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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 639 of 988.

Cover of A Modern Madonna

A Modern Madonna

Caroline Abbot Stanley

A young widow finds her life’s purpose in the fierce protection of her son, only to be drawn into a high-stakes legal battle against her late husband's brother for custody of the child.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A Rip Van Winkle of the Kalahari, and Other Tales of South-West Africa

A Rip Van Winkle of the Kalahari, and Other Tales of South-West Africa

Fred C. (Frederick Carruthers) Cornell

In the scorched expanse of South-West Africa, phantom rivers, buried diamonds, and human desperation drive men into the heart of an unforgiving wilderness.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of A Tale of a Lonely Parish

A Tale of a Lonely Parish

F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford

In a quiet corner of rural England, a tangled web of past secrets and sudden arrivals tests the sturdy, unspoken loyalties of an isolated community. This is a story where the quietude of country life masks the gravity of human endurance.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of A waif's progress

A waif's progress

Rhoda Broughton

HOOK A young woman navigates the suffocating expectations of high-society guardians, balancing a desperate need for security against the instinct to protect her own complicated history.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A World Called Crimson

A World Called Crimson

Stephen Marlowe

A shipwrecked pair of children grow up alone on a alien planet, discovering they can turn whatever they imagine into physical reality.

Novels7 min read
Cover of Adventures in Holland and at Waterloo

Adventures in Holland and at Waterloo

Thomas Knight

A former cabin boy turned rifleman recounts his experiences in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and his later, lesser-known service in Portugal. His blunt, unvarnished recollections provide a rare glimpse into the life of a nineteenth-century common soldier.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of An Essay on the State of England: In Relation to Its Trade, Its Poor, and Its Taxes, for Carrying on the Present War Against France

An Essay on the State of England: In Relation to Its Trade, Its Poor, and Its Taxes, for Carrying on the Present War Against France

John Cary

Strengthening the nation’s commercial engine is the only way to fund a protracted war and ensure the survival of liberty. Prosperity, the author argues, depends entirely on the disciplined management of domestic industry and foreign trade.

Economics6 min read
Cover of Anna Seward, and Classic Lichfield

Anna Seward, and Classic Lichfield

Stapleton Martin

Lichfield’s eighteenth-century literary scene found its center in the Episcopal Palace, where a poetess once reigned as the acknowledged queen of her circle. This work reconstructs the life and social world of that formidable figure.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Art and Pleasure: "Painting with Needles": New Uses of Dexter Cotton Warp

Art and Pleasure: "Painting with Needles": New Uses of Dexter Cotton Warp

Virginia Snow Studios

A vibrant invitation to the home-arts, this guide revives the historical practice of “painting with needles,” teaching readers to transform simple cotton warp into elegant, durable, and colorful household treasures.

Art6 min read
Cover of Attrition

Attrition

Jim Wannamaker

The harsh indifference of the cosmos confronts a cynical investigator when an entire crew vanishes on an alien world, leaving behind only scattered bones and an invisible, lethal secret.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Aunt Judith: The Story of a Loving Life

Aunt Judith: The Story of a Loving Life

Grace Beaumont

The story follows the spiritual and physical trials of two young friends as they learn to navigate the harshness of others, the onset of tragedy, and the quiet power of selfless faith. It is a portrait of resilience in the face of inevitable sorrow.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Bear and forbear

Bear and forbear

Oliver Optic

HOOK A young man’s moral resolve is tested as he navigates a landscape of petty tyrants, criminal schemes, and the unexpected peace brought by two dancing bears.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Ben, the Trapper

Ben, the Trapper

Albert W. Aiken

The rugged frontier of the 1870s Black Hills provides the backdrop for a tale of survival, shifting alliances, and the quiet camaraderie found between men who live by the rifle and the trap.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Bengal Dacoits and Tigers

Bengal Dacoits and Tigers

Maharani of Cooch Behar Sunity Devee

Night falls swiftly over rural Bengal, bringing with it the rhythmic chant of palanquin bearers, the sudden glare of torches, and the heavy, terrifying breath of a tiger waiting outside a shuttered window.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of Birds and Nature, Vol. 10 No. 4 [November 1901]

Birds and Nature, Vol. 10 No. 4 [November 1901]

Various

This collection of natural history sketches and poetry captures the turn of the century’s fascination with the natural world, blending scientific observation with a sentimental reverence for the wild. It serves as a gentle, rhythmic almanac for the eleventh month, balancing the cold onset of winter with reflections…

Journals6 min read
Cover of Birth Control: A Statement of Christian Doctrine against the Neo-Malthusians

Birth Control: A Statement of Christian Doctrine against the Neo-Malthusians

Halliday Sutherland

This polemic serves as a rigorous, medically-informed defense of traditional Christian doctrine against the rising tide of twentieth-century advocacy for birth control. It stakes its claim against the Malthusian view that human fertility is the primary engine of poverty and social decay.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of Black Bruin: The Biography of a Bear

Black Bruin: The Biography of a Bear

Clarence Hawkes

The intelligence and vulnerability of a creature caught between two worlds define this sympathetic account of a bear’s journey from a domestic pet to a circus attraction and, finally, a wild survivor.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of "Broken Music"

"Broken Music"

Phyllis Bottome

A young man arrives in Paris seeking to fulfill his destiny as a composer, only to find himself entangled in a web of manipulative socialites and unrequited devotion.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Aunt Lu's City Home

Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Aunt Lu's City Home

Laura Lee Hope

Join Bunny Brown and his sister Sue on their adventures in the city, where they explore, make friends, and learn valuable lessons.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of Canoe Boys and Campfires

Canoe Boys and Campfires

William Murray Graydon

Four boys set out on a summer canoe trip along a winding creek, finding themselves entangled in a series of dangerous encounters with local troublemakers and the unpredictable forces of nature.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 703: June 16, 1877

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 703: June 16, 1877

Various

This collection of prose and poetry offers a window into the Victorian appetite for travel, social reform, and human interest. It captures the distinct rhythm of a nineteenth-century weekly magazine, blending practical advice with whimsical storytelling.

Journals6 min read
Cover of Civil Government of Virginia: A Text-book for Schools Based Upon the Constitution of 1902 and Conforming to the Laws Enacted in Accordance Therewith

Civil Government of Virginia: A Text-book for Schools Based Upon the Constitution of 1902 and Conforming to the Laws Enacted in Accordance Therewith

William Fayette Fox

A systematic examination of institutional authority reveals how civic duty, constitutional framework, and public administration construct the foundation of state governance.

Politics7 min read
Cover of College girls

College girls

Abbe Carter Goodloe

At the close of the nineteenth century, the American college woman stood at a crossroads of intellectual ambition and traditional expectation. This collection of linked stories maps the quiet, internal revolutions occurring within the ivy-covered walls of women’s academia and the social circles that awaited its…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Cutlass and Cudgel

Cutlass and Cudgel

George Manville Fenn

A naive midshipman and a smuggler’s son find their destinies locked together on a rugged, cliff-strewn coast. Their rivalry, born of class and duty, eventually yields to a hard-won friendship.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Deeds Barn and the Self Starter

Deeds Barn and the Self Starter

Anonymous

Two visionary engineers transform the early automobile from a temperamental, hand-cranked machine into a reliable, mass-produced marvel, beginning their work in the humble confines of a backyard barn.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Democracy in France. January 1849

Democracy in France. January 1849

François Guizot

The French nation stands at a precipice, torn between the promise of democratic liberty and the abyss of revolutionary chaos. Only a return to social and moral stability can prevent the collapse of civilization.

History - European7 min read
Cover of Documentary History of the Rio Grande Pueblos of New Mexico

Documentary History of the Rio Grande Pueblos of New Mexico

Adolph Francis Alphonse Bandelier

A pioneer of southwestern scholarship systematically sifts through three centuries of Spanish records, separating hard evidence from rumor to reconstruct the authentic history of the Pueblo peoples.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of Don Hale Over There

Don Hale Over There

W. Crispin (William Crispin) Sheppard

The Great War provides a backdrop for youthful adventure, blending the grim realities of ambulance service with the mystery of a deserted French château. Courage and curiosity collide in this account of volunteer service.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of Everyday Americans

Everyday Americans

Henry Seidel Canby

This examination of the American character, written in the wake of the First World War, explores the enduring tension between the nation's inherited idealism and its entrenched, cautious conservatism. It asks whether a society built on the promise of freedom can overcome its own resistance to change.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Exercises upon the Different Parts of Italian Speech, with References to Veneroni's Grammar: to which is added an abridgement of the Roman history, intended at once to make the learner acquainted with history, and the idiom of the Italian language

Exercises upon the Different Parts of Italian Speech, with References to Veneroni's Grammar: to which is added an abridgement of the Roman history, intended at once to make the learner acquainted with history, and the idiom of the Italian language

Ferdinando Bottarelli

This instructional manual blends the rigors of Italian syntax with a sweeping narrative of the Roman Empire, offering a singular method to master a language while tracking the rise and fall of antiquity.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Flaming June

Flaming June

Vaizey, George de Horne, Mrs.

The story of a vivacious American visitor to a sleepy English town, this novel explores the friction between old-world decorum and new-world vitality. It tracks the awakening of an unlikely match-maker and the quiet rebellion of those stifled by rigid social expectations.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Food for the traveler

Food for the traveler

Dora C. C. L. (Dora Cathrine Cristine Liebel) Roper

A practical guide to dietary balance, this treatise blends osteopathic theory and custom menus to help readers navigate modern eating without sacrificing health.

Health & Medicine5 min read
Cover of For love and life

For love and life

Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

The mantle of nobility fits poorly upon a man whose fortune has vanished, yet this displaced gentleman finds a deeper wealth in the quiet, sacrificial kindnesses he renders to those who have wronged him.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Four Months in Libby and the Campaign Against Atlanta

Four Months in Libby and the Campaign Against Atlanta

I. N. (Isaac N.) Johnston

This account offers a direct, unvarnished look at the harrowing realities of Civil War imprisonment and the relentless, grinding progression of Sherman’s campaign toward Atlanta.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXXVI, No. 4, April 1850

Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXXVI, No. 4, April 1850

Various

This nineteenth-century periodical offers a fascinating, multifaceted window into the cultural landscape of 1850. It serves as a curated collection of contemporary fiction, historical biography, poetry, and social commentary.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Greatheart

Greatheart

Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell

A young woman caught between two very different brothers must choose between intoxicating passion and steady, sacrificial devotion.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Gunpowder Treason and Plot, and Other Stories for Boys

Gunpowder Treason and Plot, and Other Stories for Boys

Harold Avery

This collection offers a series of spirited Victorian-era tales that capture the imagination of youth through schoolboy rivalries, rugged wilderness survival, and daring acts of bravery. It serves as a nostalgic window into an age of classic adventure.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Harper's Round Table, October 8, 1895

Harper's Round Table, October 8, 1895

Various

This collection captures the Victorian era’s spirit of youthful curiosity, blending mechanical ingenuity with the earnest, structured leisure of late-nineteenth-century childhood. It is a vibrant, multifaceted snapshot of a time when adventure was both literary and practical.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Helen Redeemed and Other Poems

Helen Redeemed and Other Poems

Maurice Hewlett

High above a doomed city, a queen barters her pride to an abandoned king while gods flee into the morning mist and a wooden snare sits at the gates.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore7 min read
Cover of How to write photoplays

How to write photoplays

Embrie (Harry Embrie) Zuver

This manual serves as a streamlined primer for aspiring silent-film writers in the early twentieth century. It focuses on the mechanics of transforming a narrative idea into a professional, industry-standard screenplay, emphasizing the importance of visual clarity and technical precision over literary prose.

How To ...5 min read
Cover of Imogen

Imogen

Mrs. Molesworth

A young woman’s visit to a country estate becomes a web of social manipulation, misplaced letters, and secret hearts. Through innocence and malice, a quiet, life-altering truth finally emerges.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Imperial Purple

Imperial Purple

Edgar Saltus

A parade of imperial madness, where absolute power transforms mortal men into gold-dusted gods and exquisite monsters.

Historical Novels7 min read
Cover of Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Antoine de La Salle

Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Antoine de La Salle

Antoine de La Sale

This collection of one hundred short, ribald tales serves as a window into the appetites and anxieties of the late medieval world. It is a work of candid, often cynical, humor that finds its primary entertainment in the subversion of domestic order.

History - Medieval/Middle Ages6 min read
Cover of Jack Hall

Jack Hall

Robert Grant

The snow-dusted streets of Boston yield to the quiet rigor of a boarding school, where a young boy learns that integrity is the hardest, yet most essential, game he will ever play.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Kakemono

Kakemono

A. Herbage Edwards

This collection of sketches captures the ephemeral beauty and profound spiritual depth of Japan, painting a portrait of a nation poised between ancient tradition and the rapid onset of modernity.

Religion/Spirituality5 min read
Cover of King Henry VI, Part 3

King Henry VI, Part 3

William Shakespeare

The crown of England is a heavy, blood-stained prize, and for those caught in its orbit, the cost of holding it is often their own humanity. Amidst the chaos of the Wars of the Roses, a weary king finds that throne and peace are rarely held by the same hands.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Kreativity For Kats

Kreativity For Kats

Fritz Leiber

A sensitive, imaginative cat discovers he is an artist, turning the simple act of spilling water into a fleeting, sparkling masterpiece of light and motion.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of Lazy Thoughts of a Lazy Girl: Sister of that "Idle Fellow."

Lazy Thoughts of a Lazy Girl: Sister of that "Idle Fellow."

Jenny Wren

A sharp-tongued observer of Victorian life, this collection of essays finds humor in the tedious rituals of high society, from the performative nature of formal calls to the absurdity of the marriage market.

British Literature6 min read