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34,093 public-domain books, summarised. Page 651 of 711.

All Aboard: A Story for Girls
Fannie E. (Fannie Ellsworth) Newberry
The world is vast, but the most profound discoveries often happen within the confines of a single ship’s deck. Through the eyes of twin sisters, a long sea voyage transforms from a simple trip into a life-altering journey of character, faith, and unexpected human connection.

All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 1 of 3
G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
The tensions of Victorian life collide in this sprawling social drama, where the domestic struggles of a working-class family intertwine with the romantic and financial schemes of the landed gentry.

Among the An-ko-me-nums, or Flathead Tribes of Indians of the Pacific Coast
Thomas Crosby
A nineteenth-century missionary recounts his decades of labor among the indigenous tribes of the Pacific Coast, detailing the complex cultural shifts that followed the arrival of settlers and Christian influence.

At War with Society
James M'Levy
The shadows of mid-nineteenth-century Edinburgh hold more than just grime; they contain a relentless, unspoken war between a seasoned detective and the criminal class he observes with both grit and surprising empathy.

At Ypres with Best-Dunkley
Thomas Hope Floyd
This intimate account captures the daily rhythms of soldiers awaiting the Third Battle of Ypres. It stands as a modest, essential tribute to the men who fought and the commander who led them to their final objective.

Bert Wilson, Wireless Operator
J. W. Duffield
The young wireless operator Bert Wilson finds his technical expertise and nerves of steel tested against the perils of the high seas in this classic tale of early twentieth-century adventure.

Biology
Edmund B. (Edmund Beecher) Wilson
The biological sciences aim to understand the order of nature within the living world, yet they remain humble before the persistent mysteries of existence. This lecture serves as a foundational inquiry into the mechanisms of life and the nature of organic adaptation.

Byliny Book: Hero Tales of Russia
Marion Chilton Harrison
These ancient Russian legends recount the extraordinary feats of heroes who defend the land against barbarian invaders, blending mythic strength with the enduring spirit of a people protecting their home.

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 688: March 3, 1877
Various
This March 1877 issue of a long-running weekly periodical offers a window into the Victorian mind, blending local folklore, industrial curiosity, and the domestic drama of its era. It serves as a fascinating repository of a world mid-transition.

Chico, the story of a homing pigeon
Lucy Mansfield Blanchard Blanchard
A young boy in Venice finds purpose and courage through his bond with a homing pigeon, testing the limits of loyalty during the darkness of the Great War.

Christopher Columbus
Mildred Stapley Byne
Whatever can be known of earth we know, sneered Europe’s wise men; yet one man in Genoa dared to say "No," and that refusal created a New World.

Church Cooperation in Community Life
Paul L. (Paul Leroy) Vogt
The rural church stands at a critical crossroads, needing to evolve beyond narrow individual spiritual focus to become the active, collaborative heartbeat of its community. This work provides a pragmatic roadmap for that transformation.

Computers on the Farm: Farm Uses for Computers, How to Select Software and Hardware, and Online Information Sources in Agriculture
Deborah Takiff Smith
This guide acts as a bridge between the traditional labor of American farming and the then-emerging digital age, offering practical, cautious advice for integrating microcomputers into the agricultural landscape of the mid-1980s.

Confession and Absolution
T. J. (Thomas John) Capel
God provides a ministry of reconciliation to address the universal burden of sin. By analyzing divine law and historical precedent, the necessity of contrition and sacramental confession is established as the pathway to restoration.

Corrie
Lynn, Ruth, active approximately 1876-1880
In the quiet shadow of a bustling town, a young boy’s selfless devotion transforms the difficult, isolated life of his disabled sister, leading them toward an unexpected home.

Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 2 of 3), Essay 4: Joseph de Maistre
John Morley
This intellectual portrait explores the life and reactionary philosophy of Joseph de Maistre, a diplomat who sought to rebuild a shattered Europe through the restoration of absolute papal and monarchical authority.

Damon and Delia: A Tale
William Godwin
The graceful Delia and her devoted Damon struggle against arranged marriages and social artifice to find their way to each other’s side. Their journey is a lesson in the turbulence of youth and the quiet triumph of reason.

Dave Porter in the Gold Fields
Edward Stratemeyer
A resourceful teenager tracks a lost family fortune into the rugged American West, navigating treacherous terrain and outwitting devious rivals to reclaim his friend’s inheritance.

David Dunne: A Romance of the Middle West
Belle Kanaris Maniates
A boy from the wrong side of the tracks finds his worth in the quiet virtues of the heart, eventually rising to become a governor who must weigh personal loyalty against the cold demands of the law.

Dead Men's Money
J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher
The quiet life of a clerk in Berwick-upon-Tweed is shattered when a series of mysterious strangers and a brutal murder pull him into a lethal, international web of deception and greed.

Doris Force at Locked Gates
Julia K. Duncan
HOOK A clever teenager and her friend stumble into a web of deceit at a crumbling mansion, where they must outwit a pair of unscrupulous servants and a mysterious, predatory visitor to save a fortune.

Elements of Trench Warfare: Bayonet Training
William H. (William Henry) Waldron
This manual serves as a grim, practical primer on surviving the static, brutal reality of First World War trench combat. It is a technical guide for soldiers facing the industrialization of the battlefield.

Elsie at the World's Fair
Martha Finley
A devout, closely-knit family travels by private yacht to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, finding that the wonders of human invention only heighten their reverence for the divine.

Escape, and Other Essays
Arthur Christopher Benson
This collection of essays serves as a quiet, thoughtful meditation on the necessity of seeking beauty and personal meaning within a world that often feels indifferent or restrictive. It offers a gentle framework for finding intellectual and spiritual refuge in the midst of daily existence.

Farewell
Honoré de Balzac
A soldier haunted by the memory of the Napoleonic retreat from Russia attempts to restore his lost love’s sanity through a desperate, staged recreation of the past. This somber exploration of trauma and obsession follows the slow collapse of a man unable to reconcile his private agony with the expectations of…

Flowers and fruit from the writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Discover a contemplative collection of wisdom, where the everyday struggles of life find balance through faith, domestic devotion, and the quiet observation of the human heart. This anthology serves as a meditative companion for those who seek beauty in the small, often overlooked details of existence.

For Jacinta
Harold Bindloss
A disillusioned Englishman finds his purpose in the brutal, fever-ridden swamps of West Africa, salvaging a sunken vessel to win the respect of a woman he once thought beyond his reach.

For John's Sake, and Other Stories
Annie Frances Perram
This collection of Victorian temperance tales offers an intimate, somber look at the destructive power of alcohol on the working class. It serves as both a moralizing argument and a mirror for the social anxieties of its era.

Gibraltar and Its Sieges, with a Description of Its Natural Features
Frederic George Stephens
The Rock of Gibraltar stands as a silent, formidable sentinel at the gates of the Mediterranean, a place where history has been written in blood, iron, and stone. It is a testament to the endurance of those who hold the key to the sea.

Harper's Young People, August 10, 1880: An Illustrated Weekly
Various
This weekly periodical serves as a cultural time capsule, blending instructional narratives, historical sketches, and natural history with the vibrant, interactive correspondence of late 19th-century American youth.

Hector Berlioz: A Romantic Tragedy
Herbert F. (Herbert Francis) Peyser
A life of relentless creative fire, Hector Berlioz struggled against the indifference of his countrymen and the volatile echoes of his own heart. His story is one of a genius perpetually at war with his circumstances.

Helen in the Editor's Chair
Ruthe S. Wheeler
When her father falls ill and must seek a warmer climate, a teenage girl and her brother seize the reins of their local newspaper to keep the family business—and their future—afloat.

Historical Record of the Tenth, or the North Lincolnshire, Regiment of Foot,: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of its Subsequent Services to 1847
Richard Cannon
This account chronicles the nearly two-century evolution of a British infantry unit, tracing its transformation from a modest garrison force into a seasoned instrument of imperial service across global theaters of war.

History of Steam on the Erie Canal
Anonymous
The Erie Canal stands at a crossroads of nineteenth-century innovation, where the immense promise of steam power consistently founders against the stubborn physics of narrow, shallow waterways. This technical report serves as a cold, analytical autopsy of failed attempts to replace horse-drawn barges with…

Homeward Bound: Sailor's Knots, Part 2
W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs
A domestic squabble escalates into a farcical game of cat and mouse when a husband leaves his wife, only to return as a secret lodger in her home. The result is a sharp, witty comedy of manners.

Horse Secrets
A. S. (Alexander Septimus) Alexander
The horse trade is a minefield of artifice, where a keen eye and a sharp wit are the only defenses against the clever deceptions of the unscrupulous.

Hudson Tercentenary: An historical retrospect regarding the object and quest of an all-water route from Europe to India
Frank Chamberlain
Seeking an all-water route to the riches of India, Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage transformed the colonial map, yet his legacy remains a complex mixture of historical exploration and unintended consequences.

I Will Maintain
Marjorie Bowen
The rise of a solitary leader and the violent collapse of a republic collide in this sweeping portrait of a nation at war. A young, cold-blooded prince and a weary, principled statesman battle for the soul of the Dutch people.

International Weekly Miscellany of Literature, Art and Science - Volume 1, No. 8, August 19, 1850
Various
This collection serves as a mid-nineteenth-century window into the intellectual and cultural preoccupations of the era, weaving together reports on foreign arts, biographical sketches, scientific curiosities, and moralizing fiction.

John the Baptist
F. B. (Frederick Brotherton) Meyer
The life of the desert prophet serves as a mirror for those seeking spiritual clarity, illustrating how one person’s selfless devotion can light the path for a new era.

Julia and the Pet-Lamb
Anonymous
The golden sunset beckons a young girl toward a field of flowers, but a bleating cry changes her evening into an unexpected test of character. A simple choice between personal joy and the suffering of a creature defines the hours that follow.

Legal Status of Women in Iowa
Jennie L. (Jennie Lansley) Wilson
This work serves as a foundational guide for Iowa women seeking to understand their legal rights, responsibilities, and protections within the state’s statutes and historical common law framework.

Lillian Morris, and Other Stories
Henryk Sienkiewicz
The American West is a stage for both mythic endurance and profound human fragility in these evocative tales of travel, survival, and cultural collision.

Love,—and the Philosopher: A Study in Sentiment
Marie Corelli
The philosopher finds his cynical detachment tested by a young woman’s unwavering kindness. This quiet study of human sentiment explores whether a life built on cold reason can truly compete with the warmth of the heart.

Manual of veterinary homeopathy
F. (Frederick) Humphreys
This guide offers a window into the nineteenth-century shift away from harsh medical interventions toward a gentler approach for treating the animals that powered, fed, and accompanied daily life. It serves as both a historical record of veterinary practice and a testament to the enduring human desire to soothe the…

Mary of Burgundy
G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James
The high-stakes political maneuvers of 15th-century Flanders provide the backdrop for this tale of a young man caught between his humble origins and his undeniable influence over the fate of a duchess.

Masters of the English Novel: A Study of Principles and Personalities
Richard Burton
The study of the novel is an act of historical appreciation, where the critic’s task is to measure the enduring legacy of the great figures who shaped the English literary tradition.

Memoirs of a Surrey Labourer: A Record of the Last Years of Frederick Bettesworth
George Sturt
This record captures the final years of an elderly Surrey labourer, preserving the dignity, struggles, and vanishing dialect of a life defined by physical toil and a deep, intuitive connection to the English landscape.