indian

The book of the American Indian

Hamlin Garland

A collection of narratives that captures the fading traditions and deepening desperation of Native American tribes as they encounter the relentless expansion of the American frontier.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Chinese Nightingale, and Other Poems

The Chinese Nightingale, and Other Poems

Vachel Lindsay

This collection of verse captures the rhythmic, visionary spirit of early twentieth-century American life, blending folk-inspired storytelling with an urgent, mystical plea for global peace.

Poetry7 min read
Cover of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 12: In Motley

The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 12: In Motley

Ambrose Bierce

The world is a stage of absurdities, and if you are willing to laugh at the farce of human vanity, you have arrived at the right collection of sketches.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of The Crown of Thorns: A Token for the Sorrowing

The Crown of Thorns: A Token for the Sorrowing

E. H. (Edwin Hubbell) Chapin

Finding comfort in the face of life’s most difficult transitions requires a shift in perspective. This collection of discourses offers a framework for navigating loss and disappointment through the lens of Christian hope.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Cruise of the Dry Dock

The Cruise of the Dry Dock

T. S. (Thomas Sigismund) Stribling

This high-seas adventure follows a ragtag crew trapped in the Sargasso Sea, where they must navigate a surreal, hostile landscape while caught in the dangerous crossfire of the First World War. It is a tale of personal transformation, pitting aristocratic privilege against raw, desperate survival.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Hell, Volume 09

The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Hell, Volume 09

Dante Alighieri

A journey through the deepest circles of the afterlife reveals the horrific physical and moral consequences of human betrayal, guided by a poet’s unyielding pursuit of divine justice.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of The Diwan of Abu'l-Ala

The Diwan of Abu'l-Ala

Abu al-Ala al-Maarri

The stars themselves bow to the inevitable cycle of growth and decay, leaving us to navigate the fleeting brilliance of existence with nothing but our own wits and a healthy dose of skepticism.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of The Forest of Vazon: A Guernsey Legend of the Eighth Century

The Forest of Vazon: A Guernsey Legend of the Eighth Century

Anonymous

A sudden, cataclysmic tidal wave reshapes a Guernsey coastline in 709, burying a forest and a civilization under the sea to resolve a desperate conflict between pagan tradition and the rising tide of Christianity.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise

The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise

Margaret Burnham

The early days of aviation bring together a pair of resourceful siblings, their mechanical expertise, and a series of high-stakes sky races against unscrupulous industrial rivals.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Heroic Record of the British Navy: A Short History of the Naval War, 1914-1918

The Heroic Record of the British Navy: A Short History of the Naval War, 1914-1918

Bashford, H. H. (Henry Howarth), Sir

The British Navy emerges from the crucible of the Great War as the essential guardian of world progress, its resilience and evolving technology proving decisive in the preservation of the democratic order.

History - British7 min read
Cover of The high school course in English

The high school course in English

Willard Grosvenor Bleyer

Effective secondary education relies upon a seamless integration of literary appreciation and the rigorous, logical development of a student’s own voice. This manual outlines a comprehensive four-year curriculum designed to transform high school English from a collection of rote exercises into a coherent study of…

Teaching & Education6 min read
Cover of The House of the Misty Star: A Romance of Youth and Hope and Love in Old Japan

The House of the Misty Star: A Romance of Youth and Hope and Love in Old Japan

Frances Little

Perched on a Japanese hillside, an aging, solitary teacher finds her quiet life upended when an eccentric missionary and a defiant, rebellious girl shatter her carefully ordered world.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Life and Writings of Henry Fuseli, Volume 2 (of 3)

The Life and Writings of Henry Fuseli, Volume 2 (of 3)

Henry Fuseli

This collection of lectures offers a rigorous, uncompromising masterclass on the theory of painting, written by an artist who viewed art history as a high-stakes battlefield of intellect, expression, and moral purpose.

Art6 min read
Cover of The life of Poggio Bracciolini

The life of Poggio Bracciolini

William Shepherd

The life of a scholar who traversed the turbulent corridors of 15th-century Europe, this account unearths the intellectual rebirth of the Renaissance through the eyes of a central, if often combative, witness. It charts the intersection of private ambition and public upheaval.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of The Little Review, June-July 1915 (Vol. 2, No. 4)

The Little Review, June-July 1915 (Vol. 2, No. 4)

Various

This mid-1915 issue of a pioneering Chicago literary magazine captures the nervous, intellectual energy of the early twentieth century. It serves as a volatile snapshot of a world teetering on the edge of global conflict, where art, politics, and individual philosophy collide in a search for new expression.

Art6 min read
Cover of The Lost Warship

The Lost Warship

Robert Moore Williams

The crew of a modern battleship finds itself stranded in a prehistoric era after a freak collision with a space-time fault, forcing them to wage a desperate war against a technologically advanced, alien civilization.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 12: Return to Paris

The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 12: Return to Paris

Giacomo Casanova

A restless traveler navigates the shifting currents of 18th-century European high society, balancing grand financial schemes against the intimate, often precarious, entanglements of his own heart.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Mysteries of Paris, illustrated with etchings, Vol. 4

The Mysteries of Paris, illustrated with etchings, Vol. 4

Eugène Sue

Beneath the glittering surface of nineteenth-century Paris lies a dark, intricate labyrinth where the destitute and the powerful collide in a desperate struggle for justice.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The New McGuffey Fourth Reader

The New McGuffey Fourth Reader

Unknown

This collection serves as a moral and literary compass, guiding young readers through the foundational virtues of character and the rich heritage of English prose and poetry. It stands as a bridge between childhood innocence and the responsibilities of the adult world.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of The Old Soldier's Story: Poems and Prose Sketches

The Old Soldier's Story: Poems and Prose Sketches

James Whitcomb Riley

HOOK This collection gathers the rhythmic vernacular of the American heartland and the poignant, polished verse of a poet who found profound dignity in the quiet lives of ordinary people.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Pennycomequicks, Volume 1 (of 3)

The Pennycomequicks, Volume 1 (of 3)

S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

The greedy heirs of a wealthy manufacturer wait for him to drop from the tree of life, only to find that his sudden, watery disappearance leaves them with a tangled inheritance of suspicion and ghosts.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898

Unknown

This collection of historical documents offers a raw, unvarnished look at the mechanics of colonial administration in the early seventeenth-century Philippines. It captures the frantic daily reality of an empire struggling to maintain order across vast, unforgiving distances.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)7 min read
Cover of The Place Beyond the Winds

The Place Beyond the Winds

Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock

HOOK A young woman from a remote Canadian village ventures into the wider world, testing her ideals against the rigid social codes of the city and the weight of a hidden past.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Port of Missing Men

The Port of Missing Men

Meredith Nicholson

A nameless stranger carries a dangerous secret across the Atlantic, pursued by conspirators who seek to restore a crumbling European throne. In the mountains of Virginia, an American woman finds herself drawn into his web of intrigue and the fight for his soul.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Powers of Europe and Fall of Sebastopol

The Powers of Europe and Fall of Sebastopol

A British officer

A sweeping military history of the 19th century, this account traces the rise of Napoleon and the shifting alliances of Europe to explain the origins and brutal reality of the Crimean War.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Real Gladstone: An Anecdotal Biography

The Real Gladstone: An Anecdotal Biography

J. Ewing (James Ewing) Ritchie

To understand the Victorian era’s most polarizing statesman, one must look past his monumental legacy and into the scattered, humanizing details of his long, restless career.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Root of All Evil

The Root of All Evil

J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher

A woman of fierce, unyielding ambition rises from rural poverty to challenge a local monopoly, only to find that the pursuit of wealth demands a price no ledger can record.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Sayings of Mrs. Solomon: being the confessions of the seven hundredth wife as revealed to Helen Rowland

The Sayings of Mrs. Solomon: being the confessions of the seven hundredth wife as revealed to Helen Rowland

Helen Rowland

Marriage is a game of patience, persuasion, and profound absurdity, where the only way to survive is to stop taking the players—especially the men—quite so seriously.

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of The Steel Flea

The Steel Flea

N. S. (Nikolai Semenovich) Leskov

A humble artisan rises to challenge the supremacy of foreign technology, only to be crushed by the indifference of his own countrymen. This biting, folk-inspired fable captures the tragic irony of a nation that celebrates genius while systematically discarding the geniuses themselves.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The Talleyrand Maxim

The Talleyrand Maxim

J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher

A junior clerk’s illicit scheme to suppress a dead man’s will unravels as a web of greed, blackmail, and murder ensnares an aristocratic family.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Transformation of Philip Jettan

The Transformation of Philip Jettan

Georgette Heyer

A young man leaves his quiet life to master the art of being a rake, hoping to win the heart of the girl who discarded him. This elegant, spirited comedy of manners follows his return from Paris, where he is now the most fashionable and dangerous man in London.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Unspeakable Gentleman

The Unspeakable Gentleman

John P. (John Phillips) Marquand

The improbable turns true often enough to be unsettling, especially when a father plays at being a villain to protect his son from the dangerous realities of a world in flux.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Visionary: Pictures From Nordland

The Visionary: Pictures From Nordland

Jonas Lie

A man haunted by visions of the Arctic North searches for grace while his mind slowly unspools. This atmospheric, melancholic tale explores the thin, trembling line between reality and the supernatural.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Warfare of the Soul: Practical Studies in the Life of Temptation

The Warfare of the Soul: Practical Studies in the Life of Temptation

Shirley Carter Hughson

To be human is to be under siege, and this steady, ancient guide offers a map for navigating the interior battles that everyone, regardless of their convictions, must eventually face.

Religion/Spirituality7 min read
Cover of The Wire Devils

The Wire Devils

Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard

A master thief, known only as "The Hawk," plays a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse with a sophisticated criminal syndicate and the frustrated lawmen who cannot tell whose side he is really on.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of The Yellow Holly

The Yellow Holly

Fergus Hume

A young man tracks down his family’s hidden history, only to find himself entangled in a boardinghouse murder and a web of long-buried secrets.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of The Young Enchanted: A Romantic Story

The Young Enchanted: A Romantic Story

Hugh Walpole

Life in post-war London offers a young man and his sister a dizzying, bittersweet education in the fragility of human connections. Everything is changing, and for those ready to witness it, the world is nothing short of miraculous.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Young Yagers: A Narrative of Hunting Adventures in Southern Africa

The Young Yagers: A Narrative of Hunting Adventures in Southern Africa

Mayne Reid

A band of six spirited youths ventures into the untamed Southern African wilderness, pitting their wits and courage against the formidable beasts of the veldt.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Yser and the Belgian Coast: An Illustrated History and Guide

The Yser and the Belgian Coast: An Illustrated History and Guide

Pneu Michelin (Firm)

This historical volume maps the harrowing landscape of the Great War’s Belgian front, blending evocative battlefield accounts with the practical, turn-by-turn guidance of a dedicated touring manual.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Time and Clocks: A Description of Ancient and Modern Methods of Measuring Time

Time and Clocks: A Description of Ancient and Modern Methods of Measuring Time

Cunynghame, Henry H. (Henry Hardinge), Sir

The quest to measure the passage of seconds, hours, and celestial cycles serves as a gateway into the bedrock of physical science. This work explores the intricate mechanics of timekeeping through the lens of history, logic, and engineering.

Engineering & Technology7 min read
Cover of Tom, Dick and Harry

Tom, Dick and Harry

Talbot Baines Reed

This story of a young boy navigating the treacherous social currents of an English boarding school proves that a single well-meaning, clumsy student can inadvertently trigger a series of events that test the loyalty and character of an entire house.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of Torrey's Narrative

Torrey's Narrative

William Torrey

This account chronicles a fourteen-year odyssey across the globe, detailing a shipwreck, captivity in the Marquesas, and a grueling life at sea. It serves as both a harrowing personal record and a mid-19th-century traveler's survey of world geography and local custom.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Wolfville

Wolfville

Alfred Henry Lewis

A grizzled cattleman recounts the rough-hewn legends of a frontier Arizona hamlet, where life is lived by the code of the gun, the turn of a card, and the dry, sharp wit of the desert.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Woman's Endurance

Woman's Endurance

A. D. (August D.) Luckhoff

Through the daily, relentless toll of the Bethulie concentration camp, a young chaplain bears witness to the fractured lives of Boer families, finding fragments of grace amidst the overwhelming sorrow of war.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of A Book of Distinctive Interiors

A Book of Distinctive Interiors

Unknown

A guide to early twentieth-century domestic refinement, this collection of essays offers practical blueprints for crafting homes that balance aesthetic poise with the burgeoning demands of modern efficiency. It serves as a time capsule of professional architectural and design standards from 1912, detailing how the…

Architecture6 min read
Cover of A Comedy of Masks: A Novel

A Comedy of Masks: A Novel

Ernest Christopher Dowson

A comedy of errors played out in the drawing rooms of London, this novel reveals the heavy, often hidden price of maintaining a perfect social facade. Beneath the polished veneer of Victorian life, characters struggle with long-buried secrets, unrequited devotion, and the crushing weight of their own expectations.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Houseful of Girls

A Houseful of Girls

Sarah Tytler

The departure of children from the family nest is a universal ache, yet when financial ruin forces a household of sisters to abandon their sheltered life, the transition from girlhood to adulthood becomes an urgent, bittersweet adventure.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Knyght Ther Was

A Knyght Ther Was

Robert F. Young

A time-thief’s desperate heist in the sixth century unravels into a collision between cynical futurism and the enduring, untouchable power of legend.

Adventure6 min read