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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 617 of 988.

Cover of Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I)

Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I)

William Black

HOOK A young, idealistic student discovers that the venerable, silver-haired Scottish patriarch he has befriended may be hiding a ruinous secret behind his noble facade.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Stop! A Handy Monitor, Pocket Conscience and Portable Guardian against the World, the Flesh and the Devil

Stop! A Handy Monitor, Pocket Conscience and Portable Guardian against the World, the Flesh and the Devil

Nathan Dane Urner

This nineteenth-century guide serves as a moral anchor, offering sharp, pithy admonitions to help readers navigate the complexities of character, ambition, and social conduct with integrity and common sense.

How To ...7 min read
Cover of Ten Years and Ten Months in Lunatic Asylums in Different States

Ten Years and Ten Months in Lunatic Asylums in Different States

Moses Swan

To endure silence for a decade is a heavy burden, yet to document the brutality of those years is an act of fierce, necessary defiance. This account serves as both a harrowing testimony and a desperate plea for reform.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of That Unfortunate Marriage, Vol. 1

That Unfortunate Marriage, Vol. 1

Frances Eleanor Trollope

A poignant look at the wreckage left behind by an impulsive union, this narrative examines how social expectations and family secrets shape the destiny of a young woman caught between two disparate worlds.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The adventurous lady

The adventurous lady

J. C. (John Collis) Snaith

A bored aristocrat and a penniless governess trade lives on a train, launching a high-stakes masquerade that forces both women to navigate the precarious social hierarchies of post-WWI England.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Argosy, Vol. 51, No. 3, March, 1891

The Argosy, Vol. 51, No. 3, March, 1891

Various

This volume of The Argosy offers a vivid cross-section of late-Victorian literary culture, blending serial fiction, travelogues, and contemplative essays into a cohesive, atmospheric monthly collection.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Assassination Bureau, Ltd

The Assassination Bureau, Ltd

Jack London

The masters of a lethal, high-minded conspiracy find their greatest challenge is executing the man who founded their order. This sharp, ironic thriller follows a group of intellectual assassins whose rigid adherence to their own code leads to a surreal, self-destructive endgame.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The behaviour book

The behaviour book

Eliza Leslie

To master the subtle art of public and private life, one must balance personal dignity with a refined consideration for others in every interaction.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The Blood of Rachel, a Dramatization of Esther, and Other Poems

The Blood of Rachel, a Dramatization of Esther, and Other Poems

Cotton Noe

HOOK A tapestry of verse and drama, this collection explores the struggle between ancient power and moral integrity, weaving biblical archetypes into the landscape of a changing, modern world.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The Boy Allies with the Terror of the Seas

The Boy Allies with the Terror of the Seas

Clair W. (Clair Wallace) Hayes

Two courageous young officers navigate the treacherous waters of World War I, pushing their submarine into the heart of enemy territory for a final, decisive strike.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Cambrian Tourist, or, Post-Chaise Companion through Wales [1834]: Containing cursory sketches of the Welsh territories, and a description of the manners, customs, and games of the natives

The Cambrian Tourist, or, Post-Chaise Companion through Wales [1834]: Containing cursory sketches of the Welsh territories, and a description of the manners, customs, and games of the natives

Anonymous

A traveler’s companion to the Welsh landscape, blending practical observation with the romantic sensibility of a bygone era.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Confessions of Artemas Quibble: Being the Ingenuous and Unvarnished History of Artemas Quibble, Esquire, One-Time Practitioner in the New York Criminal Courts, Together with an Account of the Divers Wiles, Tricks, Sophistries, Technicalities, and Sundry Artifices of Himself and Others of the Fraternity, Commonly Yclept "Shysters" or "Shyster Lawyers"

The Confessions of Artemas Quibble: Being the Ingenuous and Unvarnished History of Artemas Quibble, Esquire, One-Time Practitioner in the New York Criminal Courts, Together with an Account of the Divers Wiles, Tricks, Sophistries, Technicalities, and Sundry Artifices of Himself and Others of the Fraternity, Commonly Yclept "Shysters" or "Shyster Lawyers"

Arthur Cheney Train

A young man abandons his aspirations for an honorable legal career to become a "shyster," discovering that in the New York criminal courts, success relies more on artifice than on the law.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The defender

The defender

Nicholas Kalashnikoff

Turgen, a solitary hunter in the rugged mountains of northeastern Siberia, defies his community’s suspicion by befriending a herd of wild mountain rams. His quiet life of stewardship ultimately weaves together the survival of these rare animals and his own found family.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Early Cave-Men

The Early Cave-Men

Katharine Elizabeth Dopp

This narrative explores the ingenuity of early humans as they transition from fear of the natural world to mastery over their environment. It presents a vivid, educational reconstruction of prehistoric life, focusing on the development of essential tools and community bonds.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of The Emily Emmins Papers

The Emily Emmins Papers

Carolyn Wells

A whimsical, observant traveler turns her back on the frantic pace of typical tourism, choosing instead to lose herself in the quiet, atmospheric corners of London.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The English Lakes

The English Lakes

A. G. (Arthur Granville) Bradley

The English Lake District is a landscape of profound beauty, where the rugged mountains and storied valleys have long served as a sanctuary for poets, dreamers, and those seeking respite from the modern world.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The English Prison System

The English Prison System

Ruggles-Brise, Evelyn, Sir

Modern penal reform pivots on the transition from a purely punitive, abstract system to one that emphasizes the individual, the scientific diagnosis of mental state, and the reclamation of the young. This account documents the structural evolution of the English prison system from the rigid, disciplinary mechanisms…

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Fortune Hunter

The Fortune Hunter

David Graham Phillips

A master of pretense meets his match in the quiet, earnest virtues of a community that values labor over performance. This story chronicles the collision between a hollow, self-dramatizing charlatan and the people whose lives he temporarily unravels.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of The Four Corners of the World

The Four Corners of the World

A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason

These thirteen intricate tales explore the shadowed corners of human experience, where the boundary between rational deduction and haunting obsession begins to blur.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Gentleman's Model Letter-writer: A Complete Guide to Correspondence on All Subjects, with Commercial Forms

The Gentleman's Model Letter-writer: A Complete Guide to Correspondence on All Subjects, with Commercial Forms

Anonymous

This manual serves as a meticulous bridge between social aspiration and professional necessity, providing the Victorian gentleman with the precise language required for every nuance of public and private life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The greatest story in the world, period 2 (of 3)

The greatest story in the world, period 2 (of 3)

Horace G. (Horace Gordon) Hutchinson

This sweeping historical survey tracks the unraveling of the Roman Empire and the subsequent birth of modern European nations. It offers a narrative of transformation, tracing how old imperial structures gave way to medieval feudalism, religious expansion, and the early stirrings of the Renaissance.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of The Growth of the English Constitution from the Earliest Times

The Growth of the English Constitution from the Earliest Times

Edward A. (Edward Augustus) Freeman

The English Constitution is not a static document locked in a vault, but a living, breathing creature that has evolved—often silently—from the assemblies of ancient Teutonic tribes to the modern Parliament. It is a story of continuity, proving that the roots of today’s liberties were firmly planted in the soil of…

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Hall and the Grange: A Novel

The Hall and the Grange: A Novel

Archibald Marshall

The quiet landscape of an English estate becomes a battlefield of pride and misunderstanding when a long-standing fraternal bond fractures over a trivial grievance. This is a story of how easily the foundations of a life—family, home, and legacy—can shift under the weight of petty, unyielding resentment.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Knickerbocker, Vol. 22, No. 1, July 1843

The Knickerbocker, Vol. 22, No. 1, July 1843

Various

This issue of a prominent nineteenth-century literary magazine captures the intellectual pulse of 1843, blending serialized fiction, poetry, and social commentary into a vibrant portrait of the American Victorian sensibility.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Lady from Long Acre

The Lady from Long Acre

Victor Bridges

HOOK A bored British baronet stumbles into a high-stakes conspiracy involving a runaway princess, a sinister prime minister, and a desperate race to prevent a forced royal marriage.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Men in the Walls

The Men in the Walls

William Tenn

In the dark, narrow confines of a forgotten world, a young man’s rite of passage reveals that the monsters he fears are merely human, and the walls he calls home are a vast, unnoticed prison.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Mentor: Makers of Modern Opera, Vol. 1, Num. 47, Serial No. 47

The Mentor: Makers of Modern Opera, Vol. 1, Num. 47, Serial No. 47

Henry Edward Krehbiel

Born from a scholarly attempt to recreate the power of Greek drama, modern opera evolved into a global language of melody and realism that continues to define the musical stage.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of The New Democracy: A handbook for Democratic speakers and workers

The New Democracy: A handbook for Democratic speakers and workers

Walter Vrooman

This manual serves as a tactical field guide for late-19th-century political agitators, offering a blueprint for mobilizing the masses against the encroaching power of industrial trusts and monopolistic greed.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The Preliminaries, and Other Stories

The Preliminaries, and Other Stories

Cornelia A. P. (Cornelia Atwood Pratt) Comer

Choosing between personal freedom and the enduring obligations of family is a delicate, often painful business. These stories explore the weight of inheritance, the cost of individual desire, and the quiet, heavy necessity of staying true to one's own.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Proofs of Christ's Resurrection

The Proofs of Christ's Resurrection

Charles R. (Charles Robert) Morrison

The historical inquiry into the resurrection of Jesus Christ serves as the definitive pivot upon which the truth of the Christian faith rests. This study examines the evidence with the rigorous standards of a legal proceeding.

History - Religious6 min read
Cover of The Reformation and the Renaissance (1485-1547): Second Edition

The Reformation and the Renaissance (1485-1547): Second Edition

Unknown

This curated collection of historical documents offers a direct, unvarnished look at the political and spiritual upheavals of the early Tudor era. It provides a raw, primary-source window into the defining conflicts of the sixteenth century.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Religion of the Indians of California

The Religion of the Indians of California

A. L. (Alfred Louis) Kroeber

The religious life of California’s diverse indigenous populations reflects a profound, animistic worldview where the supernatural is woven into the ordinary fabric of daily existence.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of The Rover Boys on the Great Lakes

The Rover Boys on the Great Lakes

Edward Stratemeyer

Three brothers find themselves adrift and hunted on the Great Lakes, locked in a desperate struggle against persistent enemies and the unpredictable power of nature.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Royal Exchange

The Royal Exchange

A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason

The history of the Royal Exchange is a testament to the enduring rhythm of London, tracing the evolution of a city through the rise, fall, and reinvention of its most iconic commercial hub.

Business/Management6 min read
Cover of The Seaboard Parish Volume 2

The Seaboard Parish Volume 2

George MacDonald

A thoughtful country parson navigates the quiet rhythms of his coastal parish, seeking to mend the fractured spirits of those caught between the shadows of their own doubts and the promise of a deeper faith.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Tale of Balen

The Tale of Balen

Algernon Charles Swinburne

A fated knight, cursed by an unintended blow, traverses a landscape of tragic beauty in this haunting retelling of an Arthurian legend. It is a meditation on the relentless, invisible threads of doom.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The time spirit: A romantic tale

The time spirit: A romantic tale

J. C. (John Collis) Snaith

A secret birth, a rigid class divide, and a young woman’s struggle to claim her own identity define this turn-of-the-century tale of love and inheritance.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Tunnellers of Holzminden (with a side-issue)

The Tunnellers of Holzminden (with a side-issue)

H. G. (Hugh George) Durnford

The Holzminden prisoner-of-war camp, a fortress of concrete and despair, becomes the backdrop for an improbable, claustrophobic game of cat-and-mouse. This account captures the ingenuity of men trapped in the final year of the Great War.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The vale of Lyvennet

The vale of Lyvennet

John Salkeld Bland

A young naturalist chronicles the layered history of a Cumbrian valley, weaving together the stones, customs, and lingering spirits of its ancient inhabitants. This intimate portrait reveals how the landscape remembers those who walked it.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins

The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins

James Milne

This book is a collection of firsthand accounts from British soldiers serving on the front lines of the First World War. Through their own letters home, these men document the brutal, absurd, and deeply human realities of life in the trenches, from the terror of artillery fire to the simple joy of a shared meal. It…

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The War-Trail Fort: Further Adventures of Thomas Fox and Pitamakan

The War-Trail Fort: Further Adventures of Thomas Fox and Pitamakan

James Willard Schultz

HOOK A young trader and his Blackfoot companion must survive a hostile winter while building a frontier post against impossible odds and encroaching enemies.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Warden of the Plains, and Other Stories of Life in the Canadian North-west

The Warden of the Plains, and Other Stories of Life in the Canadian North-west

John MacLean

This collection of sketches captures a vanishing world, mapping the intersection of frontier life, indigenous traditions, and the encroaching influence of Christian missionaries in the late nineteenth-century Canadian Northwest.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The well in the desert

The well in the desert

Adeline Knapp

HOOK A wrongly accused man finds refuge in the harsh Arizona desert, where he builds a solitary life and fights to clear his name while confronting the man who betrayed him.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The X Bar X boys on the ranch

The X Bar X boys on the ranch

James Cody Ferris

This is a fast-paced, classic Western adventure centered on a family of ranchers defending their property and honor against a gang of persistent cattle rustlers. It captures the spirit of early twentieth-century juvenile fiction with its focus on moral courage, rugged outdoor life, and the camaraderie of the frontier.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Three Months of My Life

Three Months of My Life

J. F. (John Frederick) Foster

HOOK This intimate diary captures the physical and spiritual journey of a British army surgeon seeking restoration in the breathtaking, untamed landscapes of nineteenth-century Kashmir.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Through Connemara in a governess cart

Through Connemara in a governess cart

E. Oe. (Edith Oenone) Somerville

This account of a journey through the Irish wilderness captures the spirit of adventure, the absurdity of travel, and the stubborn personality of an unreliable mule.

Humour6 min read
Cover of Valperga Volume 2 (of 3)

Valperga Volume 2 (of 3)

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

A relentless conqueror and a noblewoman of iron principle find their childhood love shattered by the violent ambitions of fourteenth-century Italy. Their divergent paths illuminate the tragic chasm between the pursuit of power and the preservation of the soul.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Within the Gates

Within the Gates

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps

A physician’s sudden death pulls him from a life of professional ego and domestic neglect into an afterlife that forces him to confront the true weight of his earthly choices. This drama explores the endurance of love beyond the grave, serving as both a spiritual meditation and a poignant, often painful, domestic…

Plays/Films/Dramas6 min read