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All free summaries — page 647
34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 647 of 714.
The secrets of a great cathedral
H. D. M. (Henry Donald Maurice) Spence-Jones
This inquiry into the origins of medieval architecture explores how the massive stone structures of Europe evolved from Roman roots into the soaring, light-filled sanctuaries of the Gothic era.
The shipwreck
William Falconer
A crew of seasoned mariners, dreaming of home and harbor, finds their hopeful voyage shattered by the relentless fury of a Mediterranean storm. This narrative poem charts the transition from professional pride to the absolute helplessness of humanity against the sea.
The Social Secretary
David Graham Phillips
HOOK A young woman navigates the treacherous social currents of Washington, D.C., managing a wealthy political family's rise to power while guarding her own heart against the cynical demands of high society.
The Storehouses of the King
Jane (Trill) van Gelder
The colossal stone structures of Egypt, long shrouded in mystery and speculation, find their true purpose revealed as ancient storehouses designed to safeguard humanity against the ravages of famine.
The tale of Frisky Squirrel
Arthur Scott Bailey
A nimble and overly bold squirrel discovers that the forest is filled with both wonders and dangers, learning through narrow escapes that curiosity sometimes demands a heavy price.
The tale of Jimmy Rabbit
Arthur Scott Bailey
HOOK A boastful young rabbit learns that his clever pranks and vanity often lead to unexpected, humorous consequences in his forest home.
The Thirty Years War
Friedrich Schiller
A sweeping chronicle of the seventeenth century’s most devastating religious war, this work examines how the collision of personal ambition and ideological fervor transformed Germany into a graveyard of empires.
The Trumpeter Swan
Temple Bailey
A young woman’s romantic illusions shatter against the cold reality of a wealthy suitor’s indifference, forcing her to confront the true nature of devotion and the depth of her own strength.
The Under-Secretary
William Le Queux
The life of a high-ranking British official unravels when his secret past—marked by treason and cold-blooded murder—threatens to collide with his public stature and the woman he loves.
"The United Seas"
Robert W. (Robert Wells) Rogers
The opening of the Panama Canal stands as a gateway not merely for ships, but for the dawn of a planetary brotherhood and a unified, democratic world.
The waltz of the dogs
Leonid Andreyev
The Waltz of the Dogs is a claustrophobic, haunting drama about a man who retreats into a private world of cold logic and murderous intent. It is a stark study of isolation, betrayal, and the unraveling of the human psyche.
The Younger Sister: A Novel, Vol. III
Mrs. (Catherine-Anne Austen) Hubback
The social architecture of a provincial town offers little shelter to an orphan whose only currency is her own character. In a web of scrutiny and shifting allegiances, survival depends on navigating the chasm between public reputation and private truth.
'Tween Snow and Fire: A Tale of the Last Kafir War
Bertram Mitford
The frontier of Kaffraria serves as a volatile backdrop for a story of colonial unrest and the dangerous, forbidden attraction between a woman and her husband’s cousin.
Under Boy Scout Colors
Joseph Bushnell Ames
The arrival of a newcomer in a local scout troop ignites a season of growth, testing the boundaries of camaraderie and the true meaning of service.
Voyager 1 Encounters Saturn
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
A robotic traveler crosses a billion miles of void to unveil the hidden complexity of Saturn, revealing a world of icy rings, dynamic storms, and enigmatic moons.
Washington cover-up
Clark R. (Clark Raymond) Mollenhoff
A vigorous defense of the public’s right to know, this investigation exposes how executive secrecy frequently functions as a shield for government mismanagement and corruption.
Wide Awake Magazine, Volume 4, Number 3, January 10, 1916
Various
This collection of serialized fiction and short stories captures the high-stakes, moralistic energy of early twentieth-century American pulp magazines. It is a snapshot of an era obsessed with grit, athleticism, and redemption.
Wild Kitty
L. T. Meade
A vibrant, irrepressible Irish teenager arrives at an English boarding school, only to find her spirited nature colliding with rigid social expectations and the secret, desperate lives of her classmates.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 11
Unknown
These collected narratives capture the joys, struggles, and moral trials of ordinary Scottish life, painting a vivid portrait of a people shaped by both their rugged landscapes and their deep-seated convictions.
Young Lord Stranleigh: A Novel
Robert Barr
The refined, lethargic aristocrat who seems incapable of exertion proves to be a master of hidden strategy, outmaneuvering cold-blooded financiers to save both his own interests and the national economy.
A Detailed Account of the Battle of Austerlitz
Karl von Stutterheim
The battle that redefined the map of Europe remains a masterclass in the lethal consequences of strategic overreach and fragmented command. This account serves as a cold, analytical autopsy of a decisive imperial collapse.
A lady of the last century
Dr. (John) Doran
A portrait of a brilliant eighteenth-century intellect, this biography captures the life of a woman who navigated the rigid social structures of her era with wit, administrative acumen, and a sharp, discerning pen.
A List of Books Published by Chatto & Windus, September 1891
Chatto & Windus (Firm)
This catalog serves as a snapshot of the Victorian literary marketplace, detailing the vast array of fiction and non-fiction available to the London public in late 1891.
A Little Book of Christmas
John Kendrick Bangs
A collection of four gentle, interconnected tales, this volume explores the transformative power of kindness during the Christmas season. It captures the spirit of early twentieth-century New York through stories of compassion, charity, and unexpected connection.
A report on the feasibility and advisability of some policy to inaugurate a system of rifle practice throughout the public schools of the country
George Wood Wingate
This report serves as a foundational argument for integrating systematic rifle training into the American public school curriculum to foster national readiness and instill discipline in youth.
A rogue's tragedy
Bernard Capes
A man’s fragile idealism and a woman’s desperate devotion collide against a backdrop of Alpine shadows, where the weight of a secret murder binds two souls to a tragic, inescapable end.
A Study in Tinguian Folk-Lore
Fay-Cooper Cole
This scholarly examination of Tinguian folklore maps the intersection of myth and daily life, illustrating how a people’s narrative heritage reinforces their social rituals, marriage customs, and spiritual worldviews.
A Summer Evening's Dream: 1898
Edward Bellamy
A chance encounter in a quiet village garden forces two lifelong, unmarried companions to confront the stagnant ghost of their own youth. The result is a startling, tender, and somewhat surreal resolution to a forty-year hesitation.
A True Relation of the Apparition of one Mrs. Veal: The Next Day after Her Death, to one Mrs. Bargrave, at Canterbury, the 8th of September, 1705
Daniel Defoe
This account documents an extraordinary visit from a deceased friend, meticulously detailing a ghostly encounter to persuade the skeptical and offer spiritual comfort through the lens of early eighteenth-century life.
Africa and the American Flag
Andrew H. (Andrew Hull) Foote
The American flag flies over a complicated intersection of commerce, naval diplomacy, and human tragedy on the West African coast. This account documents a pivotal era when international maritime law struggled to define the morality of the sea.
Age of anxiety
Robert Silverberg
In a future where childhood is a drug-induced dream of pure tranquility, one teenager must decide if he is strong enough to trade his comfort for the harsh, grinding reality of adulthood.
An Easter Disciple: The Chronicle of Quintus, the Roman Knight
Arthur Benton Sanford
The Roman Empire and the nascent Christian faith collide in the personal awakening of a young knight. A historical reimagining of the first Easter, this narrative traces the journey of a man who exchanges the uncertainty of pagan philosophy for a conviction in the resurrection.
An interesting journal of Abner Stocking of Chatham, Connecticut: detailing the distressing events of the expedition against Quebec, under the command of Col. Arnold in the year 1775
Abner Stocking
A harrowing, firsthand account of the 1775 American expedition to Quebec, this narrative traces a soldier’s transformation from a zealous patriot into a survivor of starvation, imprisonment, and defeat.
Anonymity
E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster
The question of whether we should know the name behind a book’s words is far more profound and literary than it might first appear. By examining the distinct roles of language, a case is made for the inherent anonymity of great art.
As Others See Us: Being the Diary of a Canadian Debutante
W. H. P. (William Henry Pope) Jarvis
A young woman navigates the superficial social circles of early 20th-century Canada while wrestling with the cynical, guiding presence of her uncle’s guest. This narrative diary captures the tension between societal ambition and the search for authentic connection.
At the Relton Arms
Evelyn Sharp
This narrative explores the restless friction between artistic temperament and domestic obligation, centering on a musician who finds himself perpetually caught between his own impulsive nature and the women who anchor his life.
Ballads, Founded on Anecdotes Relating to Animals
William Hayley
The tenderest devotion often lives in the hearts of creatures without speech, and this collection of verse proves that courage and maternal love are universal languages shared by humans and beasts alike.
Bees, Shown to the Children
Ellison Hawks
HOOK This guide invites young readers into the miniature, clockwork world of the honeybee, transforming a common backyard insect into a marvel of complex social engineering and botanical cooperation.
Ben o' Bill's, the Luddite: A Yorkshire Tale
D. F. E. Sykes
This Yorkshire tale offers a grounded, human look at the Luddite uprisings, capturing the desperation of the Colne Valley weavers as they faced an uncertain industrial future. It is a story of conflict, not just between men and machines, but between the quietude of daily life and the sudden, violent demands of…
Billy Topsail & Company: A Story for Boys
Norman Duncan
The frigid, unforgiving edge of Newfoundland serves as the setting for this bracing tale, where a group of resilient boys find their courage tested by the crushing weight of the sea and the demands of manhood.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 68, No. 417, July, 1850
Various
This volume of a venerable nineteenth-century monthly serves as a sprawling, articulate window into the anxieties, aesthetic values, and political tensions of mid-Victorian Britain. It gathers diverse voices to survey the intellectual landscape of 1850, offering a vivid, if partisan, portrait of a nation grappling…
Bobby of Cloverfield Farm
Helen Fuller Orton
A young boy navigates the changing seasons of a bustling family farm, learning small, vital lessons about responsibility, nature, and the warmth of home.
Butterflies and Moths, Shown to the Children
Theodore Wood
A charming, gentle introduction to the hidden lives of common insects, this guide invites young readers to observe the artistry of nature found right in their own gardens.
By Shore and Sedge
Bret Harte
A young man finds himself caught between the ruthless ambitions of his associates and the quiet, strange dignity of a father and daughter living in an abandoned ship.
Camp Fire Girls in War and Peace
Isabel Hornibrook
This story captures a group of young women navigating the transformative years of the First World War, finding purpose through service and the strengthening of their own community bonds. It serves as an earnest portrait of a generation balancing the anxieties of a global conflict with the rituals of youth.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 430: Volume 17, New Series, March 27, 1852
Various
The modern world is a cacophony of loud opinions and relentless progress, captured here in the fragmented, bustling spirit of a mid-nineteenth-century weekly miscellany.
Daireen. Complete
Frank Frankfort Moore
A desperate act of devotion sets a young woman on a perilous ocean voyage, where the wreckage of the past collides with the fragile possibilities of a new life.
Dave Dawson with the Commandos
Robert Sidney Bowen
This tale of high-stakes espionage and aerial combat follows two young pilots as they plunge into the heart of occupied France to strike at the enemy’s leadership. It captures the frantic, breathless energy of wartime adventure, celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers thrust into the most perilous of missions.