myebooksbuy
My Books

The whole shelf

All free summaries — page 769

44,127 public-domain books, summarised. Page 769 of 920.

Cover of Blister Jones

Blister Jones

John Taintor Foote

The track is a world unto itself, a place where the high stakes of the racing game are played out by men who live on the margins and horses that run on heart. These linked stories capture the grit, the humor, and the quiet dignity of a life lived in the stables and the betting rings.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, Vol. 2, No. 18, March, 1921: America's Magazine of Wit, Humor and Filosophy

Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, Vol. 2, No. 18, March, 1921: America's Magazine of Wit, Humor and Filosophy

Various

This collection captures the irreverent spirit of 1920s American humor, offering a sprawling mix of jokes, anecdotes, and observations that reflect the anxieties and distractions of the post-war era. It serves as a time capsule of a specific, rowdy brand of pop culture.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, Vol. 3, No. 28, December, 1921: America's Magazine of Wit, Humor and Filosophy

Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, Vol. 3, No. 28, December, 1921: America's Magazine of Wit, Humor and Filosophy

Various

The December 1921 edition of Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang offers a frenetic, irreverent snapshot of early Prohibition-era America, capturing a nation navigating the tension between traditional morality and a new, restless appetite for urban vice and wit.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Cocke Lorelles Bote

Cocke Lorelles Bote

Anonymous

A lawless tinker summons a rogue’s gallery of knaves to board a vessel, sailing across England to celebrate the vices of the common man in a cacophony of riotous, unrepentant revelry.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Coloured engravings of heaths

Coloured engravings of heaths

Andrews, Henry Cranke, active 1799-1828

A meticulous botanical survey of the *Erica* genus, capturing the intricate, fragile beauty of heaths through precise anatomical observation and elegant classification.

Art6 min read
Cover of Cry Snooker

Cry Snooker

Andrew Fetler

HOOK A suburban couple’s appliance-shipping error triggers a global crisis of "Senseless Destruction," forcing them to abandon their hollow, debt-ridden prosperity for a primitive life in the wilderness.

Humour6 min read
Cover of Diary of Samuel Pepys

Diary of Samuel Pepys

Samuel Pepys

A singular window into the Restoration, this private record captures the daily pulse of a man navigating the high-stakes bureaucracy and intimate scandals of 17th-century London.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Doorway to Kal-Jmar

Doorway to Kal-Jmar

Damon Knight

The mystery of an ancient, sealed Martian city promises infinite riches to any man ruthless enough to claim them. But in this city of ghosts, the ultimate prize demands more than just a key.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Emancipation and Emigration: A Plan to Transfer the Freedmen of the South to the Government Lands of the West by The Principia Club

Emancipation and Emigration: A Plan to Transfer the Freedmen of the South to the Government Lands of the West by The Principia Club

Anonymous

This document serves as a desperate, impassioned manifesto for a mass migration of African Americans from the post-Reconstruction South to the Western territories. It is a radical call for autonomy through geographic displacement.

History - American6 min read
Cover of Emergency Childbirth: A Reference Guide for Students of the Medical Self-help Training Course, Lesson No. 11

Emergency Childbirth: A Reference Guide for Students of the Medical Self-help Training Course, Lesson No. 11

United States. Office of Civil Defense

A calm hand in a dark hour, this cold-war manual strips obstetric care down to its barest essentials.

Health & Medicine6 min read
Cover of Essay on art and photography

Essay on art and photography

A. V. Sutton

This essay provides an earnest, mid-Victorian defense of photography as a vital partner to the fine arts, rather than a mechanical threat to the painter’s craft. It serves as a manifesto for the dignity of the new medium.

Art7 min read
Cover of Forty-Two Poems

Forty-Two Poems

James Elroy Flecker

This collection of forty-two poems distills a brief, brilliant life into verses that bridge the divide between the classical Mediterranean past and the haunting, smoky landscapes of early twentieth-century London. It is a work of restless curiosity, where the ache of mortality meets the defiance of the artist.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of From the St. Lawrence to the Yser with the 1st Canadian brigade

From the St. Lawrence to the Yser with the 1st Canadian brigade

Frederic C. (Crawford) Curry

HOOK This account captures the transformation of a volunteer from a Canadian town into a seasoned trench soldier, documenting the brutal collision between Victorian idealism and the industrial reality of the Great War.

History - Modern (1750+)6 min read
Cover of Grace Harlowe's Second Year at Overton College

Grace Harlowe's Second Year at Overton College

Josephine Chase

The return to campus life promises growth and challenges, as a group of devoted friends navigates the complexities of sophomore year at Overton College.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Handyman

Handyman

Frank Banta

Trapped on a desolate, war-torn Earth, a convict and a robotic craftsman engage in a repetitive cycle of destruction and repair that mirrors the futility of their abandoned existence.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of Harper's Young People, December 6, 1881: An Illustrated Weekly

Harper's Young People, December 6, 1881: An Illustrated Weekly

Various

A curated glimpse into the Victorian imagination, this weekly periodical blends travelogues, historical sketches, and children’s correspondence to offer a window into the late nineteenth-century American home.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Harper's Young People, July 18, 1882: An Illustrated Weekly

Harper's Young People, July 18, 1882: An Illustrated Weekly

Various

This collection of illustrated weekly dispatches captures the Victorian spirit of childhood, blending practical instruction with imaginative play and moral guidance to offer a window into a bygone era of American youth.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Harvard episodes

Harvard episodes

Charles Macomb Flandrau

Harvard is not just a university; it is a closed society governed by unspoken codes, and these interconnected stories map the delicate, often cruel, friction between those who belong and those who merely reside within its gates.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Helbeck of Bannisdale

Helbeck of Bannisdale

Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

A young woman's fierce independence collides with an unyielding Catholic faith in a tragic conflict of love, conscience, and stubborn devotion.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Helpfully Yours

Helpfully Yours

Evelyn E. Smith

This satirical science-fiction story follows a young, idealistic Fizbian woman, Tarb Morfatch, as she arrives on Earth to work as an advice columnist for a colonial newspaper, only to find her own people’s cultural practices and bureaucratic deceptions are more stifling than the planet she is meant to observe.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Her own way

Her own way

Eglanton Thorne

The story of a young woman’s headstrong pursuit of independence, this narrative explores the painful consequences of prioritizing vanity and self-will over family, duty, and spiritual integrity.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Historical Tours in and about Boston: Compliments of American Oil Company

Historical Tours in and about Boston: Compliments of American Oil Company

American Oil Company

This guide serves as a practical, time-capsule companion for the mid-1930s motorist, mapping out the essential landmarks of Boston and its surrounding historical orbit. It transforms the city into a series of reachable, bite-sized itineraries for the curious traveler.

History - American5 min read
Cover of Holinshed's Chronicles, vol. 1 of 6, slice 8 of 9. England, early history

Holinshed's Chronicles, vol. 1 of 6, slice 8 of 9. England, early history

Raphael Holinshed

This chronicle documents the turbulent twilight of the Anglo-Saxon era, tracing the relentless Danish incursions that pushed England to the brink of ruin and ultimate conquest. It captures a cycle of betrayal, foreign occupation, and internal moral decay.

History - British7 min read
Cover of Home Lights and Shadows

Home Lights and Shadows

T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur

HOME! How at the word, a crowd of pleasant thoughts awaken. Yet, there is no home without its shadows as well as sunshine, and it is rarely that we confess our faults without a resolution to overcome the evil.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Incidents on land and water

Incidents on land and water

D. B. (Dolly B.) Bates

A harrowing and deeply personal chronicle of the California Gold Rush, this narrative recounts a perilous journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific, defined by repeated shipwrecks, fires at sea, and the raw, unpredictable frontier life of the early 1850s.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Indian Legends and Other Poems

Indian Legends and Other Poems

Mary Gardiner Horsford

Tragic legends of loss and longing meet domestic quietude in a mid-nineteenth-century volume where mortal lives dissolve quickly into memory, spirit, and star.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Inter-Ocean Hunting Tales

Inter-Ocean Hunting Tales

Edgar Fritz Randolph

These accounts capture the rugged, fading frontier of the American West, where the pursuit of game serves as a vessel for quiet reflection on nature, human endurance, and the necessary compromises of a sportsman’s life.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of John L. Stoddard's Lectures, Vol. 03 (of 10): Japan I, Japan II, China

John L. Stoddard's Lectures, Vol. 03 (of 10): Japan I, Japan II, China

John L. (John Lawson) Stoddard

The world has grown small, yet the wonder of distant lands remains undiminished. These lectures offer a window into the Japan and China of the late nineteenth century, capturing a moment when ancient traditions met the rapid march of modern progress.

Travel Writing6 min read
Cover of Journal of the Waterloo campaign, vol. 1 (of 2)

Journal of the Waterloo campaign, vol. 1 (of 2)

Cavalié Mercer

This journal offers a rare, ground-level perspective on the Napoleonic Wars, capturing the visceral reality of 1815 through the eyes of a professional soldier. It strips away the pomp of history to reveal the grit, exhaustion, and sudden, chaotic violence of a campaign that shaped the modern world.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Limitations: A Novel

Limitations: A Novel

E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson

HOOK A portrait of a young man’s collision with the boundaries of his own ambition, where the vibrant promise of artistic creation meets the cold reality of finite human capability.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Little Alfred

Little Alfred

L. A. (Lydia Austin) Holdich

A gentle, instructive narrative, this book gathers stories of childhood obedience and faith, using the quiet rhythm of family life and biblical allegory to encourage young readers toward a life of devotion and moral clarity.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Little Yellow Wang-lo

Little Yellow Wang-lo

M. C. Bell

A young boy’s errand to provide his father with dinner spirals into an unlikely alliance with a family of talking pigs, leading to a fortune that changes his life forever.

Children & Young Adult Reading5 min read
Cover of Madelon: A Novel

Madelon: A Novel

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman

The quietude of a snow-bound village is shattered by a violent act of passion, setting in motion a dark drama where honor, self-sacrifice, and the tangled roots of love collide.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Married or single?, Vol. 1 (of 3)

Married or single?, Vol. 1 (of 3)

B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker

A young woman, cast aside by her boarding school, must navigate the treacherous divide between her desperate poverty and a sudden, deceptive inheritance from a long-lost father.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Memoirs of Jean François Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz

Memoirs of Jean François Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz

Jean François Paul de Gondi de Retz

This is the candid, high-stakes confession of a seventeenth-century archbishop who traded his cassock for the dangerous, intoxicating arena of political insurrection.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Memoirs of Louis XIV and His Court and of the Regency

Memoirs of Louis XIV and His Court and of the Regency

Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de

A chronicle of absolute power and its slow decay, this work captures the intricate, stifling, and often absurd reality of life within the gilded cage of the French monarchy.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Memorials and Other Papers

Memorials and Other Papers

Thomas De Quincey

This collection gathers distinct exercises in narrative atmosphere and intellectual rigor, moving from the shadow-haunted streets of a besieged city to the austere, high-stakes debates of nineteenth-century political theory.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Men I'm Not Married To

Men I'm Not Married To

Franklin P. (Franklin Pierce) Adams

HOOK A series of wry, observational sketches mapping the minor personality quirks and social habits that keep a bachelor safely single.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Mexican letters written during the progress of the late war between the United States and Mexico, no. 1

Mexican letters written during the progress of the late war between the United States and Mexico, no. 1

H. M. (Henry Marie) Brackenridge

A series of urgent, mid-nineteenth-century letters defends the morality of the Mexican-American War while navigating the complex political tensions of a fracturing nation.

History - American6 min read
Cover of My Beautiful Lady. Nelly Dale

My Beautiful Lady. Nelly Dale

Thomas Woolner

An earnest, elevate-the-spirit Victorian verse narrative that turns devastating personal bereavement into a lifelong vow of civic duty and high artistic purpose.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Myra

Myra

Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens

A daughter’s lifelong crusade against powerful interests to reclaim her birthright, this narrative blends historical intrigue with the intimate, often tragic, struggles of a woman navigating a world of betrayal and hidden wills.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Nick Carter Stories No. 152, August 7, 1915: The Forced Crime

Nick Carter Stories No. 152, August 7, 1915: The Forced Crime

Nicholas (House name) Carter

A brilliant detective uncovers a sinister plot involving hypnotism, stolen state papers, and a mysterious cult leader masquerading as an East Indian scholar in early twentieth-century Brooklyn.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Number 192, July 2, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Number 192, July 2, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

This periodical serves as a Victorian-era clearinghouse for the curious, where scholars and enthusiasts gather to trade historical minutiae, resolve textual ambiguities, and share the fruits of their private research.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Number 238, May 20, 1854: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Number 238, May 20, 1854: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

This periodical functions as a nineteenth-century clearinghouse for human curiosity, gathering the scattered scraps of history, language, and tradition that might otherwise vanish from collective memory. It serves as a Victorian-era forum where amateur scholars and professionals alike trade facts, solve minor…

History - European6 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Vol. V, Number 120, February 14, 1852: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Vol. V, Number 120, February 14, 1852: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

This Victorian periodical captures the intellectual curiosity of its time, functioning as a collaborative clearinghouse for historical enigmas, folklore, and scholarly debates. It remains a fascinating map of the mid-nineteenth-century mind.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of Nothing to Eat

Nothing to Eat

Alger, Horatio, Jr.

A wealthy New York woman sits down to a lavish multi-course feast and spends the entire two hours complaining that she has nothing to eat.

Humour6 min read
Cover of On the Equator

On the Equator

Harry De Windt

A Victorian gentleman ventures into the heart of Borneo, documenting a world of head-hunting tribes, colonial outposts, and the encroaching modern era.

Travel Writing6 min read
Cover of Pee-wee Harris in camp

Pee-wee Harris in camp

Percy Keese Fitzhugh

Pee-wee Harris, a tiny, irrepressible scout with a penchant for grand schemes, turns a summer encampment into a whirlwind of theatrical ambition, financial enterprise, and unintentional heroism.

Adventure6 min read