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32,123 public-domain books, summarised. Page 472 of 670.

Cover of The Champagne Standard

The Champagne Standard

Lane, John, Mrs.

This collection of essays serves as a sharp-eyed critique of early 20th-century social pretensions, exploring the hollow rituals of status and the domestic absurdities found in both England and America.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Details of the Rocket System

The Details of the Rocket System

Congreve, William, Sir

A specialized guide to the deployment of Congreve rockets, this technical manual serves as an early nineteenth-century blueprint for mobile, high-intensity artillery. It reveals the mechanical ingenuity and logistical ambition behind a weapon that once promised to revolutionize warfare.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 11

The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 11

Unknown

The survival of a new nation often hinges not on the battlefield, but on the quiet, desperate mechanics of credit, diplomacy, and the fragile trust between allies. This collection of documents illuminates the machinery of the American Revolution from behind the curtain.

History - American7 min read
Cover of The Early Introduction of Bogus Freemasonry in the United States of America and Texas Among Colored Masons

The Early Introduction of Bogus Freemasonry in the United States of America and Texas Among Colored Masons

C. L. (Charles L.) Mitchell

This polemical account exposes the fractious history of 19th-century African American Freemasonry, arguing that many established grand lodges were illegitimate due to their failure to adhere to original, ancient organizational requirements.

History - American7 min read
Cover of The face of Manchuria, Korea, & Russian Turkestan

The face of Manchuria, Korea, & Russian Turkestan

E. G. (Emily Georgiana) Kemp

A journey across the rapidly changing landscapes of early twentieth-century Asia offers a rare glimpse into a world caught between ancient traditions and the encroaching forces of modern imperialism.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of The Girl Scouts at Sea Crest

The Girl Scouts at Sea Crest

Lilian Garis

An inquisitive patrol of Girl Scouts spends a summer at the shore, where they trade their domestic chores for the high-stakes mystery of a forbidden island and a missing inheritance.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Golden House

The Golden House

Sarah S. (Sarah Schoonmaker) Baker

A young Italian boy finds a loving, humble home in Sweden, where his artistic soul and gentle spirit touch the lives of both impoverished neighbors and wealthy aristocrats. This heartwarming tale of belonging crosses cultural boundaries with quiet grace.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Grammar School Boys Snowbound

The Grammar School Boys Snowbound

H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock

When a group of resourceful schoolboys head into the wilderness for a winter camping trip, they find themselves locked in a battle of wits against both a brutal blizzard and a dangerous, desperate intruder.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Inferno

The Inferno

Henri Barbusse

A solitary man finds an aperture in the wall of his boarding-house room, transforming himself into an accidental witness to the hidden, unvarnished lives of his neighbors. This voyeuristic experiment becomes a harrowing descent into the fundamental truths of human desire and mortality.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Life and Letters of George John Romanes, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S

The Life and Letters of George John Romanes, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S

George John Romanes

This biography captures the intellectual intensity and personal warmth of a prominent Victorian naturalist, documenting a life defined by rigorous scientific inquiry and an earnest, lifelong struggle to reconcile faith with the burgeoning theory of evolution.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Little Cryptogram: A Literal Application to the Play of Hamlet of the Cipher System of Mr. Ignatius Donnelly

The Little Cryptogram: A Literal Application to the Play of Hamlet of the Cipher System of Mr. Ignatius Donnelly

Joseph Gilpin Pyle

This sharp-witted critique satirizes the Baconian theory of Shakespearean authorship by applying its own convoluted mathematical logic to the play of *Hamlet*, ultimately revealing the "hidden" prophecies of a nineteenth-century politician.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Little Schoolmaster Mark: A Spiritual Romance

The Little Schoolmaster Mark: A Spiritual Romance

J. H. (Joseph Henry) Shorthouse

This evocative, meditative work explores the collision between aesthetic beauty and spiritual sincerity in an eighteenth-century German court, examining whether art and holiness can ever truly reconcile.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Little Violinist

The Little Violinist

Thomas Bailey Aldrich

This narrative essay serves as a quiet, somber meditation on the cost of childhood fame. It contrasts the protected, imaginative lives of two young brothers with the exhausting reality of a child performer, ultimately grappling with the tragedy of a life cut short by the demands of the stage.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Mentor: Walter Scott, Vol. 4, Num. 15, Serial No. 115, September 15, 1916

The Mentor: Walter Scott, Vol. 4, Num. 15, Serial No. 115, September 15, 1916

Hamilton Wright Mabie

The Wizard of the North stands as a towering figure whose literary genius and personal integrity defined the romantic spirit of an age. His life and works remain a testament to the enduring power of storytelling.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of The Mystery of the Lost Dauphin (Louis XVII)

The Mystery of the Lost Dauphin (Louis XVII)

Pardo Bazán, Emilia, condesa de

The mystery of the lost Bourbon heir breathes through a world of shadows, spies, and royal secrets. It captures the haunting persistence of a past that refuses to stay buried, weaving a tale where the line between history and legend blurs.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Nameless Island: A Story of Some Modern Robinson Crusoes

The Nameless Island: A Story of Some Modern Robinson Crusoes

Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman

After a violent hurricane leaves them shipwrecked on a remote Pacific island, a small band of survivors must master the terrain and defend their newfound home against hostile invaders to secure their ultimate rescue.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Paradise of Children: (From: "A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys")

The Paradise of Children: (From: "A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys")

Nathaniel Hawthorne

A lingering curiosity is a dangerous thing, especially when it concerns a mysterious box left in the care of two children who have never known a single day of sorrow.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Pilgrim's Shell

The Pilgrim's Shell

Eugène Sue

A legacy of feudal tyranny drives a desperate quarryman to the Crusades, sparking a generational struggle that pits the raw labor of the common people against the entrenched cruelty of the medieval nobility.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of The Pioneers

The Pioneers

Katharine Susannah Prichard

Two families forge lives in the rugged Australian bush, bound by shared secrets, the heavy weight of the past, and the slow, inexorable pull of a new, untamed land.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of The Preacher and His Models: The Yale Lectures on Preaching 1891

The Preacher and His Models: The Yale Lectures on Preaching 1891

James Stalker

The Preacher and His Models A timeless guide for the modern minister, this exploration of the craft of preaching finds its ultimate examples in the lives and writings of the apostles and prophets.

Religion/Spirituality6 min read
Cover of The Principles of Breeding

The Principles of Breeding

S. L. (Stephen Lincoln) Goodale

Success in agriculture requires a precise understanding of the physiological laws governing domestic animals. Careful selection, rather than chance, determines the profitability and long-term improvement of a farm’s livestock.

Science - Biology6 min read
Cover of The Saint's Tragedy

The Saint's Tragedy

Charles Kingsley

The tragedy of a saint is often found not in the martyrdom she endures, but in the human cost of the perfection she pursues.

Historical Novels7 min read
Cover of The School System of Norway

The School System of Norway

David Allen Anderson

Norway’s commitment to education reflects the resilience of a sturdy people determined to secure a prosperous future through the careful cultivation of every citizen's mind. This study serves as a structural blueprint for those seeking to understand the institutional foundations of a nation’s intellectual life.

History - Schools & Universities6 min read
Cover of The Secret Chart

The Secret Chart

James Otis

A retired sea captain and two curious boys set sail for Haiti to recover buried treasure, only to find themselves trapped by mutineers and the dark mysteries of a coastal cave.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Simple Adventures of a Memsahib

The Simple Adventures of a Memsahib

Sara Jeannette Duncan

A young woman leaves the comforts of England for the stifling, sun-drenched social hierarchies of colonial Calcutta, discovering that domestic life in the tropics is a delicate, often absurd negotiation with custom and climate.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Story of the Guides

The Story of the Guides

G. J. (George John) Younghusband

This history recounts the formation and legendary exploits of the Queen’s Own Corps of Guides, a unique frontier regiment defined by its independence, local expertise, and endurance in the face of impossible odds.

History - British7 min read
Cover of The Vanity Girl

The Vanity Girl

Compton MacKenzie

Ambition is a mirror that reflects only what we desire to see, and for those born outside the gates of aristocracy, the climb toward the summit often demands a cost that cannot be repaid.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Underground Treasures: How and Where to Find Them: A Key for the Ready Determination of All the Useful Minerals Within the United States

Underground Treasures: How and Where to Find Them: A Key for the Ready Determination of All the Useful Minerals Within the United States

James Orton

A practical field guide for the 19th-century amateur, this work offers systematic methods for identifying minerals and prospecting for precious ores across the American landscape.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Venice

Venice

Dorothy Menpes

This immersive travelogue captures the fleeting soul of a fading city, blending historical observation with an artist’s sensory devotion to the light, color, and crumbling majesty of the Adriatic’s greatest jewel.

Architecture7 min read
Cover of Verses for Children, and Songs for Music

Verses for Children, and Songs for Music

Juliana Horatia Ewing

In these verses, the natural world acts as both a gentle teacher and a stage for the small, vivid dramas of childhood.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Viking Boys

Viking Boys

Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby

Two spirited Shetland children, yearning for the legendary past, launch a game of make-believe Viking raids that unexpectedly heals a bitter, multi-generational neighborhood feud.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Wide Courses

Wide Courses

James B. (James Brendan) Connolly

Hook These tales capture the salt-stung reality of life on the water, where survival depends as much on a man’s grit as it does on the wind.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of William Cobbett: A Biography in Two Volumes, Vol. 2

William Cobbett: A Biography in Two Volumes, Vol. 2

Edward Smith

A pugnacious voice for the common man, this biography traces the tumultuous middle and later years of a self-taught polemicist who rattled the foundations of the British establishment.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of With a Highland Regiment in Mesopotamia: 1916—1917

With a Highland Regiment in Mesopotamia: 1916—1917

Anonymous

The mud-soaked, sun-scorched story of a Highland battalion in the Mesopotamian campaign captures the brutal, unglamorous realities of a forgotten theater of the Great War. It serves as a stark, intimate record of endurance.

History - Modern (1750+)6 min read
Cover of Women and economic evolution

Women and economic evolution

Theresa Schmid McMahon

The struggle for gender equality is not a sudden modern development, but the inevitable consequence of a long, grinding transformation of human industry and social organization.

Economics6 min read
Cover of Woodcraft Boys at Sunset Island

Woodcraft Boys at Sunset Island

Lillian Elizabeth Roy

The sun-drenched waters of the Maine coast provide the backdrop for a summer of spirited exploration, where the simple joys of fishing and scouting bloom into unexpected adventures for a group of resourceful young friends.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of A Man from the North

A Man from the North

Arnold Bennett

An aspiring writer leaves his provincial home to conquer London, only to discover that the metropolis is a cold mirror reflecting his own mediocrity.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Popular Account of Thugs and Dacoits, the Hereditary Garotters and Gang-Robbers of India

A Popular Account of Thugs and Dacoits, the Hereditary Garotters and Gang-Robbers of India

James Hutton

The Thugs and Dacoits of India operated for generations as hereditary criminal fraternities, viewing their violent work as a divinely sanctioned duty. This account chronicles their rise, their elaborate rituals, and their eventual systematic suppression.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of A Review of Uncle Tom's Cabin

A Review of Uncle Tom's Cabin

A. Woodward

This work functions as an intense, reactionary polemic written in 1853, serving as a direct rebuttal to the antislavery sentiments sweeping the United States at the time.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Abroad

Abroad

Unknown

A Victorian family embarks on a grand springtime excursion across the English Channel, discovering the vibrant markets, ancient history, and hidden charms of France through the eyes of five curious siblings.

Children & Young Adult Reading7 min read
Cover of Afghanistan and the Anglo-Russian Dispute

Afghanistan and the Anglo-Russian Dispute

Theophilus F. (Theophilus Francis) Rodenbough

The Great Game looms over the nineteenth century, as two empires collide in the rugged, unforgiving valleys of Central Asia. The shadow of a Russian advance creates a desperate, high-stakes countdown for British India.

History - British5 min read
Cover of An American Girl in London

An American Girl in London

Sara Jeannette Duncan

This narrative follows a young, observant American woman as she navigates the rigid social hierarchies of late Victorian London, armed only with her sharp wit and a complete lack of deference for established traditions.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of An Appeal to the British Nation on the Humanity and Policy of Forming a National Institution for the Preservation of Lives and Property from Shipwreck (1825)

An Appeal to the British Nation on the Humanity and Policy of Forming a National Institution for the Preservation of Lives and Property from Shipwreck (1825)

Hillary, William, Sir

Driven by the frequent, harrowing loss of life along the British coast, this earnest appeal proposes the creation of a unified, national organization to save shipwrecked mariners and protect stranded property.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Annals, Anecdotes and Legends: A Chronicle of Life Assurance

Annals, Anecdotes and Legends: A Chronicle of Life Assurance

Francis, John, of the Bank of England

Life insurance is a gamble on the inevitability of death, a financial necessity for the prudent, and a dark playground for the unscrupulous. This chronicle reveals the strange, often morbid history of how humanity learned to place a monetary value on the ticking clock of existence.

Economics6 min read
Cover of As the Goose Flies

As the Goose Flies

Katharine Pyle

A lonely child discovers that the boundaries between nursery rhymes and reality are porous, embarking on a sky-bound quest to recover a story her grandmother has lost. This gentle fantasy reimagines the classic inhabitants of folklore as living, breathing neighbors in a sprawling, magical landscape.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Australasia: Eight Lectures Prepared for the Visual Instruction Committee of the Colonial Office

Australasia: Eight Lectures Prepared for the Visual Instruction Committee of the Colonial Office

A. J. (Arthur John) Sargent

These lectures provide a structured, turn-of-the-century survey of the geography, industry, and colonial development of Australasia and the surrounding Pacific territories. They function as a curated educational tour, mapping the physical landscape alongside the rapid economic expansion of the early 1900s.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Autumn Leaves: Original Pieces in Prose and Verse

Autumn Leaves: Original Pieces in Prose and Verse

Unknown

This collection of domestic reflections and gentle verse captures the quiet, observant spirit of a mid-19th-century New England circle. It offers a window into the everyday joys, small frustrations, and evolving affections of a thoughtful, close-knit community.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Banking

Banking

William Amasa Scott

A clear, dispassionate analysis of the mechanics and social purpose of banking, written to demystify the complex financial systems that underpin modern life. This work serves as both a primer for the layperson and a critique of early twentieth-century American economic policy.

Economics6 min read
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