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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 620 of 988.

Cover of The Plowshare and the Sword: A Tale of Old Quebec

The Plowshare and the Sword: A Tale of Old Quebec

John Trevena

In the rugged wilderness of seventeenth-century New France, a ruthless soldier-priest and a band of English settlers collide in a violent struggle for territorial and spiritual dominance.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The present state of wit (1711), and excerpts from The English Theophrastus

The present state of wit (1711), and excerpts from The English Theophrastus

Unknown

This volume brings together two distinct but complementary artifacts of early eighteenth-century English intellectual life: a sharp, observational report on the London literary scene of 1711, and a collection of cynical, aphoristic character sketches defining the "manners of the age." Together, they offer an…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Pride of Jennico: Being a Memoir of Captain Basil Jennico

The Pride of Jennico: Being a Memoir of Captain Basil Jennico

Egerton Castle

A soldier finds his lonely life upended when a mysterious princess enters his home, sparking a dangerous, long-running game of mistaken identity and romantic pursuit that stretches across the map of Europe.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of The Rat Racket

The Rat Racket

David H. (David Henry) Keller

A wealthy financier takes on a criminal empire by weaponizing the very terror they use to extort the city. This dark, inventive thriller explores the intersection of myth, science, and cold-blooded justice.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of The Red Cross Girls in Belgium

The Red Cross Girls in Belgium

Margaret Vandercook

The four American Red Cross girls, having already served in the British trenches and the French countryside, find themselves in occupied Belgium, where the realities of war and the personal burdens of the heart collide. Faced with hunger, illness, and the shadow of the German authorities, they must navigate the…

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of The Red Rugs of Tarsus: A Woman's Record of the Armenian Massacre of 1909

The Red Rugs of Tarsus: A Woman's Record of the Armenian Massacre of 1909

Helen Davenport Gibbons

HOOK In the spring of 1909, an expectant mother trapped in the volatile heart of Armenia navigates a harrowing landscape of massacre and courage.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of The Strife of the Sea

The Strife of the Sea

T. Jenkins (Thornton Jenkins) Hains

The ocean is not a backdrop for human drama, but a vast, indifferent arena where survival is the only law and instinct the only guide.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The tale of Freddie Firefly

The tale of Freddie Firefly

Arthur Scott Bailey

HOOK A flighty, light-bearing insect seeks purpose in the meadows of Pleasant Valley, only to discover that the advice of his peers is often as dangerous as the predators lurking in the dark.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Terriford mystery

The Terriford mystery

Marie Belloc Lowndes

In a serene English village, a beloved local hero faces the shadow of the gallows when his wife dies under suspicious circumstances. This is a story of how a small community’s whispers can distort the truth.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Unseen Hand

The Unseen Hand

Elijah Kellogg

The life of an orphan is transformed by the quiet, persistent influence of a kind family and the belief that a divine hand shapes the course of every individual.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The White Man's Foot

The White Man's Foot

Grant Allen

A young man’s scientific excursion to the Hawaiian Islands turns into a desperate struggle for survival against the ancient, terrifying superstitions of a remote volcanic cult.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Witch Hypnotizer

The Witch Hypnotizer

Zena A. Maher

A quiet, solitary woman discovers she possesses a mysterious, magnetic power to influence the minds of others toward righteousness. She spends her final years transforming a fractured city one soul at a time.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 14

The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 14

John Dryden

A foundational work of classical translation and literary commentary, this volume captures a master poet’s lifelong engagement with the Roman epic, blending technical rigor with a profound, deeply personal appreciation for ancient verse.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The World's Great Sermons, Volume 03: Massillon to Mason

The World's Great Sermons, Volume 03: Massillon to Mason

Unknown

These eleven historic sermons explore the nature of human imperfection, the necessity of divine grace, and the persistent, often agonizing, search for spiritual light in an unpredictable world.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Young Circus Rider

The Young Circus Rider

Unknown

A talented young circus rider discovers that his humble origins conceal a secret legacy, pitting his integrity against a ruthless relative determined to usurp his rightful inheritance.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Young Continentals at Bunker Hill

The Young Continentals at Bunker Hill

John T. (John Thomas) McIntyre

Four young patriots navigate the shadows of the siege of Boston, outwitting British spies and soldiering through the hard-won lessons of the American Revolution.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of Tour of the American Lakes, and Among the Indians of the North-West Territory, in 1830, Volume 1 (of 2): Disclosing the Character and Prospects of the Indian Race

Tour of the American Lakes, and Among the Indians of the North-West Territory, in 1830, Volume 1 (of 2): Disclosing the Character and Prospects of the Indian Race

Calvin Colton

A journey through the American wilderness reveals the stark contrast between the promise of government treaties and the encroaching reality of frontier life for the native populations of the 1830s.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Trains of Recollection: Drawn from Fifty Years of Railway Service in Scotland and Canada, and told to Arthur Hawkes

Trains of Recollection: Drawn from Fifty Years of Railway Service in Scotland and Canada, and told to Arthur Hawkes

D. B. (David Blyth) Hanna

A veteran railroader traces the rise of Canada’s transcontinental lines, blending personal memoir with the hard-won lessons of building a national system from the raw, open prairie.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Wales

Wales

William Watkin Davies

The history of a people is etched into the very soil they inhabit, shaped by ancient migrations, stubborn resistance, and the eventual forging of a national identity.

History - Other7 min read
Cover of With Force and Arms: A Tale of Love and Salem Witchcraft

With Force and Arms: A Tale of Love and Salem Witchcraft

Howard Roger Garis

HOOK This historical romance pits a courageous soldier against the fanatical paranoia of Salem’s witch trials and a shadowy rival for his beloved’s hand.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of With Mask and Mitt

With Mask and Mitt

Albertus T. (Albertus True) Dudley

The pursuit of excellence on the diamond and the classroom is rarely a straight line, but for a dedicated athlete, the path to leadership is paved with hard-won experience and quiet integrity.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Ye book of Copperheads

Ye book of Copperheads

Charles Godfrey Leland

The Copperheads are snakes in the grass of the American Civil War, and this sharp collection of verses serves as a literary boot, designed to crush the dissenters who sought to undermine the Union from within.

History - American6 min read
Cover of A Canadian Farm Mystery

A Canadian Farm Mystery

Bessie Marchant

When a young woman travels to the remote Canadian wilderness to join her grandfather, she arrives to find his home deserted, forcing her to carve out a life of rugged self-reliance while haunted by his unexplained disappearance.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of A Counterfeit Presentment

A Counterfeit Presentment

William Dean Howells

An artist finds his life upended when he discovers he bears an uncanny, haunting resemblance to the man who once broke a young woman’s heart.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A history of English lotteries

A history of English lotteries

John Ashton

The allure of unearned wealth has long haunted the English public, driving a cycle of state-sanctioned gambling that fueled both the national coffers and individual ruin for over three centuries.

General6 min read
Cover of A Journey of a Jayhawker

A Journey of a Jayhawker

W. Y. (William Yoast) Morgan

The world is large, yet its people are remarkably familiar; a Kansas journalist discovers that whether one is in Paris, Rome, or London, the human experience remains stubbornly, comfortingly the same.

Humour6 min read
Cover of A Memoir of Sir Edmund Andros, Knt.,: Governor of New England, New York and Virginia, &c., &c

A Memoir of Sir Edmund Andros, Knt.,: Governor of New England, New York and Virginia, &c., &c

William Henry Whitmore

A soldier and statesman who navigated the treacherous politics of the seventeenth-century British Empire, Edmund Andros served as a royal governor across three major American colonies despite being widely detested by his subjects.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of A New Genus of Pennsylvanian Fish (Crossopterygii, Coelacanthiformes) from Kansas

A New Genus of Pennsylvanian Fish (Crossopterygii, Coelacanthiformes) from Kansas

Joan Echols

This technical monograph provides a formal scientific classification for a previously misidentified Pennsylvanian coelacanth, establishing a new genus named *Synaptotylus* based on fossilized remains found in Kansas.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of A Selection from the Works of Frederick Locker

A Selection from the Works of Frederick Locker

Frederick Locker-Lampson

These verses capture the fleeting, bittersweet rhythm of ordinary life, where the mundane—an old muff, a child’s toy, or a morning walk—becomes a vessel for profound nostalgia and quiet joy.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A "Temporary Gentleman" in France

A "Temporary Gentleman" in France

A. J. (Alec John) Dawson

A civilian leaves his desk to command men in the mud of France, discovering that the true nature of heroism lies in the quiet, unrelenting care for others.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of All Jackson's Children

All Jackson's Children

Daniel F. Galouye

HOOK A pair of salvagers discovers a stranded colony of robots that have developed a strange, mechanical theology based on the memory of a long-dead human crewman.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of An English woman-sergeant in the Serbian Army

An English woman-sergeant in the Serbian Army

Flora Sandes

An Englishwoman joins the Serbian Army during the Great War, serving as a front-line soldier and sergeant. She shares an intimate, mud-splattered account of life, survival, and camaraderie in the trenches.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Behind the Throne

Behind the Throne

William Le Queux

Behind the Throne is an intricate, atmospheric tale of political intrigue and personal sacrifice set within the highest levels of the Italian government. It captures the dark, treacherous intersection of state secrets, bureaucratic corruption, and the private lives of those pulling the levers of power.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 63, No. 387, January, 1848

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 63, No. 387, January, 1848

Various

This collection of essays and narratives captures the anxieties of a mid-nineteenth-century British perspective, offering a snapshot of a nation wrestling with industrial decline, colonial unrest, and the turbulence of a changing European political landscape.

Economics6 min read
Cover of Captain Calamity

Captain Calamity

Rolf Bennett

A man of mystery takes to the high seas during the Great War, commanding a motley crew and a repurposed merchant vessel in a race against betrayal and his own shadowed past. This adventure blends the grit of naval warfare with the romantic sensibilities of early twentieth-century fiction.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 446: Volume 18, New Series, July 17, 1852

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 446: Volume 18, New Series, July 17, 1852

Various

The Victorian era’s restless curiosity comes alive in this snapshot of a mid-century magazine, where scientific wonder and social commentary collide. It captures the pulse of a society eager to catalog the world's strangeness and improve its own moral machinery.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 683: January 27, 1877

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 683: January 27, 1877

Various

A Victorian miscellany serves as a panoramic window into nineteenth-century life, blending earnest biographical profiles, tales of Arctic survival, and practical dispatches on the rapid advancement of global industry and scientific inquiry.

Art6 min read
Cover of Commander Lawless V.C

Commander Lawless V.C

Rolf Bennett

A restless naval officer finds his true calling in the desperate, unconventional skirmishes of the First World War, where audacity often outmaneuvers superior firepower.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Country Life in Canada Fifty Years Ago: Personal recollections and reminiscences of a sexagenarian

Country Life in Canada Fifty Years Ago: Personal recollections and reminiscences of a sexagenarian

Canniff Haight

This memoir captures the vanishing textures of nineteenth-century Ontario, offering a vivid, unvarnished window into the daily rhythms, social customs, and rugged realities of pioneer life.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Custer's Last Shot

Custer's Last Shot

Travers, J. M., Col.

The frontier meets the finality of history in a high-stakes rescue mission where the legend of Custer’s last stand serves as the backdrop for a desperate search for a missing woman.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Dutch the Diver

Dutch the Diver

George Manville Fenn

The pursuit of sunken treasure turns to peril when a professional diver and his crew face betrayal at sea. This gripping adventure chronicles a struggle for survival against both natural predators and a vengeful rival.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Emperor William First, the Great War and Peace Hero

Emperor William First, the Great War and Peace Hero

A. Walter

A life defined by military duty and the unification of a fractured nation, this portrait captures the ascent of a prince who became the first German Emperor. It traces a long, disciplined journey from the Napoleonic wars to the pinnacle of European power.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Etiquette Made Easy

Etiquette Made Easy

Edward Summers Squier

Genuine courtesy begins with a simple regard for the feelings of others. This manual offers a structured, traditional guide to navigating the complex social obligations of early twentieth-century life.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Fairies I Have Met

Fairies I Have Met

Stawell, Rodolph, Mrs.

HOOK These interconnected tales invite readers into a hidden world where sunbeams dwell in human hearts and nature’s smallest elements possess secret, whimsical lives.

Children & Young Adult Reading5 min read
Cover of Frey and His Wife

Frey and His Wife

Maurice Hewlett

This brisk, ironic tale follows an unlikely pair of men—one a cowardly trickster and the other an honorable fugitive—as their paths cross, diverge, and finally collide in the shadow of a wooden god. It is a sharp study in the difference between the appearance of courage and the substance of it.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of Further remarks on the policy of lending Bodleian printed books and manuscripts

Further remarks on the policy of lending Bodleian printed books and manuscripts

Henry W. (Henry William) Chandler

The Bodleian Library stands at a crossroads: remain a sanctuary for the preservation of knowledge, or transform into a common circulating collection. This polemic argues that allowing books to leave the building is a reckless policy that threatens the library’s very existence.

History - Schools & Universities6 min read
Cover of Ignaz Jan Paderewski

Ignaz Jan Paderewski

Edward Algernon Baughan

A brilliant, tempestuous force of the concert hall, this portrait captures the man behind the myth. It explores how a singular Polish artist transformed from a struggling student into the most celebrated pianist of his generation.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Imaginary Portraits

Imaginary Portraits

Walter Pater

These four elegant, meditative sketches explore the fragile intersection of human desire and historical reality, capturing the brief, luminous lives of individuals who strive for beauty in an indifferent world.

British Literature6 min read