myebooksbuy
My Books

The whole shelf

All free summaries — page 481

34,093 public-domain books, summarised. Page 481 of 711.

Cover of Coming Attraction

Coming Attraction

Fritz Leiber

A chilling vision of a future ruined by fear and vanity, where the survival of the species is secondary to the pursuit of dominance. This narrative explores how a society masks its own decay.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Commodore Barney's Young Spies: A Boy's Story of the Burning of the City of Washington

Commodore Barney's Young Spies: A Boy's Story of the Burning of the City of Washington

James Otis

A group of young sailors find themselves in the thick of the War of 1812, serving as clandestine eyes and ears for a legendary naval commander during the British assault on Washington.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Dan Merrithew

Dan Merrithew

Lawrence Perry

A resolute, self-made sailor rises from the gritty reality of the harbor docks to navigate a perilous sea of social ambition and life-or-death maritime disaster.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Discover the Excitement of Hairpin Lace

Discover the Excitement of Hairpin Lace

Unknown

Hairpin lace is a rhythmic, meditative craft that transforms simple loops into intricate, woven textiles. This guide offers everything necessary to master the loom, from basic twists to complex, full-length garment construction.

Fashion6 min read
Cover of Donald McElroy, Scotch Irishman

Donald McElroy, Scotch Irishman

Willie Walker Caldwell

Born into the rugged independence of the Virginia frontier on the eve of the American Revolution, a young man finds his path to love and duty inextricably linked to the birth of a new nation.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Dorothy Dainty's Gay Times

Dorothy Dainty's Gay Times

Amy Brooks

This lighthearted tale of privileged childhood follows a small, tightly knit group of schoolgirls as they navigate daily lessons, amateur theatricals, and mild, well-intentioned mischief in their idyllic, turn-of-the-century community.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Fish Stories

Fish Stories

Henry Abbott

These are not the tall tales of a braggart, but the quiet, observational accounts of a woodsman who finds that the truth of the wilderness is far stranger than any fiction.

Humour6 min read
Cover of Five Years in a Persian Town

Five Years in a Persian Town

Napier Malcolm

This observant account captures the rhythms of life in a remote desert city, offering a candid, culturally grounded perspective on the intersection of Persian daily habits and the missionary experience at the turn of the twentieth century.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Vol. XIII, Nov. 28, 1891

Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Vol. XIII, Nov. 28, 1891

Various

This volume of a late-Victorian weekly magazine offers a vivid, multifaceted window into the past, serving as both a repository of moralistic fiction and a snapshot of Gilded Age commerce. It captures the rhythm of a bygone era, where serial stories, amateur puzzles, and earnest advertisements for everything from…

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus

Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus

Josephine Chase

A dedicated young alumna returns to her alma mater to manage a student residence, discovering that guiding a new generation of women requires as much courage as earning an education.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Grace Harlowe's Senior Year at High School

Grace Harlowe's Senior Year at High School

Josephine Chase

A steadfast circle of friends navigates the closing chapter of adolescence, balancing the pressures of academic ambition, the sting of betrayal, and the bittersweet transition toward a wider world.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 2 August 1848

Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 2 August 1848

Various

This collection captures the mid-19th-century American literary pulse through a curated blend of historical biography, serialized fiction, and reflective poetry.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Happy Pollyooly: The Rich Little Poor Girl

Happy Pollyooly: The Rich Little Poor Girl

Edgar Jepson

An orphaned girl with a talent for survival navigates the absurdities of the British aristocracy, acting as both a secret housekeeper and a high-society stand-in for a missing young noblewoman.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of Harper's Young People, June 8, 1880: An Illustrated Weekly

Harper's Young People, June 8, 1880: An Illustrated Weekly

Various

HOOK This illustrated weekly archive captures the vibrant, inquisitive spirit of Victorian childhood through serialized adventure, natural history, and a bustling communal correspondence between young readers across America.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Harry Escombe: A Tale of Adventure in Peru

Harry Escombe: A Tale of Adventure in Peru

Harry Collingwood

A young engineer survives a near-fatal accident in the Andes, only to be mistaken for a long-lost god-king. This tale of survival and accidental divinity blends Victorian industrial optimism with the myth of a hidden civilization.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Helbeck of Bannisdale

Helbeck of Bannisdale

Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

A devout, ascetic landowner and a spirited, secular young woman collide in a desolate Northern landscape, where the weight of ancient religious tradition threatens to crush their budding, incompatible love.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Hugh: Memoirs of a Brother

Hugh: Memoirs of a Brother

Arthur Christopher Benson

A devoted brother maps the vibrant, restless life of a gifted priest, capturing the intimate, unvarnished portrait of a man who moved with singular intensity through faith and art.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Jeff Briggs's Love Story

Jeff Briggs's Love Story

Bret Harte

The rugged, rain-lashed landscape of a California mountain pass serves as the stage for a dramatic collision between a weary, romantic innkeeper and a refined, wealthy traveler. This tale of social divides, hidden debts, and the transformative power of love captures the fading spirit of the American frontier.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Joseph Smith as Scientist: A Contribution to Mormon Philosophy

Joseph Smith as Scientist: A Contribution to Mormon Philosophy

John Andreas Widtsoe

A rigorous attempt to synthesize the teachings of a nineteenth-century religious founder with the emerging physical laws of the early twentieth century.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of Letters from a Cat: Published by Her Mistress for the Benefit of All Cats and the Amusement of Little Children

Letters from a Cat: Published by Her Mistress for the Benefit of All Cats and the Amusement of Little Children

Helen Hunt Jackson

A devoted cat narrates her domestic trials, from accidental falls to narrow escapes, through a series of earnest, secret letters to her young mistress.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Life of Abraham Lincoln: Little Blue Book Ten Cent Pocket Series No. 324

Life of Abraham Lincoln: Little Blue Book Ten Cent Pocket Series No. 324

John Hugh Bowers

From the humble silence of a backwoods log cabin to the heavy burdens of the presidency, this account traces the steady, deliberate rise of a man defined by his honesty, his melancholy, and his profound empathy for humanity.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Life of Oliver Wendell Holmes

Life of Oliver Wendell Holmes

E. E. (Emma Elizabeth) Brown

A beloved physician and literary wit, this figure serves as a bridge between the intellectual rigor of early American medicine and the blossoming of a uniquely local, optimistic, and deeply humanistic literature.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Literary Hearthstones of Dixie

Literary Hearthstones of Dixie

La Salle Corbell Pickett

These essays preserve the vanishing domestic and creative worlds of nineteenth-century Southern writers, capturing the intimacy of their homes and the flickering spirit of their vanished era.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of 'Lizbeth of the Dale

'Lizbeth of the Dale

Mary Esther Miller MacGregor

The story of a spirited girl finding her way from a sheltered, rural upbringing to the complexities of adulthood, this narrative captures the enduring tension between family expectations and the pull of one’s own heart.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Lord John in New York

Lord John in New York

C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson

A wounded veteran finds himself entangled in a sinister conspiracy of high-stakes kidnapping, ancient family curses, and a relentless criminal mastermind known as Dr. Rameses.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of Memoirs of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and of the Court of Queen Anne Vol. 2 (of 2)

Memoirs of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and of the Court of Queen Anne Vol. 2 (of 2)

Thomson, A. T., Mrs.

A portrait of power and its inevitable erosion, these memoirs chart the rise and fall of a woman who shaped the trajectory of a throne. They remain a sharp, unvarnished look at the architecture of eighteenth-century influence.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Miscellanea

Miscellanea

Juliana Horatia Ewing

This collection gathers the stray threads of a prolific storyteller’s career, blending high-stakes Victorian melodrama with whimsical fables and informative cultural sketches. It serves as a rare, intimate look at the imagination of a writer who moved effortlessly between the domestic and the fantastic.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Miss Polly Wiggles

Miss Polly Wiggles

Edna Clark Davis

This story follows the sun-drenched, imaginative summer of the Eaton sisters—spirited Polly Wiggles, her sister Jeannette, and their mischievous younger sibling, Cubby—as they navigate the delights of their grandparents' country estate, "The Lilacs." Through a series of playful misadventures, May Day preparations,…

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Mitch Miller

Mitch Miller

Edgar Lee Masters

In a small Illinois town, two imaginative boys chase the ghosts of Mark Twain’s frontier as they search for treasure and meaning in a landscape rapidly losing its innocence.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Modern bookbindings: Their design and decoration

Modern bookbindings: Their design and decoration

S. T. (Sarah Treverbian) Prideaux

The revival of the bookbinding craft at the turn of the twentieth century marks a return to artistic integrity, where the physical object becomes a thoughtful reflection of the text it protects.

Art6 min read
Cover of Nacha Regules

Nacha Regules

Manuel Gálvez

HOOK A compassionate idealist attempts to rescue a woman from the grim underworld of early 20th-century Buenos Aires, only to discover that societal indifference is a far more formidable opponent than individual vice.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Neighbor Nelly Socks: Being the Sixth and Last Book of the Series

Neighbor Nelly Socks: Being the Sixth and Last Book of the Series

Sarah L. Barrow

This gentle Victorian story celebrates the simple, formative joys of childhood, emphasizing the importance of kindness, obedience, and the nurturing bonds between generations. It captures a fleeting world where a neighborly smile can bloom into a lifelong memory.

Children & Young Adult Reading7 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Number 184, May 7, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Number 184, May 7, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

This Victorian periodical serves as a communal clearinghouse for historical, linguistic, and scientific curiosities, functioning as a sprawling, crowdsourced archive for the inquisitive mind. It invites readers to contribute small findings and seek answers to obscure questions, preserving the ephemeral knowledge of…

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of On the right of the British line

On the right of the British line

Gilbert Nobbs

A man’s journey from the quiet anticipation of the English countryside to the harrowing front lines of the Somme, and finally into the cold reality of a German prisoner-of-war camp. This harrowing firsthand account offers an unvarnished look at the transition from civilian to soldier, the dehumanizing machinery of…

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Our Little French Cousin

Our Little French Cousin

Blanche McManus

This gentle window into early twentieth-century Normandy introduces young readers to the daily rhythms of a French farmhouse. It blends a domestic tale of childhood with a sincere effort to foster international goodwill.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Our Mr. Wrenn: The Romantic Adventures of a Gentle Man

Our Mr. Wrenn: The Romantic Adventures of a Gentle Man

Sinclair Lewis

Our Mr. Wrenn is a gentle, imaginative clerk who longs to trade his desk for the romantic landscapes of his daydreams. His quest for a grander life reveals the quiet, often hilarious tension between the world we inhabit and the worlds we invent.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Peace Manoeuvres

Peace Manoeuvres

Richard Harding Davis

A determined soldier and a reluctant woman collide when an innocent flirtation turns into a dangerous confrontation. A simple ruse leads to a surprising, high-stakes rescue in this brisk, atmospheric tale of love and duty.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Phroso: A Romance

Phroso: A Romance

Anthony Hope

A young nobleman’s dream of island seclusion shatters upon his arrival in a volatile, rugged corner of the Mediterranean, where ancient blood feuds and local secrets demand he fight for his life and his honor.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Poems, 1799

Poems, 1799

Robert Southey

This collection captures a world in transition, where the lingering superstitions of the past collide with the harsh, modern realities of poverty, war, and social displacement.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Porto Rico: Its History, Products and Possibilities

Porto Rico: Its History, Products and Possibilities

A. D. (Arthur D.) Hall

As the Spanish-American War concludes, a new American possession emerges in the Caribbean, promising both strategic naval advantage and a fertile garden for enterprise. This account captures the transition of power as the Stars and Stripes replace the Spanish flag over an island long defined by its history of…

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, August 22, 1917

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, August 22, 1917

Various

A vibrant, satirical mosaic of wartime British life, this collection captures the stiff upper lip, the shortages, and the absurdities of 1917 with biting, quintessentially English wit.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Riders of the Silences

Riders of the Silences

Max Brand

A young man’s vow of vengeance across the rugged Canadian wilderness entangles him with a legendary killer and a woman caught between two lives. This atmospheric tale captures the harsh beauty of the mountain desert and the relentless pull of destiny.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Rowdy of the Cross L

Rowdy of the Cross L

B. M. Bower

Rowdy Vaughan is a cowboy defined by his loyalty, a fierce temper, and a quiet capacity for tenderness, caught in a cycle of frontier conflict and romantic longing. This story follows his transformation from a wandering hand into a man who must weigh his own integrity against the bitter realities of a rival’s…

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Ruth Fielding in Moving Pictures

Ruth Fielding in Moving Pictures

Alice B. Emerson

A resourceful schoolgirl turns her penchant for storytelling into a cinematic crusade to save her burning boarding school.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Stone Art: Thirteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1891-1892, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1896, pages 47-178

Stone Art: Thirteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1891-1892, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1896, pages 47-178

Gerard Fowke

This meticulous catalog of ancient North American stone tools transforms thousands of scattered artifacts into a coherent narrative of human ingenuity, survival, and the universal patterns of early technology.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Stray Thoughts for Girls

Stray Thoughts for Girls

Lucy Helen Muriel Soulsby

To reach adulthood with grace, one must learn to balance the pursuit of high ideals with the quiet, often unglamorous duties of daily home life.

Children & Young Adult Reading7 min read
Cover of Survival Tactics

Survival Tactics

Al Sevcik

A lone scout must outwit an army of autonomous, mind-tracking machines before his wife’s ship lands on a lethal, alien jungle world. He fights not just to survive, but to save the woman he loves.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The American Missionary

The American Missionary

Various

This monthly periodical serves as a primary historical record of late 19th-century American home missions, documenting the ambitious social and educational crusade to integrate freedmen, Chinese immigrants, and indigenous populations into post-Civil War society.

History - American6 min read
Advertisement