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34,093 public-domain books, summarised. Page 486 of 711.

A Flat Iron for a Farthing
Juliana Horatia Ewing
This gentle, expansive memoir of an only son captures the quiet intensity of a Victorian childhood, where the gravity of small events—a lost tooth or a new toy—carries the weight of a world.

A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealings with George Müller. Part 1
George Müller
A record of profound reliance on prayer, this account traces the transformation of a wayward youth into a servant of the needy, demonstrating a radical commitment to trusting solely in divine provision for his life’s work.

A narrative of travels in northern Africa in the years 1818, 19, and 20
G. F. (George Francis) Lyon
A stark, meticulous record of a British mission’s desperate push into the heart of Northern Africa, this account captures the harrowing physical toll and cultural friction of early nineteenth-century desert exploration.

A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times: A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Editions
François Guizot
The sweep of French destiny unfolds through centuries of upheaval, from the ancient tribes of Gaul to the precipice of the Revolution. This chronicle maps the slow, painful crystallization of a nation.

A Woman of Genius
Mary Austin
A Woman of Genius Driven by a relentless, "unparented" creative hunger, a woman navigates the suffocating expectations of a small-town upbringing to forge an identity as a celebrated stage actress. She discovers that the price of such singular ambition is a lifelong tension between the demands of her work and the…

An Anglo-American Alliance: A Serio-Comic Romance and Forecast of the Future
Gregory Casparian
A whimsical blend of Edwardian political prophecy and unlikely romance, the narrative follows two devoted schoolmates whose bond transcends traditional gender roles and physical separation in an evolving 20th-century landscape.

Are You a Bromide?: The Sulphitic Theory Expounded and Exemplified According to the Most Recent Researches into the Psychology of Boredom, Including Many Well-Known Bromidioms Now in Use
Gelett Burgess
The divide between those who repeat the obvious and those who think for themselves is not just a matter of personality, but a fundamental fault line running through the heart of human society.

As Others Saw Him: A Retrospect, A.D. 54
Joseph Jacobs
A contemporary of the historical Jesus recounts the Nazarene’s life from the perspective of an observant Jewish scholar in Jerusalem, seeking to understand the man behind the myth.

As You Like It
William Shakespeare
A young woman, banished from a corrupt court, finds liberation in the guise of a man within the wild, untamed Forest of Arden. Amidst shifting identities and tangled romances, she orchestrates a joyful reconciliation for all.

Aunt Jane's Nieces
L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum
In this turn-of-the-century tale, a wealthy, embittered recluse invites her long-lost nieces to compete for her fortune, triggering a sequence of life-altering secrets and unexpected connections.

Austria-Hungary
G. E. (Geraldine Edith) Mitton
This guide to the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy serves as a comprehensive travelogue and historical primer for a vanished empire. It captures the spirit of early 20th-century Central Europe, balancing imperial politics with the intimate, rugged beauty of its diverse provinces.

Bruce of the Circle A
Harold Titus
The vast, unyielding landscapes of Arizona set the stage for a quiet struggle of character, as a lonely rancher attempts to redeem a broken man for the sake of the woman who loves him.

Cadet Days: A Story of West Point
Charles King
A young man from the frontier enters the crucible of military training, discovering that the true measure of a soldier lies not in bravado, but in the quiet, steady mastery of duty and self-discipline.

Caleb West, Master Diver
Francis Hopkinson Smith
A master diver and his young wife struggle to find their way back to one another after a painful betrayal, all set against the backdrop of a monumental engineering project in the open sea.

Campaigning in Cuba
George Kennan
This work offers a sobering, firsthand account of the chaos and human cost behind the American military victory in the Spanish-American War. It provides a rare look at the logistics of conflict through the eyes of a seasoned observer.

Catechism of the locomotive
Matthias N. (Matthias Nace) Forney
To understand the iron heart of the nineteenth-century locomotive, one must master the precise interplay of fire, water, steam, and steel. This manual serves as an exhaustive guide to the mechanical anatomy and operational philosophy of the machines that defined an era.

Chats on Angling
H. V. Hart-Davis
This collection of observations serves as an intimate guide for the dedicated angler, blending technical advice with the quiet, persistent philosophy of life by the riverside.

Clementina
A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason
A dashing, melancholic adventure of the Jacobite era, this narrative follows a loyal soldier’s quest to rescue a princess for his exiled king, only to find the true cost of duty and devotion.

Criticisms on "The Origin of Species": From 'The Natural History Review', 1864
Thomas Henry Huxley
This critical essay serves as a vigorous defense of evolutionary theory, written during the mid-19th century to address the skepticism and misunderstandings that surrounded the arrival of new scientific ideas. It is a work of intellectual combat, meticulously dismantling the arguments of those who failed to grasp…

Cymbeline
William Shakespeare
A princess disguises herself as a boy, a jealous husband wages a ruinous bet, and a king discovers his stolen legacy amidst the chaotic collision of ancient Britain and Rome.

Dave Porter and His Classmates
Edward Stratemeyer
A classic of turn-of-the-century juvenile literature, this novel captures the high-stakes camaraderie of boarding school life. It serves as a moral primer on integrity, teamwork, and the resilience required to overcome peer-driven adversity.

Diana Tempest, Volume I
Mary Cholmondeley
A legacy built on a lie haunts the lives of two cousins, setting in motion a dark cycle of inheritance, betrayal, and the crushing weight of a secret debt.

Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
George E. (George Ellsworth) Howard
HOOK This guide captures the late-nineteenth-century precision of American poultry farming, detailing the specific traits and management techniques required to raise ducks and geese for market.

Education in the Home, the Kindergarten, and the Primary School
Elizabeth Palmer Peabody
A pioneer of early childhood education outlines a philosophy of development that unites physical activity, moral growth, and a deep, intuitive connection to the natural world.

Excellent Women
Various
These accounts document the lives of several women whose private convictions propelled them into public service and enduring legacies. They reveal how profound religious faith reshaped the social and charitable landscape of the nineteenth century.

Fashion and Famine
Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens
A tale of two cities—one of desperate poverty, the other of hollow, gilded vanity—this narrative follows the collision of lives fractured by a single man's moral ruin.

Fields of Victory
Ward, Humphry, Mrs.
This historical account provides a firsthand, observational record of the Western Front immediately following the 1918 Armistice, grounding the monumental scale of the Great War in the strategic decisions and human endurance of those who saw it through.

"Five-Head" Creek
Louis Becke
A solitary man confronts the harsh extremes of the Australian wilderness, finding beauty and sustenance in the cycles of the natural world before reflecting on the fragile, disappearing traditions of the Pacific.

Germany, Bohemia, and Hungary, Visited in 1837. Vol. II
G. R. (George Robert) Gleig
This account captures a nineteenth-century pedestrian tour through the heart of Europe, blending lighthearted travelogue with keen observations of rural life, local customs, and historical landmarks. It offers a rare, intimate look at the Bohemian landscape as it appeared in 1837.

Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48, June, 1854
Various
A curated collection of mid-nineteenth-century domesticity, this periodical captures the intricate tapestry of Victorian life, from the precise art of garment-making to the anxieties of the era’s social expectations.

Grandmother Elsie
Martha Finley
A multi-generational family navigates the joys and heavy responsibilities of Christian duty, marriage, and child-rearing in this reflective tale of domestic life.

Half hours on the quarter-deck: The Spanish Armada to Sir Cloudesley Shovel 1670
Anonymous
This collection of naval accounts chronicles the rise of British maritime power, from the defeat of the Spanish Armada to the late seventeenth century. It serves as a stirring testament to the endurance of England’s early sailors.

How It Feels to Be Fifty
Ellis Parker Butler
Life at fifty is not the descent into a quiet valley that society suggests, but rather the exhilarating start of a new, more capable chapter of existence. Age is merely a number that holds no power over a mind fully committed to the work and play ahead.

Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater
Vance Barnum
A young circus star faces mounting sabotage while striving to create the most daring act of his career: the sensational "blazing banquet.

Larry Dexter's Great Search
Howard Roger Garis
The hunt for a missing millionaire pulls a young reporter into a web of political intrigue and maritime danger, testing his tenacity in a city where every scoop is a race against the clock.

Lessons from the life of Florence Nightingale
Charlotte A. (Charlotte Albina) Aikens
This work examines the transformation of nursing from a social afterthought into a disciplined, respected profession. It serves as a study of the character, grit, and administrative genius required to change a nation’s medical landscape.

Little Folks Astray
Sophie May
The wide world is made for wandering, but for children, those wanderings often lead to lessons that humble the proudest hearts.

Little Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor, Volume II
Unknown
This collection gathers the spirited, often irreverent voices that defined late nineteenth-century American humor. It offers a window into a past where wit was as likely to be found in a regional tall tale as in a sharp social satire.

Lords of the World: A story of the fall of Carthage and Corinth
Alfred John Church
The relentless march of Roman dominance in 146 B.C. forces a young Greek to choose between his heritage and the inevitable tide of history. As Carthage and Corinth crumble, a witness to their destruction seeks a new horizon for his people.

Louis' School Days: A Story for Boys
E. J. (Edith J.) May
A young boy struggles to maintain his faith and integrity amidst the shifting loyalties and harsh social hierarchies of an English boarding school.

Love's Coming-of-Age: A series of papers on the relations of the sexes
Edward Carpenter
This work examines the stifling impact of Victorian social conventions on human connection, arguing that true intimacy requires sexual honesty, economic equality, and the abandonment of possessive marriage models.

Ma Pettengill
Harry Leon Wilson
A sharp-witted ranch owner in Washington state oversees her corner of the American West, finding endless, wry comedy in the eccentric characters who wander across her porch.

Masters of deceit
J. Edgar (John Edgar) Hoover
This book serves as a comprehensive primer on the internal mechanics, historical foundations, and operational strategies of the Communist Party in the United States, written from the perspective of federal law enforcement.

May Flowers
Louisa May Alcott
Young women seek to transform their comfortable lives into something meaningful by committing to individual acts of secret service. Through personal dedication, they learn that true charity requires both practical effort and a compassionate heart.

Memoir of the Life and Services of Vice-Admiral Sir Jahleel Brenton, Baronet, K.C.B
Unknown
A portrait of a nineteenth-century naval officer whose life of professional brilliance and personal tragedy becomes a meditation on the quiet strength of Christian character.

Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Volume 7: Being the Historic Memoirs of Madam Campan, First Lady in Waiting to the Queen
Mme. (Jeanne-Louise-Henriette) Campan
A firsthand account of the final years of the Bourbon monarchy, this narrative chronicles the descent of a royal family from the splendor of Versailles to the isolation of the Temple prison.

Midwifery and the diseases of women
Joel Shew
This practical manual serves as a nineteenth-century guide to women’s health, arguing that hydropathy—the systematic use of water, diet, and exercise—offers a superior alternative to the era’s often-dangerous medical interventions.

Mildred at Home: With Something About Her Relatives and Friends.: A sequel to Mildred's married life
Martha Finley
In this gentle, reflective chronicle of family life and faith, a tight-knit circle of relatives navigates the profound transitions of grief, marriage, and restoration. The narrative finds grace in the quiet endurance of daily duty.