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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 498 of 988.

Cover of Shakespeare: A Lecture

Shakespeare: A Lecture

Robert Green Ingersoll

The greatest mind in human history remains a mystery, a figure of humble origins who transformed the English language into an infinite mirror of our own souls.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of She Would Be a Soldier

She Would Be a Soldier

M. M. (Mordecai Manuel) Noah

A young woman disguises herself as a soldier to escape an arranged marriage, only to find herself facing a firing squad on the front lines of the War of 1812.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Sketches from Concord and Appledore: Concord thirty years ago

Sketches from Concord and Appledore: Concord thirty years ago

Frank Preston Stearns

A personal window into the intellectual life of nineteenth-century New England, this collection captures the fading echoes of a remarkable literary circle.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Song and Legend from the Middle Ages

Song and Legend from the Middle Ages

Unknown

A gateway to the foundational rhythms of the Western imagination, these collected poems and legends offer a panoramic view of the medieval soul.

History - Medieval/Middle Ages7 min read
Cover of Special talents and defects

Special talents and defects

Leta Stetter Hollingworth

This study offers a foundational look at the nature of human aptitude, arguing that while general intelligence is a powerful predictor of success, specific talents and defects often operate independently of that baseline.

Psychiatry/Psychology5 min read
Cover of Stories of Exile

Stories of Exile

Unknown

Displaced souls wander through landscapes both real and imagined, searching for home while defined by the heavy weight of their separation.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Sunset's Cabin Plan Book

Sunset's Cabin Plan Book

Unknown

This is a practical, mid-century guide to the design and construction of vacation homes, blending romantic visions of woodland retreats with the grounded realities of forest permits, plumbing, and masonry. It serves as a bridge between the dream of escaping to the wilderness and the technical requirements of…

Architecture6 min read
Cover of The Amethyst Ring

The Amethyst Ring

Anatole France

This is a biting, satirical dissection of late 19th-century French society, where vanity, political opportunism, and religious hypocrisy collide in the shadow of a national scandal.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Barb and the Bridle: A Handbook of Equitation for Ladies, and Manual of Instruction in the Science of Riding, from the Preparatory Suppling Exercises

The Barb and the Bridle: A Handbook of Equitation for Ladies, and Manual of Instruction in the Science of Riding, from the Preparatory Suppling Exercises

Henderson, Robert, active 1866-1874

This manual offers a disciplined, Victorian-era guide for women seeking to master the art of equitation, blending strict technical instruction with a robust defense of riding as both a physical accomplishment and a vital skill.

Health & Medicine7 min read
Cover of The Bible, King James version, Book 23: Isaiah

The Bible, King James version, Book 23: Isaiah

Anonymous

The voice of a prophet calls a nation to account for its failures, blending harsh warnings of inevitable destruction with profound visions of ultimate restoration and peace.

Religion/Spirituality7 min read
Cover of The Crowded Street

The Crowded Street

Winifred Holtby

A young woman’s search for purpose in early 20th-century Yorkshire is a battle against the suffocating expectations of a society that values marriage above all else. This narrative explores the cost of that stifling conformity.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Czar

The Czar

Deborah Alcock

The nineteenth century begins with a young Russian boyar, his life forever changed by a glimpse of the enigmatic Czar Alexander. This sweeping narrative captures the tumultuous intersection of personal growth and imperial history.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of The Daffodil Fields

The Daffodil Fields

John Masefield

The daffodils bloom in a landscape of quiet English tragedy, where human desire proves as fleeting and uncontrollable as the seasons themselves. This narrative poem traces the devastating collision of three lives bound by ancient geography and modern restlessness.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Face of the Fields

The Face of the Fields

Dallas Lore Sharp

The natural world offers a quiet, essential sanctuary from the relentless pace of modern life, providing a perspective that reaches far beyond the ticking of a clock. Through attentive observation of the fields, one discovers a profound sense of scale and peace.

Nature/Gardening/Animals6 min read
Cover of The Fortunate Foundlings: Being the Genuine History of Colonel M——Rs, and His Sister, Madam Du P——Y, the Issue of the Hon. Ch——Es M——Rs, Son of the Late Duke of R—— L——D. Containing Many Wonderful Accidents That Befel Them in Their Travels, and Interspersed with the Characters and Adventures of Several Persons of Condition, In the Most Polite Courts of Europe. the Whole Calculated for the Entertainment and Improvement of the Youth of Both Sexes

The Fortunate Foundlings: Being the Genuine History of Colonel M——Rs, and His Sister, Madam Du P——Y, the Issue of the Hon. Ch——Es M——Rs, Son of the Late Duke of R—— L——D. Containing Many Wonderful Accidents That Befel Them in Their Travels, and Interspersed with the Characters and Adventures of Several Persons of Condition, In the Most Polite Courts of Europe. the Whole Calculated for the Entertainment and Improvement of the Youth of Both Sexes

Eliza Fowler Haywood

Separated in childhood and raised by a benefactor, two siblings navigate the perils of 18th-century Europe. Their journey is a testament to the idea that virtue, rather than birth, determines true nobility.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Garden of Bright Waters: One Hundred and Twenty Asiatic Love Poems

The Garden of Bright Waters: One Hundred and Twenty Asiatic Love Poems

E. Powys (Edward Powys) Mathers

This collection gathers brief, lyrical snapshots of longing and loss from across Asia, capturing the universal pulse of desire through the voices of poets centuries apart.

Poetry5 min read
Cover of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 989, December 10, 1898

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 989, December 10, 1898

Various

Amidst the lingering Victorian dread of Napoleonic invasion and the domestic pressures of rigorous education, a collection of stories and advice offers a window into the anxieties of the late nineteenth century.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Great Gold Rush: A Tale of the Klondike

The Great Gold Rush: A Tale of the Klondike

W. H. P. (William Henry Pope) Jarvis

This atmospheric novel captures the grit, corruption, and fragile optimism of the Klondike Gold Rush, told through the eyes of those chasing fortune in the frozen North.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Great Prince Shan

The Great Prince Shan

E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim

HOOK A sophisticated political thriller set in post-war London, where a noble lord must navigate a web of foreign intrigue and the magnetic, mysterious presence of an Eastern prince.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of The Haunted Homestead: A Novel

The Haunted Homestead: A Novel

Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth

A young woman’s skeptical search for spectral encounters in a mysterious residence gives way to a sprawling, tragic meditation on the inescapable chains of the American past.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Heart of Rachael

The Heart of Rachael

Kathleen Thompson Norris

The pursuit of personal happiness often masks a deeper, more destructive restlessness. This story examines the high cost of choosing individual fulfillment over the enduring, complex obligations of marriage.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Heiress

The Heiress

John Burgoyne

A satire of manners where love, social status, and legal trickery collide, this play exposes the cold calculations of the wealthy and the quiet resilience of those they underestimate.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Honey-Bee: Its Natural History, Physiology and Management

The Honey-Bee: Its Natural History, Physiology and Management

Edward Bevan

A scientific inquiry into the natural history and practical care of honey-bees, this work blends eighteenth-century natural philosophy with the foundational observations of early apiarists.

History - Other7 min read
Cover of The Imported Bridegroom, and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto

The Imported Bridegroom, and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto

Abraham Cahan

These stories map the collision between Old World piety and the raw, transformative energy of the New York immigrant experience. They capture the intimate friction of lives caught between tradition and modern American independence.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Jesuit Missions

The Jesuit Missions

Thomas Guthrie Marquis

The Jesuit Missions chronicles the rigorous, often fatal, efforts of seventeenth-century missionaries to establish Christianity within the vast, untamed wilderness of New France. It stands as a testament to the endurance of faith under extreme physical and psychological duress.

History - American6 min read
Cover of The man elephant

The man elephant

Unknown

The stories in this collection serve as a bridge to a bygone era of folklore, where the natural world and the supernatural are inextricably linked. They offer a unique lens through which to view human frailties and virtues.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The Man-Wolf and Other Tales

The Man-Wolf and Other Tales

Erckmann-Chatrian

Tales of the uncanny and the wild, these stories bridge the gap between historical reality and the dark, lingering superstitions of the rugged Vosges mountains.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Miraculous Pitcher: (From: "A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys")

The Miraculous Pitcher: (From: "A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys")

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Two humble villagers discover that a simple act of kindness toward disguised gods can transform their world and secure their legacy forever. This retelling of a classic myth balances wonder with a gentle moral lesson on the virtue of hospitality.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The octopus

The octopus

Henry Lee

A curious blend of rigorous scientific observation and Victorian-era storytelling, this work strips away the mythic terror surrounding the octopus to reveal a fascinating, complex creature of the deep.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The poisoned paradise: A romance of Monte Carlo

The poisoned paradise: A romance of Monte Carlo

Robert W. (Robert William) Service

A young artist finds his life unspooling in the glittering, lethal orbit of Monte Carlo. In this atmospheric tale of obsession, a simple man discovers that the price of sudden fortune is often paid in blood.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Queen Against Owen

The Queen Against Owen

Allen Upward

A murder trial becomes a psychological battleground as a young woman’s defense attorney hides a sinister, obsessive agenda behind his courtroom performance.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Retreat from Mons: By one who shared in it

The Retreat from Mons: By one who shared in it

Arthur Corbett-Smith

The British Expeditionary Force faces an overwhelming enemy tide in the opening weeks of the Great War. This account captures the harrowing, desperate withdrawal from Mons through the eyes of those who endured it.

History - British7 min read
Cover of The Rocket Book

The Rocket Book

Peter Newell

A mischievous boy’s spark in the basement sends a rogue firework on a chaotic, floor-by-floor ascent through a crowded apartment building. This whimsical, rhyming narrative captures the absurdity of a vertical disaster unfolding in real-time.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Sa'-Zada Tales

The Sa'-Zada Tales

William Alexander Fraser

A group of captive animals, gathered in a sanctuary, trade harrowing tales of their past lives in the wild and their eventual encounters with humanity.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories

The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories

Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell

A series of intense, dramatic tales of love, sacrifice, and the hidden depths of the human heart, where the most formidable obstacles are often the ones we build within ourselves.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Secrets of the German War Office

The Secrets of the German War Office

Armgaard Karl Graves

A self-proclaimed German spy details the clandestine maneuvers, political intrigues, and military preparations that preceded the outbreak of the First World War.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Tenants of Malory, Volume 2

The Tenants of Malory, Volume 2

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

A web of debt, long-hidden secrets, and the social ambitions of the English aristocracy entangle the inhabitants of a small Welsh town. This intricate mystery chronicles the quiet desperation of those waiting for their pasts to catch up with them.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Wanderer

The Wanderer

Fanny Burney

A refugee from the French Revolution attempts to build a life in England while burdened by a secret, a mysterious husband, and the relentless suspicion of a society that views her independence as a moral failing.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Three Heroines of New England Romance: Their true stories herein set forth by Mrs Harriet Spoffard, Miss Louise Imogen Guiney, and Miss Alice Brown

Three Heroines of New England Romance: Their true stories herein set forth by Mrs Harriet Spoffard, Miss Louise Imogen Guiney, and Miss Alice Brown

Alice Brown

This collection of true histories excavates the lives of three legendary women, blending folklore with historical research to reveal the human stories beneath the polished myths of New England’s past.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Through the school: The experiences of a mill boy in securing an education

Through the school: The experiences of a mill boy in securing an education

Frederic Kenyon Brown

A nineteen-year-old mill worker arrives at a university with little more than three dollars and an unwavering resolve to educate himself. This account traces his journey from a manual laborer to a college graduate, revealing the profound personal costs and triumphs of such an ascent.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910: The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad

Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910: The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad

Alfred Noble

This volume provides an authoritative, technical record of the monumental engineering effort required to extend the Pennsylvania Railroad into the heart of New York City through sub-aqueous tunnels. It is a work of immense structural ambition, tracing the transformation of Manhattan’s subterranean geography through…

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Two Thousand Miles Below

Two Thousand Miles Below

Charles Willard Diffin

HOOK When a remote volcanic crater reveals a subterranean civilization armed with lethal fire-projectors, two men must plunge into the earth’s core to avert a global catastrophe.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Two Years Ago, Volume I

Two Years Ago, Volume I

Charles Kingsley

The heavy air of a stifling summer day, the quiet desperation of a village locked in social stagnation, and the arrival of a man who refuses to look away from the rot beneath the surface.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Up the Hill and Over

Up the Hill and Over

Isabel Ecclestone Mackay

A weary, wandering physician and a spirited schoolteacher find their lives inextricably bound by the secrets and fragile hopes of a quiet Canadian town.

Novels7 min read
Cover of Ways of War and Peace

Ways of War and Peace

Delia Austrian

This account captures the sudden, disorienting transition from peacetime travel to the outbreak of the Great War. It offers a rare, firsthand view of the chaos faced by stranded civilians as they navigate a collapsing European order.

History - Modern (1750+)6 min read
Cover of Westways: A Village Chronicle

Westways: A Village Chronicle

S. Weir (Silas Weir) Mitchell

A village in Pennsylvania becomes a microcosm of a nation divided, as the lives of its inhabitants are irrevocably altered by the gathering storm of the American Civil War.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Where the World is Quiet

Where the World is Quiet

Henry Kuttner

This story follows an anthropologist who wanders into a hidden Andean valley, where a temporal rupture has trapped an alien flower-being, her robot, and a parasitic entity that feeds on human minds.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of Who Was She?: From "The Atlantic Monthly" for September, 1874

Who Was She?: From "The Atlantic Monthly" for September, 1874

Bayard Taylor

A man receives a series of mysterious letters from an anonymous woman, leading him on a long, introspective quest to identify her among his social acquaintances.

Novels5 min read