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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 657 of 988.

Cover of The law of copyright

The law of copyright

William Wordsworth

An aging poet steps out of privacy to publish a public declaration supporting parliamentary reform for authorial property rights.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Little Dog Trusty

The Little Dog Trusty

Maria Edgeworth

These three moral tales illustrate that honesty and cooperation lead to happiness, while pride and deception inevitably bring their own, often painful, consequences.

Children & Young Adult Reading5 min read
Cover of The Man Who Saved the Earth

The Man Who Saved the Earth

Austin Hall

The universe is a vast, interconnected machine, and when its delicate balance is disturbed, the consequences are both cosmic and catastrophic. A brilliant, reluctant scientist must confront the terrifying power he himself has unleashed.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Midnight Passenger

The Midnight Passenger

Richard Savage

A young New York courier carrying a fortune in cash vanishes into the damp city shadows, leaving behind a web of stolen identities, fraudulent wills, and cold-blooded murder.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Nantucket Indians

The Nantucket Indians

R. A. (Robert Alexander) Douglas-Lithgow

Maushope the giant waded into the sea to hunt a child-stealing bird, accidentally discovering an island and creating Nantucket’s frequent fogs with his pipe smoke. This is how the history of the island’s original people begins.

History - American6 min read
Cover of The Rising of the Court

The Rising of the Court

Henry Lawson

This collection of prose pieces captures the raw, unfiltered pulse of the Australian frontier and the claustrophobic indignity of city police courts. It is a work of deep empathy for the displaced, the weary, and the "cobbers" who stand by their own when the law fails them.

Short Stories6 min read
Cover of The second shell

The second shell

Jack Williamson

This high-stakes adventure pits human ingenuity against a hidden, extraterrestrial civilization occupying the frozen upper reaches of the atmosphere. When a renegade scientist and a swarm of mysterious red aircraft begin terrorizing the earth, a seasoned agent and a sharp-witted journalist must infiltrate a secret…

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The secret of the Australian desert

The secret of the Australian desert

Ernest Favenc

Two explorers set out to solve the tragic, decades-old mystery of a missing expedition in the Australian interior, only to stumble upon a harrowing hidden society and a fortune in gold.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The secret spring

The secret spring

Pierre Benoît

Caught between the trenches of the Great War and the opulent, decaying intrigue of a German court, a young French tutor discovers that obsession is a luxury fatal to those who pursue it.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The snow-image: a childish miracle

The snow-image: a childish miracle

Nathaniel Hawthorne

A cold winter’s day transforms into a quiet, impossible miracle when two imaginative children shape a playmate from the fallen snow, only to have their creation tested by the rigid logic of the adult world.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Spirit of Rome

The Spirit of Rome

Vernon Lee

HOOK This collection of diary entries captures the singular, haunting intimacy of returning to Rome, where the weight of centuries meets the fleeting, fragile lives of those who wander through its vast, theatrical ruins.

Travel Writing6 min read
Cover of The story of rope

The story of rope

Plymouth Cordage Company

A silent, ubiquitous companion to civilization, the humble rope carries the weight of history in its fibers, from the rigging of ancient sailing ships to the modern machinery of the industrial age.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of The thinking machine

The thinking machine

Raymond F. Jones

HOOK In a future where a central computer dictates every career, marriage, and move, two rebels risk everything to escape the machine’s cold, calculated perfection.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of The Three Cities Trilogy: Paris, Volume 1

The Three Cities Trilogy: Paris, Volume 1

Émile Zola

A young priest, his own Catholic faith completely shattered, moves through the squalor and the opulent drawing rooms of nineteenth-century Paris, searching for a reason to go on serving a world that seems to be falling apart.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Trail of the Sword, Complete

The Trail of the Sword, Complete

Gilbert Parker

A young French nobleman and a New England officer clash across colonial borders, bound by a shared love for the same woman and an unyielding commitment to their competing nations.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Treatment of Hay Fever by rosin-weed, ichthyol and faradic electricity: With a discussion of the old theory of gout and the new theory of anaphylaxis

The Treatment of Hay Fever by rosin-weed, ichthyol and faradic electricity: With a discussion of the old theory of gout and the new theory of anaphylaxis

George Frederick Laidlaw

Relief from the recurring torment of seasonal allergies is the primary pursuit of this 1917 clinical guide, which balances traditional herbal remedies with the emerging medical theories of its day.

Health & Medicine6 min read
Cover of The Voyage of Vanishing Men

The Voyage of Vanishing Men

Stanley Mullen

The lone survivor of a disastrous deep-space mission recounts his ordeal to a skeptical audience, forever haunted by the mystery of his lost crew.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The works of the Reverend George Whitefield, M.A., Vol. 6 (of 6)

The works of the Reverend George Whitefield, M.A., Vol. 6 (of 6)

George Whitefield

An impassioned voice from the eighteenth-century pulpit, this collection captures the fervor of a preacher who saw the world as a threshold to eternity and every sermon as a final, desperate plea for salvation.

Essays, Letters & Speeches7 min read
Cover of Traitor's Choice

Traitor's Choice

Paul W. Fairman

The price of human love is often measured in duty, but for one man, the cost is the survival of his own civilization. Caught between a kidnapper’s blade and a planetary betrayal, he must decide what he is willing to destroy.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Under the Prophet in Utah

Under the Prophet in Utah

Frank J. Cannon

A powerful religious hierarchy bargains its way into the American republic, trading solemn promises of reform for statehood—only to betray those pledges and establish a secretive political and financial tyranny over its devoted followers.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Under the Skylights

Under the Skylights

Henry Blake Fuller

This collection of three interconnected stories captures the frantic, often farcical collision between high-minded artistic aspiration and the cold, unyielding realities of turn-of-the-century urban commerce. It is a sharp, witty observation of how integrity, vanity, and money dance in the shadow of big-city ambition.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of With Trapper Jim in the North Woods

With Trapper Jim in the North Woods

Lawrence J. Leslie

A group of adventurous boys ventures into the North Woods to live alongside an experienced trapper, discovering that the wilderness holds both dangerous wildlife and valuable life lessons.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Writers of Knickerbocker New York

Writers of Knickerbocker New York

Hamilton Wright Mabie

This historical portrait captures the rise of early American literature, tracing how a circle of witty, ambitious young men transformed the provincial, Dutch-influenced atmosphere of old New York into a burgeoning cultural center.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Young Alaskans in the Far North

Young Alaskans in the Far North

Emerson Hough

Three boys and their self-reliant uncle embark on an ambitious, multi-modal expedition across the frozen wilderness of Northern Canada and Alaska, tracing the routes of the historic fur trade.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of A backwoods princess

A backwoods princess

Hulbert Footner

The untamed wilderness of the Canadian Northwest provides the backdrop for a tense struggle of wits and survival, where a young woman fights to protect her inheritance from a predatory rival.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of A Jayhawker in Europe

A Jayhawker in Europe

W. Y. (William Yoast) Morgan

A Kansas newspaperman takes his readers on a brisk, unpretentious tour of 1911 Europe, trading high-minded sentiment for sharp observations on local customs, daily life, and the undeniable comforts of home.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of An enemy of peace

An enemy of peace

Robert Silverberg

HOOK In a shattered, post-atomic landscape, a lone leader risks everything to stop a power-hungry neighbor from plunging the remnants of humanity back into the horrors of organized warfare.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Bolo the cave boy

Bolo the cave boy

Katharine Atherton Grimes

Bolo the cave boy navigates a perilous prehistoric landscape, learning the essential arts of survival and leadership. Through his eyes, the ancient struggle against nature transforms into the foundation of human progress.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Canada

Canada

Beckles Willson

This work offers a sweeping narrative of Canada’s early centuries, tracing the nation’s evolution from the first French expeditions to the turbulent expansion of the nineteenth century. It is a chronicle of wilderness survival, imperial collision, and the forging of a distinct northern identity.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Checkers: A Hard-luck Story

Checkers: A Hard-luck Story

Henry Blossom

A chance encounter at the racetrack sparks an unlikely friendship between a reserved professional and a charming, down-on-his-luck gambler. Their lives soon intertwine in a bittersweet journey of transformation, love, and quiet tragedy.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Common-Sense Country

Common-Sense Country

L. S. (Louisa Sarah) Bevington

Common-sense is a rare commodity in a world governed by policy and profit, but in one remarkable land, logic has replaced the chaos of institutional life to create a thriving, stateless society.

Philosophy & Ethics7 min read
Cover of Connie Morgan in the Fur Country

Connie Morgan in the Fur Country

James B. (James Beardsley) Hendryx

In the unforgiving expanse of the Canadian North, a young wilderness scout and his indigenous partner navigate treacherous landscapes and criminal outlaws to bring justice to the frontier.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of Dwell Deep

Dwell Deep

Amy Le Feuvre

A young woman holding fast to her Christian convictions faces the push and pull of high-society expectations, finding that standing quiet and firm transforms both her own life and the lives of those around her.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Educational Work of the Boy Scouts

Educational Work of the Boy Scouts

Lorne W. (Lorne Webster) Barclay

This historical bulletin examines the integration of the Boy Scouts of America into the fabric of early 20th-century life, positioning the movement as a vital educational partner to the nation's schools and civic institutions.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Familiar Faces

Familiar Faces

Harry Graham

This collection of satirical verse captures the archetypes of early 20th-century English life, lampooning the manners, vices, and pretensions of the era with sharp wit and a cynical eye. It serves as a lively, biting tour through a social landscape populated by figures who remain as recognizable today as they were…

Humour5 min read
Cover of From Missouri

From Missouri

Zane Grey

A schoolteacher from Missouri ventures West to claim a position she believes is waiting for her, only to discover she is the center of a chaotic, romantic ruse orchestrated by a group of lonely cowboys.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, No. 1, July 1847

Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, No. 1, July 1847

Various

This collection captures the vibrant, eclectic spirit of mid-19th-century American literary culture, blending high-seas adventure, moral didacticism, and the rhythmic elegance of Victorian-era poetry.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of "In Sargasso." Missing, a romance

"In Sargasso." Missing, a romance

Julius Chambers

HOOK A steamship captain, presumed lost at sea for two years, survives a harrowing captivity within a legendary, debris-choked wilderness of ships and tangled weeds known as the Sargasso Sea.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Joe Carson's Weapon

Joe Carson's Weapon

James R. Adams

Joe Carson believes he has a secret weapon capable of destroying the world, but he is merely a teenager boasting in a fan letter to a science-fiction magazine. Two Martian scouts, however, take his claim literally, setting in motion a bizarre and hilarious comedy of errors.

Humour6 min read
Cover of Kristy's Rainy Day Picnic

Kristy's Rainy Day Picnic

Olive Thorne Miller

A housebound girl spends a dreary afternoon listening to a series of moral and adventurous tales, discovering that even the most disappointing days can hold unexpected treasures of human kindness and resilience.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Little Jack Rabbit and Mr. Wicked Wolf

Little Jack Rabbit and Mr. Wicked Wolf

David Cory

A nimble rabbit dodges the persistent malice of a hungry wolf while discovering the magic hidden in everyday forest life. This whimsical journey blends nursery-rhyme charm with the breathless pace of a classic children’s serial.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Modern Fiction

Modern Fiction

Charles Dudley Warner

This incisive inquiry into the state of literature argues that the highest calling of the novel is not the mere mechanical recording of life, but the artistic transformation of it. It serves as a stern yet hopeful manifesto for the power of the storyteller’s craft.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Mr. Meek Plays Polo

Mr. Meek Plays Polo

Clifford D. Simak

A timid bookkeeper finds himself drafted into a high-stakes space polo match, only to discover that his ship is being piloted by a swarm of hyper-intelligent, metal-eating rock bugs.

Humour6 min read
Cover of No Man's Land

No Man's Land

H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile

The mundane reality of the trenches contrasts sharply with the romanticized visions of war held by those at home. This collection of sketches captures the grit, humor, and tragic transformation of the individual infantryman.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Once to Every Man

Once to Every Man

Larry Evans

A lonely young man from a New England village must conquer the shadows of his family legacy and the harsh misjudgments of his neighbors to win the heart of the girl who shares his exile.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Pelican Pool: A Novel

Pelican Pool: A Novel

Sydney Loch

The vast, indifferent beauty of the Australian North acts as a crucible for human longing, testing the hearts of those drawn to its heat. This narrative explores how desire and duty collide in the wilderness.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Polly's senior year at boarding school

Polly's senior year at boarding school

Dorothy Whitehill

The final year at a private academy brings high-stakes friendships, athletic triumphs, and the bittersweet transition from girlhood to the threshold of adult life.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, April 8, 1914

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, April 8, 1914

Various

An April week in 1914 yields a vivid snapshot of pre-war Britain, where high politics, domestic absurdity, and modern anxieties collide with sharp, unyielding satire.

British Literature6 min read