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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 535 of 988.

Cover of Dwellers in the Hills

Dwellers in the Hills

Melville Davisson Post

A young man and his companions navigate the treacherous, shadowed world of West Virginia cattle driving, where the stakes are life, fortune, and the preservation of a brother’s honor.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Elementary Instruction in the Art of Illuminating and Missal Painting on Vellum: A Guide to Modern Illuminators

Elementary Instruction in the Art of Illuminating and Missal Painting on Vellum: A Guide to Modern Illuminators

D. (David) Laurent de Lara

This guide revives the Victorian passion for medieval artistry, transforming the meticulous craft of manuscript illumination into an accessible, nineteenth-century pursuit for the modern amateur.

Art6 min read
Cover of Erskine Dale—Pioneer

Erskine Dale—Pioneer

Fox, John, Jr.

A boy raised by the Shawnee returns to the world of his ancestors, only to find himself caught between two warring cultures and the pull of a woman who represents the life he once lost.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Essays of Michel de Montaigne

Essays of Michel de Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne

The mind is a mirror reflecting a world in constant flux, and these reflections offer the most honest map we have of our own internal landscapes.

Classics of Literature7 min read
Cover of Ethel Morton at Chautauqua

Ethel Morton at Chautauqua

Mabell S. C. (Mabell Shippie Clarke) Smith

A multi-generational family spends a transformative summer at an educational lakeside retreat, finding purpose through hard work, civic engagement, and the bonds of a new friendship.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Flemington

Flemington

Violet Jacob

A young painter finds himself caught between opposing loyalties in the Jacobite Rebellion, navigating a landscape where the only certainty is the shifting nature of men's hearts.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of For the Soul of Rafael

For the Soul of Rafael

Marah Ellis Ryan

This story of shadowed romance and cultural transition captures the twilight of the old Spanish California era. It follows the quiet, heavy burden of a woman bound by duty to a man who lives in the light of gold and vanity.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Girls New and Old

Girls New and Old

L. T. Meade

A spirited schoolgirl finds her loyalties and pride tested when a secret web of rumors threatens her future, forcing her to choose between bitter isolation and the grace of forgiveness.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Helen of the Old House

Helen of the Old House

Harold Bell Wright

The industrial heart of a small city beats with the rhythm of one massive mill, where class lines harden and a wealthy family finds their privilege challenged by the returning veterans of a war-torn world.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of History of the Confederate Powder Works

History of the Confederate Powder Works

George Washington Rains

The Confederacy enters the Civil War with almost no gunpowder and no means to produce it, forcing a desperate, scientific race against time to prevent total military collapse.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of In Our Convent Days

In Our Convent Days

Agnes Repplier

A childhood spent within the rhythmic, cloistered walls of a convent is captured with wit and affection, revealing the intensity of a world where small dramas assume the scale of epic history.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Ingersoll in Canada: A Reply to Wendling, Archbishop Lynch, Bystander

Ingersoll in Canada: A Reply to Wendling, Archbishop Lynch, Bystander

Allen Pringle

Intellectual freedom demands the courage to question long-held dogmas, even when such skepticism invites social ostracization or the wrath of religious authorities. This impassioned pamphlet serves as a staunch defense of rational inquiry, positioning the right to dissent as the ultimate foundation of a progressive…

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of Jasper

Jasper

Mrs. Molesworth

The comfort of a life of privilege vanishes overnight, forcing a sheltered family to confront the realities of loss, hard work, and the consequences of their own selfishness.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Laments

Laments

Jan Kochanowski

The grief of a father who has lost his young daughter is not merely a private tragedy; it is the catalyst for a profound journey through philosophy, doubt, and, ultimately, spiritual reconciliation.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Let Us Kiss and Part

Let Us Kiss and Part

Miller, Alex. McVeigh, Mrs.

The lives of the star-crossed and the desperate collide in a whirlwind of Victorian melodrama, where stolen children, social climbing, and romantic betrayals test the limits of human endurance.

Novels6 min read
Cover of March Anson and Scoot Bailey of the U.S. Navy

March Anson and Scoot Bailey of the U.S. Navy

Marshall McClintock

This wartime adventure captures the intense, specialized training and courageous spirit of two young sailors serving in the Pacific theater. It is a straightforward, patriotic narrative that bridges the divide between life on the open sea and the hidden, high-stakes world of submarine warfare.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Memoirs of Aaron Burr, Volume 1

Memoirs of Aaron Burr, Volume 1

Aaron Burr

A controversial figure of the early American Republic steps out from behind the shadow of his reputation to offer an intimate, self-authored account of his formative years, military service, and political life.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Mountains and molehills

Mountains and molehills

Frank Marryat

A traveler’s candid account of the California Gold Rush, where the true fortune is found in the relentless, gritty spirit of those who build a society from the ashes of disaster.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Mrs. Vanderstein's jewels

Mrs. Vanderstein's jewels

Marion Bryce

A wealthy socialite vanishes after a night at the opera, leaving behind a cold, immaculate bedroom and a tangled web of greed, obsession, and criminal intent. This mystery unfolds in the glittering, stratified world of early twentieth-century London, where the line between high society and the criminal underworld…

Novels6 min read
Cover of Murillo

Murillo

S. L. (Samuel Levy) Bensusan

A painter who rose from the poverty of the Seville streets to become a pillar of Spanish religious art, capturing the humanity of both saints and beggars in a changing world.

Art6 min read
Cover of My .75: Reminiscences of a Gunner of a .75m/m Battery in 1914

My .75: Reminiscences of a Gunner of a .75m/m Battery in 1914

Paul Lintier

The Great War begins not with a roar, but with the quiet, stifling anticipation of men waiting for a signal that will change their world forever. This narrative captures the visceral reality of those first months, mapping the transformation of ordinary citizens into hardened instruments of artillery fire.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon

Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon

Jon C. Barlow

This study offers a meticulous, firsthand examination of the Bell Vireo’s life cycle, behavior, and habitat requirements. It captures the essential daily rhythms of a small, persistent songbird navigating the thickets of the American Midwest.

Nature/Gardening/Animals6 min read
Cover of Our Standard-Bearer

Our Standard-Bearer

Oliver Optic

This narrative biography frames the life of Ulysses S. Grant as a providential rise from humble origins to the role of national savior. It serves as an earnest, patriotic tribute to the military commander who concluded the American Civil War.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Parlous Times: A Novel of Modern Diplomacy

Parlous Times: A Novel of Modern Diplomacy

David Dwight Wells

Hook A young diplomat finds himself tangled in a web of international intrigue and social maneuvering, where his professional duty to protect state secrets collides with a complicated, unwanted, and potentially ruinous romance.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Poems of Emile Verhaeren

Poems of Emile Verhaeren

Emile Verhaeren

HOOK A haunting, atmospheric exploration of the Flemish landscape, these poems map the journey from the depths of existential isolation to a luminous, hard-won embrace of the living world.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Presidential Problems

Presidential Problems

Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland offers a measured, firsthand account of four defining crises of his presidency, arguing that the strength of the American government rests upon executive integrity and a steady adherence to national duty.

Biographies5 min read
Cover of Puella mea

Puella mea

E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings

This meditation on desire and timeless beauty asserts that the speaker’s beloved transcends all the legendary icons of history, becoming a singular, living embodiment of Spring.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, March 15, 1916

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, March 15, 1916

Various

This collection captures the peculiar dissonance of wartime life, where the mundane struggles of the home front collide with the grim realities of the trenches in a display of quintessentially British stoicism.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Quiet Talks on Service

Quiet Talks on Service

S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon

Service is not a duty to be performed, but a rhythm of life flowing from a deep, personal friendship with Jesus.

Religion/Spirituality6 min read
Cover of Rebel women

Rebel women

Evelyn Sharp

The struggle for political enfranchisement is often depicted as a clash of grand ideologies, but the true pulse of the movement beats in the quiet, persistent defiance of ordinary women. Within these pages, the fight for the vote is revealed not as a distant revolution, but as a deeply personal transformation…

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Rilla of the Lighthouse

Rilla of the Lighthouse

Grace May North

A young woman raised in the isolation of a coastal lighthouse discovers her past and future, navigating the transition from a solitary life on the sea to the wider, complex world of society and self-discovery.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Salem Chapel, v. 2/2

Salem Chapel, v. 2/2

Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

A young minister faces a crisis of faith and reputation when his family’s private scandal threatens his position at a provincial chapel. This drama of duty, social pressure, and maternal devotion explores the fragile boundaries between a preacher’s public life and his hidden heart.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Saxe Holm's Stories: First Series

Saxe Holm's Stories: First Series

Helen Hunt Jackson

These quiet, observant tales explore the moral strength and emotional landscapes of nineteenth-century women, mapping the intersections of duty, love, and the hidden inner lives of those navigating a changing world.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Speeches of the Hon. Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi

Speeches of the Hon. Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi

Jefferson Davis

An urgent and formal defense of political principle, these collected addresses capture a pivotal moment when the American Union teetered on the brink of fracture.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Sprays of Shamrock

Sprays of Shamrock

Clinton Scollard

A collection of lyrical verse, these poems celebrate the landscape and folklore of Ireland through a lens of deep affection and nostalgic longing.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Stories by Foreign Authors: German

Stories by Foreign Authors: German

Unknown

This collection gathers four distinct German literary works, ranging from historical reverence to the surreal, unified by their focus on human morality, loss, and the consequences of our choices.

German Literature6 min read
Cover of The Acorn-Planter: A California Forest Play (1916)

The Acorn-Planter: A California Forest Play (1916)

Jack London

The Acorn-Planter is a visionary drama about the cyclical nature of human conflict and the ultimate necessity of choosing nurture over destruction. It portrays the rise and fall of civilizations through the lens of a recurring struggle between the life-giving wisdom of the "acorn-planter" and the short-sighted…

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Altar Fire

The Altar Fire

Arthur Christopher Benson

This meditative diary fiction explores the silent, internal landscape of a man grappling with grief, spiritual exhaustion, and the profound, often painful search for meaning in a world that feels increasingly fragmented and obscure.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Battle and the Ruins of Cintla

The Battle and the Ruins of Cintla

Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison) Brinton

The first battle on the American continent involving horses, the engagement at Cintla stands as a pivotal, yet often obscured, collision between Spanish forces and the native Mayan-speaking populations of Tabasco.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of The Boy With the U. S. Foresters

The Boy With the U. S. Foresters

Francis Rolt-Wheeler

HOOK This narrative follows a young man’s induction into the early U.S. Forest Service, where he learns that protecting the wilderness requires more grit, diplomacy, and endurance than any classroom could provide.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The British State Telegraphs: A Study of the Problem of a Large Body of Civil Servants in a Democracy

The British State Telegraphs: A Study of the Problem of a Large Body of Civil Servants in a Democracy

Hugo Richard Meyer

State-run industries often promise efficiency but frequently deliver political gridlock and financial deficits. This examination dissects the structural failures inherent in the nationalization of the British telegraph system during the late nineteenth century.

History - British7 min read
Cover of The Church and the Empire: Being an Outline of the History of the Church from A.D. 1003 to A.D. 1304

The Church and the Empire: Being an Outline of the History of the Church from A.D. 1003 to A.D. 1304

D. J. (Dudley Julius) Medley

This historical survey examines the high-stakes friction between medieval popes and emperors, charting the Church’s rise as a dominant political force and the eventual fracturing of that supreme authority.

History - European6 min read
Cover of The Church on the changing frontier

The Church on the changing frontier

Helen Olive Belknap

This account documents the challenges of maintaining religious life on the American frontier, where vast landscapes and sparse populations transformed the traditional parish into a difficult, scattered mission.

History - American5 min read
Cover of The Church Year and Kalendar

The Church Year and Kalendar

John Dowden

The intricate history of the Christian calendar reveals how early communities organized their worship, marking the rhythm of their faith through ancient observances, evolving fasts, and the contentious debate over the timing of Easter.

History - Religious6 min read
Cover of The Cleverdale Mystery

The Cleverdale Mystery

W. A. Wilkins

Ambition and corruption entwine in a small New York town, where a powerful political machine demands the sacrifice of innocence to fuel its own survival.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of The Colonel of the Red Huzzars

The Colonel of the Red Huzzars

John Reed Scott

A restless American officer stumbles into the intrigue of a European throne, finding his destiny intertwined with a beautiful Princess and a long-hidden royal lineage. This swashbuckling tale of love and duty balances high-stakes diplomacy with the sharp edge of a sword.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Corner House Girls on Palm Island

The Corner House Girls on Palm Island

Grace Brooks Hill

Four spirited sisters find themselves far from home when a tropical boating excursion turns into a desperate island survival story.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Critic and the Drama

The Critic and the Drama

George Jean Nathan

The critic is the self-appointed chaperone of the arts, an egotist tasked with measuring the distance between a playwright’s ambition and the audience’s capacity for wonder. This work serves as an uncompromising manifesto on the mechanics of theater and the responsibilities of those who stand in judgment of it.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read