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30,104 public-domain books, summarised. Page 54 of 628.

Cover of Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler

Henrik Ibsen

The daughter of a general finds herself trapped in the stifling domesticity of a marriage she never desired. Her attempt to manipulate the fates of those around her leads to a devastating unraveling.

Plays/Films/Dramas6 min read
Cover of Night and Day

Night and Day

Virginia Woolf

The pursuit of independence often collides with the weight of expectation, leaving quiet, thoughtful souls to navigate the blurred lines between duty and desire.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Bent, James" to "Bibirine": Volume 3, Slice 6

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Bent, James" to "Bibirine": Volume 3, Slice 6

Various

This volume serves as a dense, scholarly portal to a vast array of historical figures, chemical properties, and geographic regions. It invites the reader to navigate the intersection of human endeavor and the physical world through the structured lens of early twentieth-century knowledge.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference7 min read
Cover of Poems Every Child Should Know: The What-Every-Child-Should-Know-Library

Poems Every Child Should Know: The What-Every-Child-Should-Know-Library

Unknown

Poetry serves as a bridge across the generations, capturing the fleeting joys and profound lessons of existence in verse that refuses to be forgotten. This collection gathers the essential lyrics, ballads, and meditations that have long anchored the literary education of young readers.

Children & Young Adult Reading7 min read
Cover of Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Patrick Braybrooke

The brilliance of a singular mind is best understood through the eyes of another; this study maps the intellectual terrain of an author who championed wonder in an age of mechanical routine.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Rebel Spurs

Rebel Spurs

Andre Norton

HOOK A young Confederate veteran rides into the Arizona territory under a false name, seeking a father he only recently learned was alive.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic

Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic

Henri Bergson

The mechanism of laughter is a social corrective, a fleeting rebellion against the rigidity of life that reveals the inherent absurdity of human habits and mechanical movements.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The house at Pooh Corner

The house at Pooh Corner

A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne

The forest is an enchanted place where time holds its breath, and a little boy and his bear continue to play, even as the horizon of childhood begins to widen.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Common Reader

The Common Reader

Virginia Woolf

The act of reading is not a scholarly chore but a vibrant, communal engagement with the soul of literature. By celebrating the perspective of the "common reader," these essays reclaim the joy of books from the heavy hand of academic dogma.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Heretics

Heretics

G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton

The central argument is that the modern world is not suffering from a lack of facts or science, but from a fatal erosion of philosophy and the loss of a clear, dogmatic center to life.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things

Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things

Lafcadio Hearn

The haunting beauty of Japanese folklore finds its most evocative expression in these tales of the uncanny, where the boundaries between the living, the dead, and the natural world dissolve into mist.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of Cattle and Cattle-breeders

Cattle and Cattle-breeders

William McCombie

A seasoned cattle breeder shares a lifetime of hard-won wisdom, detailing the practical realities of managing livestock and the evolution of the Scottish agricultural trade during the nineteenth century.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of The Tyranny of Weakness

The Tyranny of Weakness

Charles Neville Buck

HOOK A young man and woman find their long-cherished love suffocated by the rigid demands of duty, family, and the heavy weight of the past.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Samphire

Samphire

John Cowper Powys

This collection of verse captures the sharp, cold air of the English countryside and the wild, lonely reaches of the human psyche. It is a work of jagged intensity, where the mundane world of piers and farmyards constantly threatens to tear open, revealing ancient gods and cosmic terrors beneath.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of One thousand secrets of wise and rich men revealed

One thousand secrets of wise and rich men revealed

C. A. Bogardus

This manual serves as a practical repository for the nineteenth-century citizen, blending technical instruction, agricultural wisdom, and populist political commentary. It acts as a comprehensive guide for those navigating the demands of self-reliance and civic life.

How To ...5 min read
Cover of Jerry's Charge Account

Jerry's Charge Account

Hazel Hutchins Wilson

An impulsive boy’s decision to open a secret charge account at a local grocery store spirals into a web of anxiety, neighborhood mystery, and a test of his integrity.

Children & Young Adult Reading5 min read
Cover of Opticks

Opticks

Isaac Newton

This treatise serves as a foundational pillar of modern physical science, meticulously detailing the fundamental nature of light and color. It strips away ancient assumptions to reveal that light is not a single, pure substance, but a complex composite of refrangible rays.

Science - Physics6 min read
Cover of A Dictionary of Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words: Used at the Present Day in the Streets of London

A Dictionary of Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words: Used at the Present Day in the Streets of London

John Camden Hotten

Language is a living, breathing creature that thrives in the shadows of the city as much as in the light of the parlor. This collection serves as a sprawling, untamed map of the secret tongues spoken by London's vagabonds, dandies, and thieves.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The tale of Fatty Coon

The tale of Fatty Coon

Arthur Scott Bailey

A perpetually hungry, overly curious young raccoon finds himself constantly outsmarting his own gluttony in the woods near a bustling farm.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 11, No. 24, March, 1873

Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 11, No. 24, March, 1873

Various

This collection serves as a vibrant, kaleidoscopic window into the intellectual and cultural preoccupations of 1873, blending travelogue, political commentary, and serialized fiction.

History - European6 min read
Cover of An ideal husband

An ideal husband

Oscar Wilde

A high-stakes political thriller draped in the glittering velvet of London society, where a single long-buried secret threatens to dismantle an impeccable reputation.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius

Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius

Emperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius

The life of a ruler, however vast his empire, is ultimately a private struggle to maintain integrity. These inward reflections reveal how a man remains upright while surrounded by the chaos and corruption of the world.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

Matthew Alexander Henson

A man of remarkable endurance recounts his journey to the top of the world, capturing the raw, frozen reality of the 1909 expedition that reached the North Pole.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Jessica Letters: An Editor's Romance

The Jessica Letters: An Editor's Romance

Corra Harris

The epistolary romance of two intellectual combatants, this story captures the tension between the cold precision of a city editor and the passionate, pastoral spirit of a young woman in the South.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Selections from the Writings of Kierkegaard

Selections from the Writings of Kierkegaard

Søren Kierkegaard

The individual is the measure of all things, and the deepest responsibilities of existence reside not in the crowd, but in the solitary heart.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Great Artists, Vol 1.: Raphael, Rubens, Murillo, and Durer

Great Artists, Vol 1.: Raphael, Rubens, Murillo, and Durer

Jennie Ellis Keysor

Art is a testament to the highest human aspirations, a shared inheritance that elevates the everyday and offers a solace against the sorrows and cares of life. Through the stories of four masters, this volume invites readers to discover the beauty that transcends time and geography.

Art5 min read
Cover of Star Surgeon

Star Surgeon

Alan Edward Nourse

The path to becoming a healer requires more than technical expertise; it demands the courage to discard one's crutches and stand entirely alone. This narrative follows a young alien physician navigating the biases of a human-dominated medical establishment to prove his worth among the stars.

Novels6 min read
Cover of A passage to India

A passage to India

E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster

The Marabar Caves hold an echo that unmakes the world, shattering the fragile alliances between the British rulers and their Indian subjects. This haunting exploration of distance and misunderstanding remains a definitive portrait of colonial tension.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Faust-Legend and Goethe's 'Faust'

The Faust-Legend and Goethe's 'Faust'

H. B. (Henry Bernard) Cotterill

This guide provides an accessible entry point into the origins of the Faustian legend and the complex, monumental drama crafted by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It bridges the gap between folklore and high literature with warmth and scholarly clarity.

German Literature7 min read
Cover of Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

This collection offers an intimate, unvarnished portrait of a literary giant, revealing the man behind the plays through his own private correspondence. It is an essential window into the mind of a quiet, fiercely observant genius.

Biographies5 min read
Cover of The Hoosier School-boy

The Hoosier School-boy

Edward Eggleston

HOOK A farm boy battles bullies, a cruel master, and poverty to claim an education. His journey through the rugged schoolrooms of the Indiana frontier is a testament to the power of character over circumstance.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Red Rose and Tiger Lily

Red Rose and Tiger Lily

L. T. Meade

A spirited young woman navigates the anxieties of her father’s impending remarriage while guiding a group of impulsive friends through a web of secrets, social mishaps, and sudden financial ruin.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Much Ado about Nothing

Much Ado about Nothing

William Shakespeare

A quick-witted war of words erupts into a dangerous conspiracy, testing the loyalties and romantic resolve of two distinct couples in sunny Messina. This enduring comedy balances sharp, cynical repartee against the high stakes of honor, reputation, and public shame.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Nan Sherwood at Palm Beach

Nan Sherwood at Palm Beach

Annie Roe Carr

A quick-witted teenager and her friends venture to Florida, where they trade winter chills for the intrigue of orange groves and the pursuit of mysterious men stalking their vacation.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Forester's Daughter: A Romance of the Bear-Tooth Range

The Forester's Daughter: A Romance of the Bear-Tooth Range

Hamlin Garland

A delicate, recovering Easterner finds strength in the Colorado wilderness, drawn to a forest supervisor’s daughter whose rugged self-reliance and grace transform his outlook on life.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Tacitus: The Histories, Volumes I and II

Tacitus: The Histories, Volumes I and II

Cornelius Tacitus

A searing, unsentimental portrait of a fractured empire, this history chronicles the violent collapse of Nero’s dynasty and the ruthless struggle for the throne that followed.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Rochester: A Description of its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See

Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Rochester: A Description of its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See

G. H. (George Henry) Palmer

This guidebook offers a precise, elegant tour through the architectural evolution and long, storied life of one of England’s most significant ecclesiastical landmarks.

Architecture6 min read
Cover of Primitive Psycho-Therapy and Quackery

Primitive Psycho-Therapy and Quackery

Robert Means Lawrence

The power of the human imagination remains the most potent, yet often overlooked, ingredient in the history of medical healing.

Health & Medicine6 min read
Cover of Picture plays

Picture plays

Marguerite Merington

The imagined lives of painted figures take center stage in this collection, where the boundaries between artistic canvas and human reality dissolve. These short dramas breathe motion into static masterpieces, exploring the private longings of those trapped within gilt frames.

Plays/Films/Dramas6 min read
Cover of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

J. (James) Ingram

This foundational record of early English history captures the raw, unfolding reality of a nation in flux, documented by the hands of the very people living through its transformation. It stands as the essential primary source for the Anglo-Saxon and early Norman eras.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Helen and Arthur

Helen and Arthur

Caroline Lee Hentz

A sensitive, fearful young girl finds her courage through the guidance of a patient mentor, while her sister’s pride leads to a tragic downfall.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Helps to Latin Translation at Sight

Helps to Latin Translation at Sight

Edmund Luce

Mastering an unfamiliar classical sentence requires moving beyond simple mechanical decipherment to grasp how syntax, historical narrative, and literary form build meaning together. True fluency emerges when raw grammatical analysis transforms into immediate comprehension.

History - Ancient7 min read
Cover of Little Miss Grouch: A Narrative Based on the Log of Alexander Forsyth Smith's Maiden Transatlantic Voyage

Little Miss Grouch: A Narrative Based on the Log of Alexander Forsyth Smith's Maiden Transatlantic Voyage

Samuel Hopkins Adams

A chance encounter on a transatlantic liner spirals into a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek between two passengers fleeing the suffocating expectations of their wealthy families.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of More Russian Picture Tales

More Russian Picture Tales

Valerian Viliamovich Karrik

These traditional Russian folk stories offer a whimsical window into a world where animals speak, magic is casual, and the smallest creatures often outwit the strongest.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Curious Lore of Precious Stones: Being a description of their sentiments and folk lore, superstitions, symbolism, mysticism, use in medicine, protection, prevention, religion, and divination. Crystal gazing, birth-stones, lucky stones and talismans, astral, zodiacal, and planetary

The Curious Lore of Precious Stones: Being a description of their sentiments and folk lore, superstitions, symbolism, mysticism, use in medicine, protection, prevention, religion, and divination. Crystal gazing, birth-stones, lucky stones and talismans, astral, zodiacal, and planetary

George Frederick Kunz

Crystals and gems have long held a mirror to the human soul, reflecting our deepest fears of misfortune and our most enduring hopes for divine protection. These silent stones, once thought to possess a life and will of their own, remain a powerful testament to the ways we project meaning onto the natural world.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of Eric

Eric

S. B. C. (Susan Blagge Caldwell) Samuels

A young boy’s grand tour of Europe becomes a series of high-stakes adventures, testing his integrity under the sea and in the face of false accusations. This earnest morality tale highlights the power of character in the nineteenth century.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of Four Plays of Gil Vicente

Four Plays of Gil Vicente

Gil Vicente

A vivid glimpse into early 16th-century Portuguese life and spirituality, these plays blend allegory, satire, and pastoral charm to explore human nature, society, and the soul’s journey with sharp wit and heartfelt insight.

Plays/Films/Dramas7 min read
Cover of The Dust Flower

The Dust Flower

Basil King

A rash impulse transforms a spurned lover’s vengeful prank into an extraordinary test of devotion, dignity, and redemption.

Novels6 min read
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