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All free summaries — page 487

47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 487 of 988.

Cover of Sand dunes story

Sand dunes story

Donna P. (Donna Paul) Bessken

The Death Valley sand dunes are not merely piles of lifeless sand; they are a complex, shifting ecosystem defined by the interplay of wind, geology, and resilient desert life.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Scientific American magazine Vol 2. No. 3 Oct 10 1846: The Advocate of Industry and Journal of Scientific

Scientific American magazine Vol 2. No. 3 Oct 10 1846: The Advocate of Industry and Journal of Scientific

Various

Mechanical ingenuity and civic ambition march together in an era of rapid American industrial expansion.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Soap-bubble stories

Soap-bubble stories

Fanny Barry

Lit by firelight while snow falls outside, these tales carry a quiet magic that makes ordinary objects and odd little creatures feel fully alive.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Something about Eve: A comedy of fig-leaves

Something about Eve: A comedy of fig-leaves

James Branch Cabell

A young man abandons his mundane life to pursue a legendary kingdom, only to discover that the truest destination is the bittersweet architecture of his own imagination.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Stanley's Adventures in the Wilds of Africa: A Graphic Account of the Several Expeditions of Henry M. Stanley into the Heart of the Dark Continent

Stanley's Adventures in the Wilds of Africa: A Graphic Account of the Several Expeditions of Henry M. Stanley into the Heart of the Dark Continent

Joel Tyler Headley

A single man marches into unmapped forests, braving starvation, fever, and hostile arrows to redrawn the map of a continent.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Stories of the East

Stories of the East

Leonard Woolf

Behind the polished veneer of imperial administration lies a quiet, unsparing examination of human delusion, cultural friction, and the fragile illusions that men construct to survive in unfamiliar worlds.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Subspeciation in the Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys ordii: KU. Vol 1 No 23

Subspeciation in the Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys ordii: KU. Vol 1 No 23

Henry W. Setzer

An exhaustive survey of North America’s most widespread kangaroo rat reveals how shifting landscapes and physical isolation shape the origin of species.

Archaeology & Anthropology5 min read
Cover of Tales of Three Hemispheres

Tales of Three Hemispheres

Lord Dunsany

A dreamer slips across the fragile border between our world and the realm of myth, where timeless rivers flow past immortal cities and the gods themselves fall asleep.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy8 min read
Cover of The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel

The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel

Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess

A frantic, chattering squirrel makes a hairbreadth escape, lands in a human house, and discovers that the terrifying world of big hands and iron cages is not as hostile as he believed.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The American Missionary

The American Missionary

Various

Faithful service in wartime and the peaceful work of education offer the ultimate proof of equal citizenship.

History - American6 min read
Cover of The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 08, No. 49, November, 1861: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics

The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 08, No. 49, November, 1861: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics

Various

Framing human struggle through personal memoirs, romantic fables, military dispatches, and sharp political critique, this issue captures a nation attempting to understand its own ideals amidst impending unraveling.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Bible, King James version, Book 43: John

The Bible, King James version, Book 43: John

Anonymous

A cosmic origin opens into an earthly life of signs, dramatic encounters, and mounting conflict, culminating in a death that transforms into unexpected presence.

Religion/Spirituality6 min read
Cover of The book of antelopes, vol. 4 (of 4)

The book of antelopes, vol. 4 (of 4)

Philip Lutley Sclater

An authoritative guide to the continent's wild bovines, blending precise physical descriptions with field accounts to classify every known species across Africa and Asia.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference5 min read
Cover of The City of Pleasure

The City of Pleasure

Arnold Bennett

Behind the dazzling lights and swelling bandstands of a colossal Victorian pleasure park, two wildly different men play a high-stakes game of greed, theatrical pride, and deadly revenge.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Dawn of All

The Dawn of All

Robert Hugh Benson

A man wakes in a future where Catholic authority rules the globe, forced to navigate a world that feels both saintly and terrifyingly absolute.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Hell, Volume 05

The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Hell, Volume 05

Dante Alighieri

A trembling pilgrim descends into the burning city of Dis, guided by a poet through circles where heretics burn in open tombs and tyrants boil in rivers of blood.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of The Epic of Paul

The Epic of Paul

William Cleaver Wilkinson

A vast, blank-verse retelling of the apostle’s later life, this narrative tracks a relentless campaign of spiritual devotion, political intrigue, and personal transformation across the ancient Mediterranean.

Historical Novels7 min read
Cover of The Fatal Cord, and The Falcon Rover

The Fatal Cord, and The Falcon Rover

Mayne Reid

Underneath the tangle of backwoods rivalries and high-seas treachery lies a breathlessly paced story of greed, identity, and the long reach of hidden crimes.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Gayton Scholarship: A School Story

The Gayton Scholarship: A School Story

Herbert Hayens

A spirited British schoolboy must navigate sudden poverty, fierce academic competition, and a false accusation of theft while striving to support his family and build a honorable future.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Ghost of Guir House

The Ghost of Guir House

Charles Willing Beale

A young man travels to a remote Virginia estate following a misdirected letter, only to find himself entangled in an eerie world of ancient secrets, occult philosophy, and spectral encounters.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of The Great Gray Plague

The Great Gray Plague

Raymond F. Jones

Conconformity is a dull gray fog, but a radical shake-up can clear the air.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Great White Queen: A Tale of Treasure and Treason

The Great White Queen: A Tale of Treasure and Treason

William Le Queux

Traversing untamed West African forests and hidden mountain passes, two young men navigate deadly fetishes, bloodthirsty tyrants, and sweeping battles to reclaim a lost empire.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Hand of Fu-Manchu: Being a New Phase in the Activities of Fu-Manchu, the Devil Doctor

The Hand of Fu-Manchu: Being a New Phase in the Activities of Fu-Manchu, the Devil Doctor

Sax Rohmer

A relentless enemy moves through the shadows of fog-bound London, driving a small group of allies across ancient manors, secret passages, and subterranean dens in a desperate, high-stakes battle against an international criminal conspiracy.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Hart and the Water-Brooks: a practical exposition of the forty-second Psalm

The Hart and the Water-Brooks: a practical exposition of the forty-second Psalm

John R. (John Ross) Macduff

A wounded deer panting for mountain streams becomes the timeless symbol for a human soul stranded in dark places. Throughverse-by-verse reflections, this classic study maps the inner path from spiritual isolation to quiet trust.

Religion/Spirituality6 min read
Cover of The Highwayman

The Highwayman

H. C. (Henry Christopher) Bailey

Two cynical cynics clash, wed, and part in Queen Anne’s intrigue-ridden England before discovering the price of pride and the necessity of honest affection.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The History of the Revolutions of Portugal

The History of the Revolutions of Portugal

abbé de Vertot

An empire’s liberty hinges on a midnight plot, where a reluctant prince is coaxed onto a throne to sever a nation from foreign bondage.

History - European6 min read
Cover of The Indiscretion of the Duchess: Being a Story Concerning Two Ladies, a Nobleman, and a Necklace

The Indiscretion of the Duchess: Being a Story Concerning Two Ladies, a Nobleman, and a Necklace

Anthony Hope

A young Englishman's sudden journey across Normandy entangles him in a high-stakes duel, a missing diamond necklace, and a dangerous game of love between a headstrong duchess and her rivals.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The influence and development of English gilds

The influence and development of English gilds

Francis Aidan Hibbert

A rigorous study of English trade fraternities reveals how local municipal bodies shaped medieval economic life, fostered community responsibility, and ultimately yielded to the pressures of modern industrialization.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Inquisition

The Inquisition

Hoffman Nickerson

An exploration of how coercive authority emerges, this study examines the military campaign that laid the groundwork for institutionalized religious persecution in the Middle Ages.

History - European6 min read
Cover of The Iron Pincers

The Iron Pincers

Eugène Sue

A innocent serf and a noble troubadour flee the decadent excess of northern courts only to find their haven engulfed by fire and sword.

Historical Novels7 min read
Cover of The Laws of War, Affecting Commerce and Shipping

The Laws of War, Affecting Commerce and Shipping

H. Byerley (Henry Byerley) Thomson

When a state enters a conflict, the sudden shift transforms everyday commerce, vessel ownership, and sea-lane passage into immediate questions of legality.

Business/Management5 min read
Cover of The Lights of the Church and the Light of Science: Essay #6 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition"

The Lights of the Church and the Light of Science: Essay #6 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition"

Thomas Henry Huxley

Science and religion clash over whether ancient Scriptural accounts of physical events can withstand the rigorous standards of modern historical and scientific criticism.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Little Nugget

The Little Nugget

P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

When an over-pampered American millionaire's son becomes the most sought-after prize for competing kidnappers at a quiet English prep school, love, honor, and sudden violence collide in unexpected ways.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Little Princess of Tower Hill

The Little Princess of Tower Hill

L. T. Meade

Pampered and headstrong, an aristocratic young girl discovers that true nobility lies in empathy and self-sacrifice when a brush with hardship shifts her world.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Little Review, March 1915 (Vol. 2, No. 1)

The Little Review, March 1915 (Vol. 2, No. 1)

Various

A fierce, vital snapshot of early twentieth-century American modernism captures a culture at a crossroads, where radical theatrical experiments, unyielding political critiques, and avant-garde verse collide against the darkening backdrop of global war.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Lost Treasure of Trevlyn: A Story of the Days of the Gunpowder Plot

The Lost Treasure of Trevlyn: A Story of the Days of the Gunpowder Plot

Evelyn Everett-Green

A long-buried family fortune, a fanatical household, and the shadow of the Gunpowder Plot drive a cast of young relatives into a web of forest outlaws, concealed priests, and high-stakes intrigue.

Adventure8 min read
Cover of The Memoirs of a White Elephant

The Memoirs of a White Elephant

Judith Gautier

A grand white elephant recounts his legendary life from wild forest youth to royal glory, battlefield capture, loss, and ultimate redemption.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms: Or Lost in the Wilds of Florida

The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms: Or Lost in the Wilds of Florida

Laura Lee Hope

A roving silent-film troupe braves ocean disasters and swampy backwaters to shoot melodramatic photoplays against the wild backdrops of early twentieth-century Florida.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Old Front Line

The Old Front Line

John Masefield

A stark, methodical inventory of the British front line before the July 1916 offensive, tracing every chalk ridge, ruined copse, and barbed-wire entanglement where thousands marched toward catastrophic fire.

History - Modern (1750+)5 min read
Cover of The Pearl Fishers

The Pearl Fishers

H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole

Cast away on a low Pacific atoll, a practical seaman and an enigmatic German thinker turn a wrecked trading vessel and a secret lagoon into a high-stakes pearl-fishery.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The Phantom Treasure

The Phantom Treasure

Harriet Pyne Grove

A young girl's search for belonging in an unfamiliar ancestral home yields unexpected family secrets, eerie noises, and a hidden path to her past.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Pharaohs and Their People: Scenes of old Egyptian life and history

The Pharaohs and Their People: Scenes of old Egyptian life and history

E. Berkley

Beneath the shadow of silent pyramids and vast temple ruins lies a human world of ambition, craft, piety, and power.

History - Ancient5 min read
Cover of The Piskey-Purse: Legends and Tales of North Cornwall

The Piskey-Purse: Legends and Tales of North Cornwall

Enys Tregarthen

Coastal Cornwall harbors ancient creatures in its cliffs, moors, and well-springs, where human kindness toward the Small People is rewarded and greed earns bitter tricks.

Children & Young Adult Reading8 min read
Cover of The Polly Page Yacht Club

The Polly Page Yacht Club

Izola L. (Izola Louise) Forrester

A summer spent learning the ways of the sea becomes a transformative chapter of independence for a group of spirited Virginia schoolmates.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Prairie Flower: A Tale of the Indian Border

The Prairie Flower: A Tale of the Indian Border

Gustave Aimard

A European nobleman, a renegade revolutionary, and a vengeful mother cross paths along the 1830s Missouri River.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Prisoner at the Bar: Sidelights on the Administration of Criminal Justice

The Prisoner at the Bar: Sidelights on the Administration of Criminal Justice

Arthur Cheney Train

This examination of the American criminal justice system offers a rare, behind-the-scenes view of the law in motion, written by an insider who knows exactly how the gears of justice grind.

Law & Criminology6 min read
Cover of The Road to Mandalay: A Tale of Burma

The Road to Mandalay: A Tale of Burma

B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker

Driven into exile by his father’s death and his mother’s vanity, a young Englishman seeks his fortune in colonial Rangoon, only to find himself entangled in a vast, dark web of drug trafficking, treason, and hidden vice.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Romance of the Ranchos

The Romance of the Ranchos

E. Palmer (Edmund Palmer) Conner

Beneath the modern asphalt of Los Angeles lies a forgotten geography of vast Spanish land grants, where fortune shifted with a single drought, a bad mortgage, or a glass of wine.

History - American6 min read