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32,123 public-domain books, summarised. Page 614 of 670.

Cover of In the Roaring Fifties

In the Roaring Fifties

Edward Dyson

The Australian gold rush transforms a reticent newcomer into a man of the earth, bridging the distance between his English roots and the wild, untamed promise of the colonial frontier.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of Jim and Wally

Jim and Wally

Mary Grant Bruce

Two young Australian soldiers, convalescing from the horrors of the Great War, find unexpected purpose and danger in the quiet, mist-covered hills of rural Ireland.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of John Leech's Pictures of Life and Character, Volume 2 (of 3): From the Collection of "Mr. Punch"

John Leech's Pictures of Life and Character, Volume 2 (of 3): From the Collection of "Mr. Punch"

John Leech

These pages capture the erratic, teeming pulse of Victorian life, distilled into the biting, precise sketches that defined a generation’s visual satire. It is a portrait of a society perpetually tripping over its own pretensions.

Art6 min read
Cover of Journal of the Third Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage

Journal of the Third Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage

Parry, William Edward, Sir

This record of Arctic exploration chronicles a relentless struggle against unforgiving ice, where the pursuit of discovery remains inseparable from the constant, looming threat of catastrophe.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Kings of the night

Kings of the night

Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard

A Pictish king faces the extinction of his people at the hands of Rome. In his darkest hour, he pulls an ancient hero from the distant past into the present to change the course of history.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Lectures Delivered in America in 1874

Lectures Delivered in America in 1874

Charles Kingsley

Reverence for the past is the mark of a vigorous, forward-looking people. These lectures argue that true national strength is built by understanding our ancestors, not by casting them aside.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Letters to the Clergy on the Lord's Prayer and the Church

Letters to the Clergy on the Lord's Prayer and the Church

John Ruskin

A layman’s challenging call to the Church, this collection of correspondence demands that the clergy abandon hollow formality and address the practical, often uncomfortable, requirements of the Gospel. It is an urgent, provocative inquiry into what it truly means to profess faith in the modern world.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Lights and shadows in Confederate prisons

Lights and shadows in Confederate prisons

Homer B. (Homer Baxter) Sprague

The struggle for survival within Confederate prisons is rendered with the steady, observant eye of a scholar forced into the brutal chaos of war. It is a record of resilience, ingenuity, and the heavy moral toll of human conflict.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Lily Pearl and The Mistress of Rosedale

Lily Pearl and The Mistress of Rosedale

Ida Glenwood

This sweeping Victorian domestic drama follows the long-lost daughter of a wealthy family as she navigates a web of secrets, mistaken identities, and the lingering scars of the American Civil War.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of Mamba's daughters

Mamba's daughters

DuBose Heyward

Mamba, an indomitable woman of the Charleston waterfront, orchestrates a decades-long struggle to elevate her daughter and granddaughter above the constraints of their station. It is a story of fierce maternal ambition and the heavy costs of social ascent.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Martin Rattler

Martin Rattler

R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne

A spirited, mischievous boy sets out from his quiet village to pursue a life at sea, only to find himself cast into the vast, untamed wilderness of Brazil.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Mercenary

Mercenary

Mack Reynolds

In a future where corporate wars are fought as televised spectacles, a battle-hardened mercenary gambles his life and career to challenge the rigid caste system governing his society.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Meteorology

Meteorology

J. G. (John Gordon) M'Pherson

Understanding the air we breathe requires looking past the horizon to the microscopic world of dust and vapor. This brief volume explains how the unseen particles in our atmosphere govern everything from the formation of fog to the arrival of rain.

Science - Earth/Agricultural/Farming6 min read
Cover of Milton

Milton

Macaulay, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron

The genius of the English language finds its most fervent champion in a poet who navigated the dark, transformative waters of the seventeenth century with unwavering moral and intellectual courage.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Mirk Abbey, Volume 3 (of 3)

Mirk Abbey, Volume 3 (of 3)

James Payn

This domestic drama follows a mother’s desperate masquerade to shield her family from a past that threatens to destroy their social standing and inheritances. It is a story of long-buried secrets, the crushing weight of class expectations, and the lengths a parent will go to keep her children’s lives intact.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Mo-Sanshon!

Mo-Sanshon!

Bryce Walton

A frantic race against a subterranean insect empire hinges on the desperate alliance between a disgraced entomologist and a mysterious, rebellious guide.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of Mr. Sweet Potatoes, and Other Stories

Mr. Sweet Potatoes, and Other Stories

Anonymous

Global travel and domestic life converge in this evocative 1899 collection of sketches, capturing the customs, landscapes, and curiosities of the world through the eyes of a Victorian-era observer.

Short Stories6 min read
Cover of My Chinese Marriage

My Chinese Marriage

Mae M. Franking

A young American student’s cross-cultural marriage survives intense familial opposition and geographic upheaval, only to face a final, tragic test of endurance. This memoir captures a rare, intimate perspective on the intersection of Eastern tradition and Western modernity in the early twentieth century.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of My New Home

My New Home

Mrs. Molesworth

Helena Wingfield, an orphaned girl raised in secluded, sun-drenched happiness by her grandmother, must reconcile her devotion to her past with the daunting, unfamiliar pressures of a new life in London.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Nobody's Child

Nobody's Child

Elizabeth Dejeans

A young woman caught between two warring social strata finds her quiet life shattered by the arrival of a dangerous outsider and the dark, hereditary secrets of a prominent local family.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Old Groans and New Songs: Being Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes

Old Groans and New Songs: Being Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes

Frederick Charles Jennings

The Preacher of Ecclesiastes famously declares that all is vanity, a sentiment this devotional guide explores by contrasting his ancient, earthly struggle with the hope offered by a newer, spiritual perspective. It bridges the gap between old groans and new songs.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of Our British Snails

Our British Snails

J. W. (John William) Horsley

The humble snail—often ignored beneath a garden stone—reveals a complex world of evolutionary history, biological wonder, and intricate beauty for those who possess the patience to look.

Nature/Gardening/Animals7 min read
Cover of Our House and London out of Our Windows

Our House and London out of Our Windows

Elizabeth Robins Pennell

The view from an old London window serves as the stage for a shifting drama of urban life, where the mundane struggles of housekeepers and beggars reveal the heartbeat of a city.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Personal reminiscences of early days in California, with other sketches

Personal reminiscences of early days in California, with other sketches

Stephen J. (Stephen Johnson) Field

HOOK A pioneering jurist recounts his rise from the lawless frontier of the Gold Rush to the Supreme Court, navigating a lifetime of near-assassinations and courtroom vendettas.

Biographies5 min read
Cover of Phyllis

Phyllis

Maria Thompson Daviess

The story of an isolated girl finding a home, this narrative explores the transformative power of genuine friendship within a close-knit Tennessee community. It captures the transition from lonely girlhood to a life of shared purpose.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Pierrot, Dog of Belgium

Pierrot, Dog of Belgium

Walter A. (Walter Alden) Dyer

A faithful dog endures the horrors of the Great War, searching through battlefields and occupied lands to return to his displaced family. This story captures the profound, silent bond between a creature and the people who raised him.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Practical Politics

Practical Politics

Alfred Farthing Robbins

The true nature of governance lies not in abstract philosophy, but in the relentless, day-to-day work of improving the material conditions of the common citizen.

Politics7 min read
Cover of Precision locating and dividing methods

Precision locating and dividing methods

Anonymous

Sub-thousandth precision in the machine shop requires more than a steady hand; it demands rigorous geometry, specialized indicators, and methodical layout techniques to locate centers with absolute repeatability.

Engineering & Technology5 min read
Cover of Princess Belle-Etoile

Princess Belle-Etoile

Madame d' (Marie-Catherine) Aulnoy

The path to one's true identity is rarely simple, often requiring a journey through fire and frost to silence the voices of those who wish us harm. When royal children are cast away, their only hope lies in their own courage and the kindness they show to the smallest of creatures.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, March 18, 1914

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, March 18, 1914

Various

This collection captures the sharp, satirical spirit of British life on the eve of the Great War, offering a witty lens into the political anxieties, social fashions, and daily absurdities of 1914.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, September 2nd, 1914

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, September 2nd, 1914

Various

The Great War has arrived, and with it, the familiar rhythm of London life begins to stutter, replaced by a strange cocktail of patriotic fervor, anxiety, and sharp, biting wit. This collection of writing captures a nation in the first disorienting month of a conflict that no one yet realizes will redraw the map of…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punchinello, Volume 2, No. 28, October 8, 1870

Punchinello, Volume 2, No. 28, October 8, 1870

Various

This periodical captures the manic, biting, and irreverent spirit of late 19th-century American satire, offering a vivid time capsule of the post-Civil War era’s political and social anxieties.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Ralph Denham's Adventures in Burma: A Tale of the Burmese Jungle

Ralph Denham's Adventures in Burma: A Tale of the Burmese Jungle

G. (George) Norway

A young boy leaves his widowed mother to seek his fortune in Burma, only to face shipwreck, jungle predators, and brutal conflict in a desperate struggle for survival.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Richard Lovell Edgeworth: A Selection From His Memoirs

Richard Lovell Edgeworth: A Selection From His Memoirs

Maria Edgeworth

HOOK A polymath and devoted landlord, this restless Irish intellectual navigates the Enlightenment with a practical mind, bridging the divide between scientific curiosity and the heavy responsibilities of managing a troubled estate.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Riding for Ladies

Riding for Ladies

W. A. (William Alexander) Kerr

HOOK Master the art of the saddle with this expert guide to nineteenth-century horsemanship, blending technical instruction with a spirited debate on the evolving customs of the era.

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of Robert Fulton and the Submarine

Robert Fulton and the Submarine

William Barclay Parsons

A visionary inventor attempts to revolutionize naval warfare with a submarine, only to find his dreams of global peace thwarted by the cold indifference of empires.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Robert Hardy's Seven Days: A Dream and Its Consequences

Robert Hardy's Seven Days: A Dream and Its Consequences

Charles M. Sheldon

A prosperous man receives a dire premonition that he has only one week left to live, transforming his final seven days into a desperate, grace-filled race to reconcile his broken life and mend his neglectful past.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Robinc

Robinc

Anthony Boucher

The quest to replace inefficient, human-shaped androids with specialized "usuform" robots sparks a corporate war that tests the limits of human greed, political influence, and the fragile nature of machine logic.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Rollo Learning to Read

Rollo Learning to Read

Jacob Abbott

Learning to read is not merely a task of memorizing letters, but a rigorous moral exercise that requires patience, discipline, and a steady hand from one’s elders.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Romance of the Rabbit

Romance of the Rabbit

Francis Jammes

A quiet, pastoral journey, this work moves between the humble reality of the French countryside and the luminous hope of a heaven where every living creature finds its place.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Rookie rhymes, by the men of the 1st and 2nd provisional training regiments, Plattsburg, New York

Rookie rhymes, by the men of the 1st and 2nd provisional training regiments, Plattsburg, New York

Plattsburgh Barracks (N.Y.)

A collection of earnest, spirited verse from the 1917 Plattsburg training camp, these poems capture the humor and apprehension of young men preparing to ship out for the First World War.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of 'Round the yule-log: Christmas in Norway

'Round the yule-log: Christmas in Norway

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen

A young officer, confined to a gloomy city lodging by illness during his first Christmas away from home, finds his solitude transformed by the shared folklore of his landladies and their young guests.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of Russian Lyrics

Russian Lyrics

Martha Dickinson Bianchi

These verses capture the vast, melancholy spirit of a landscape where the soul finds its only true reflection in the wildness of the steppe and the freezing breath of the northern winter.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Sailor and beachcomber: Confessions of a life at sea, in Australia, and amid the islands of the Pacific

Sailor and beachcomber: Confessions of a life at sea, in Australia, and amid the islands of the Pacific

A. (Arnold) Safroni-Middleton

A wandering youth finds beauty and hardship in equal measure while drifting through the South Seas and the Australian bush. His journey is a restless search for identity across the edges of the British Empire.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Sandman's rainy day stories

Sandman's rainy day stories

Abbie Phillips Walker

A collection of gentle, imaginative tales, these stories offer a quiet refuge for young readers who enjoy traditional folklore, anthropomorphic animal adventures, and the comfort of moral restoration.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Scientific American Supplement, No. 430, March 29, 1884

Scientific American Supplement, No. 430, March 29, 1884

Various

This collection of late-nineteenth-century technical reports offers a vivid window into the rapid industrial and scientific expansion of the 1880s. It captures a world where engineering, botany, and physics were colliding to reshape daily life.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Scientific American Supplement, No. 633, February 18, 1888

Scientific American Supplement, No. 633, February 18, 1888

Various

This technical periodical captures the restless ingenuity of the late nineteenth century, offering a vivid snapshot of an era obsessed with mechanical progress, architectural theory, and the expanding frontiers of natural science.

Architecture6 min read
Cover of Spain in 1830, vol. 1

Spain in 1830, vol. 1

Henry D. (Henry David) Inglis

A traveler’s keen observations capture a nation standing on a knife’s edge of political change, where ancient customs and modern tensions collide. This account offers a rare, vivid window into the heart of a country caught between the fading past and an uncertain future.

History - European6 min read
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