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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 79 of 988.

Cover of Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad

A journey up an untamed African river becomes a perilous descent into the abyss of human greed, hypocrisy, and moral disintegration.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern

Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern

Unknown

To journey through human expression is to realize that across centuries and continents, our fundamental longings, absurdities, and wonders remain profoundly, stubbornly unchanged.

Classics of Literature8 min read
Cover of Nonsense Books

Nonsense Books

Edward Lear

Absurdity becomes a refuge in a universe where tables walk, lovers sail in strainers, and eccentricity is met with sheer delightful indifference.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Art of Perfumery, and Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants: With Instructions for the Manufacture of Perfumes for the Handkerchief, Scented Powders, Odorous Vinegars, Dentifrices, Pomatums, Cosmetics, Perfumed Soap, Etc., to which is Added an Appendix on Preparing Artificial Fruit-Essences, Etc

The Art of Perfumery, and Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants: With Instructions for the Manufacture of Perfumes for the Handkerchief, Scented Powders, Odorous Vinegars, Dentifrices, Pomatums, Cosmetics, Perfumed Soap, Etc., to which is Added an Appendix on Preparing Artificial Fruit-Essences, Etc

G. W. Septimus (George William Septimus) Piesse

Step into the world of Victorian chemistry, where the cultivation of flowers transforms into an exact science and an art form. G. W. Septimus Piesse provides a comprehensive manual detailing how to capture, preserve, and synthesize the subtle scents of the botanical world.

Cooking & Drinking6 min read
Cover of The forged coupon, and other stories

The forged coupon, and other stories

Tolstoy, Leo, graf

A small lie passed along for profit sparks a quiet chain of moral ruin and surprising redemption across Russia.

Russian Literature5 min read
Cover of The Seven Lamps of Architecture

The Seven Lamps of Architecture

John Ruskin

Buildings endure not merely through mortar and stone, but through the moral vitality of their creators. True architecture demands absolute devotion, rigorous honesty, and an uncompromising submission to the enduring laws of nature and human spirit.

Architecture7 min read
Cover of The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme): The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: With Additional Writings and Sayings of St. Thérèse

The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme): The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: With Additional Writings and Sayings of St. Thérèse

Thérèse, de Lisieux, Saint

A young French woman enters a cloistered convent at fifteen and transforms the daily friction of monastic life into a profound spiritual path before her death at twenty-four.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Works of Lord Byron: Letters and Journals. Vol. 1

The Works of Lord Byron: Letters and Journals. Vol. 1

Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron

A temperamental young aristocrat exchanges raw vulnerability, ferocious ambition, and scathing wit through private correspondence, mapping his meteoric rise from rebellious schoolboy to infamous global poet.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Aristotle on the art of poetry

Aristotle on the art of poetry

Aristotle

Human beings possess an innate instinct to imitate life and experience profound delight when discovering meaning through artistic representation, even when viewing painful subjects.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Salem Witchcraft, Volumes I and II: With an Account of Salem Village and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects

Salem Witchcraft, Volumes I and II: With an Account of Salem Village and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects

Charles Wentworth Upham

When neighbor turns against neighbor under the weight of imagined spectral terrors, the breakdown of community reveals how thin the veneer of early American civilization truly was.

History - American11 min read
Cover of The Common Spiders of the United States

The Common Spiders of the United States

J. H. (James Henry) Emerton

A accessible field guidedemystifies the unseen world of everyday arachnids, turning common fear into quiet fascination.

Nature/Gardening/Animals5 min read
Cover of The poetical works of Edgar Allan Poe

The poetical works of Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

A dark, glittering descent into human grief, loss, and the haunting edge of memory awaits within these verses.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of The provincial letters of Blaise Pascal

The provincial letters of Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal

A mock-polite letter to a friend becomes a lethal, razor-sharp interrogation of religious hypocrisy and abuse of power.

Essays, Letters & Speeches8 min read
Cover of Typee: A Romance of the South Seas

Typee: A Romance of the South Seas

Herman Melville

A young American sailor deserts his brutal whaling ship to seek freedom in an idyllic South Pacific valley, only to discover that his gracious, welcoming hosts belong to a feared cannibal tribe.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of An Illustrated Dictionary of Words used in Art and Archaeology: Explaining terms frequently used in works on architecture, arms, bronzes, Christian art, colour, costume, decoration, devices, emblems, heraldry, lace, personal ornaments, pottery, painting, sculpture, &c., with their derivations

An Illustrated Dictionary of Words used in Art and Archaeology: Explaining terms frequently used in works on architecture, arms, bronzes, Christian art, colour, costume, decoration, devices, emblems, heraldry, lace, personal ornaments, pottery, painting, sculpture, &c., with their derivations

John W. (John William) Mollett

A sprawling compendium bridges antiquity, classical legend, and medieval craftsmanship into an accessible guide for art lovers, antiquarians, and readers seeking the physical reality of human culture.

Archaeology & Anthropology10 min read
Cover of Sartor Resartus, and On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History

Sartor Resartus, and On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History

Thomas Carlyle

A blistering assault on nineteen-century materialism gives way to a fiery defense of the individual souls who shape human history.

British Literature8 min read
Cover of The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries

The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries

Thomas Keightley

To cross the threshold into ancient folklore is to discover that humanity's fears, hopes, and visions of the unseen world are remarkably universal. This sprawling treasury gathers the spectral inhabitants, magical traditions, and haunting legends of the world under one comprehensive roof.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore9 min read
Cover of The Financier: A Novel

The Financier: A Novel

Theodore Dreiser

Ambition meets cold calculation in a city where morality is just another asset on the balance sheet. Frank Cowperwood learns early that in the market of life, power belongs to those who trade without illusion.

American Literature9 min read
Cover of The Noble and Gentle Men of England

The Noble and Gentle Men of England

Evelyn Philip Shirley

A meticulous catalog of landed lineage records the enduring dynasties of the English gentry, mapping the survival of ancient bloodlines anchored firmly to the soil from the Middle Ages into the nineteenth century.

History - British7 min read
Cover of A History of Magic and Experimental Science, Volume 2 (of 2): During the First Thirteen Centuries of Our Era

A History of Magic and Experimental Science, Volume 2 (of 2): During the First Thirteen Centuries of Our Era

Lynn Thorndike

Long before modern laboratory science emerged, medieval thinkers intertwined rigorous rational inquiry with the pursuit of occult forces, astrological influence, and magical marvels to explain the natural world.

History - Medieval/Middle Ages12 min read
Cover of The Deipnosophists

The Deipnosophists

of Naucratis Athenaeus

Gathered at an opulent Roman banquet, learned men trade encyclopedic lore on food, poetry, custom, and comedy, preserving lost classical antiquity through relentless conversation over wine and dinner.

Classics of Literature12 min read
Cover of Kitty Maynard

Kitty Maynard

Lucy Ellen Guernsey

A headstrong thirteen-year-old city girl is sent to her aunt’s country farm for the summer, where her deep-seated pride, vanity, and urge to outshine her peers lead her down a quiet path of deceit.

Children & Young Adult Reading7 min read
Cover of Micrographia: Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and Inquiries Thereupon

Micrographia: Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and Inquiries Thereupon

Robert Hooke

An extraordinary expedition into the unseen structures of daily life reveals that even the smoothest human creations crumble under scrutiny, while the smallest natural forms display terrifying, exquisite perfection.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)8 min read
Cover of Passage to Gomorrah

Passage to Gomorrah

Robert F. Young

Trapped aboard a small transport vessel bound for a remote penal colony, a cynical pilot and a disgraced high-class courtesan face an unusual phenomenon in deep space that forces them to relive their pasts and confront their shared destiny.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy7 min read
Cover of The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy

The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy

Jacob Burckhardt

Modern individuality was not born by accident; it was forged within the volatile, dangerous Italian city-states where politics became an art form and personal talent superseded traditional inheritance.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)12 min read
Cover of The School for Scandal

The School for Scandal

Richard Brinsley Sheridan

A biting, brilliant eighteenth-century comedy of manners, this play exposes the hypocrisy of London high society through a relentless storm of gossip, disguised identity, and domestic strife.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 11 (of 15), Roman

Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 11 (of 15), Roman

Charles Morris

A vivid, episode-by-episode tour through the legend and history of the Roman world, tracing its rise from a mud-walled village to an empire crumbling under barbarian swords.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Bertrand Russell

Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell

To map the intellectual landscape of one of the twentieth century's premier thinkers is to chart a course through the fundamentals of human reason, political liberty, and the ultimate nature of reality.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Selections from the Poems and Plays of Robert Browning

Selections from the Poems and Plays of Robert Browning

Robert Browning

A single voice speaks from the dark, wrestling with love, faith, or impending death, and in that fleeting monologue reveals the entire shape of a human soul.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The History of a Crime: The Testimony of an Eye-Witness

The History of a Crime: The Testimony of an Eye-Witness

Victor Hugo

A night of total betrayal dismantles a republic as soldiers march through darkened streets, dragging lawmakers from their beds to secure one man’s absolute power.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Hannibal: Makers of History

Hannibal: Makers of History

Jacob Abbott

A ruthless Carthaginian general marches across the Alps to shatter Rome, sparking a catastrophic cycle of vengeance, conquest, and total annihilation.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern

Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern

Unknown

A vast monument to world literature, this multi-volume anthology maps the sweeping arc of human thought, poetry, drama, and narrative across thousands of years and every major civilization.

Classics of Literature9 min read
Cover of The Golden Wheel Dream-book and Fortune-teller: Being the most complete work on fortune-telling and interpreting dreams ever printed, containing an alphabetical list of dreams, with their interpretation, and the lucky numbers they signify. Also explaining how to tell fortunes by the mysterious golden wheel, with cards, dice, and dominoes. How to tell future events by the lines of the hands, by moles on the body, by the face, nails of the fingers, hair and shape of the head. How to find where to dig for water, coal, and all kinds of metals, by means of the celebrated divining or luck rod. How to tell the temper and disposition of anybody, how to tell fortunes with tea leaves and coffee grounds, signs of the Moon's age, lucky and unlucky days, together with charms to make your sweetheart love you, and to make a lover pop the question, with twenty ways of telling fortunes on New Year's eve, and a complete language and signification of the flowers

The Golden Wheel Dream-book and Fortune-teller: Being the most complete work on fortune-telling and interpreting dreams ever printed, containing an alphabetical list of dreams, with their interpretation, and the lucky numbers they signify. Also explaining how to tell fortunes by the mysterious golden wheel, with cards, dice, and dominoes. How to tell future events by the lines of the hands, by moles on the body, by the face, nails of the fingers, hair and shape of the head. How to find where to dig for water, coal, and all kinds of metals, by means of the celebrated divining or luck rod. How to tell the temper and disposition of anybody, how to tell fortunes with tea leaves and coffee grounds, signs of the Moon's age, lucky and unlucky days, together with charms to make your sweetheart love you, and to make a lover pop the question, with twenty ways of telling fortunes on New Year's eve, and a complete language and signification of the flowers

Felix Fontaine

Seeking a peek into the future, a resolution to heartache, or a shortcut to hidden wealth? A glance at a morning dream or the leaves at the bottom of a teacup promises to unlock the mysteries of tomorrow.

How To ...5 min read
Cover of A classical dictionary: containing a copious account of all the proper names mentioned in ancient authors with tables of coins, weights, and measures used among the Greeks and Romans and a chronological table

A classical dictionary: containing a copious account of all the proper names mentioned in ancient authors with tables of coins, weights, and measures used among the Greeks and Romans and a chronological table

John Lemprière

A vast archive of antiquity gathers thousands of forgotten kings, wandering mythic figures, geography, and ancient currencies into a single exhaustive catalog. It maps the rise, fall, and cultural memory of the Greco-Roman world.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference13 min read
Cover of No wonder

No wonder

W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle

A young tenderfoot comes to a remote Montana town with dreams of turning into a Western hero, leaving two long-suffering locals to clean up the ensuing chaotic mess.

Short Stories6 min read
Cover of Prayers of the Early Church

Prayers of the Early Church

Unknown

Gathered across five foundational centuries, these historical supplications record the evolving spiritual voice of early Christianity as it moved from apostolic origins to established liturgy.

Religion/Spirituality6 min read
Cover of Fringilla: Some Tales In Verse

Fringilla: Some Tales In Verse

R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore

A retired novelist looks back on his creative life with quiet self-deprecation, gathering four narrative poems that test love, duty, and human pride against time and fate.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of The Pirate's Pocket Book

The Pirate's Pocket Book

Dion Clayton Calthrop

A ruthless pirate, a stolen maiden, and a long-lost lord collide in a playful spoof of high-seas adventure.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Battle Honours of the British Army: From Tangier, 1662, to the Commencement of the Reign of King Edward VII

Battle Honours of the British Army: From Tangier, 1662, to the Commencement of the Reign of King Edward VII

Charles Boswell Norman

A exhaustive, meticulously tabulated record exposes how the British War Office awarded—and often withheld—battle honours, revealing the bureaucratic inconsistencies behind centuries of military sacrifice across global campaigns.

History - British8 min read
Cover of Divine Comedy, Longfellow's Translation, Purgatory

Divine Comedy, Longfellow's Translation, Purgatory

Dante Alighieri

A soul climbs a seven-terraced mountain where penitents shed their earthly vices through disciplined suffering and prayer, striving to restore their fallen nature and ascend to paradise.

Classics of Literature7 min read
Cover of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Echinoderma" to "Edward, prince of Wales": Volume 8, Slice 10

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Echinoderma" to "Edward, prince of Wales": Volume 8, Slice 10

Various

From the anatomical symmetry of prehistoric marine organisms to the political intrigues of Anglo-Saxon kings, human knowledge unfolds as an interconnected tapestry of empirical investigation, taxonomic classification, and historical narrative.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference11 min read
Cover of How France Built Her Cathedrals: A Study in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries

How France Built Her Cathedrals: A Study in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries

Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly

Centuries of French architectural genius reveal how faith, civic pride, and technical invention transformed massive stone Romanesque vaults into delicate, soaring monuments of light.

Architecture12 min read
Cover of The Foolish Dictionary: An exhausting work of reference to un-certain English words, their origin, meaning, legitimate and illegitimate use, confused by a few pictures [not included]

The Foolish Dictionary: An exhausting work of reference to un-certain English words, their origin, meaning, legitimate and illegitimate use, confused by a few pictures [not included]

Gideon Wurdz

A razor-sharp satirical reference work reimagines standard definitions as biting commentaries on turn-of-the-century urban life, money, and human vanity.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of Through the Year with Famous Authors

Through the Year with Famous Authors

Mabel Patterson

A calendar of literary dates serves as a gateway to the world's most enduring poetry, philosophy, and prose, connecting daily living with human thought through the ages.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Baudelaire: His Prose and Poetry

Baudelaire: His Prose and Poetry

Charles Baudelaire

Seductive, sinister, and intensely modern, this collection lays bare a mind torn between a longing for transcendent beauty and the suffocating weight of urban despair.

French Literature5 min read
Cover of I. Beówulf: an Anglo-Saxon poem. II. The fight at Finnsburh: a fragment

I. Beówulf: an Anglo-Saxon poem. II. The fight at Finnsburh: a fragment

Unknown

A solitary warrior sails across stormy seas to confront monstrous nightmares and earn immortal glory.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Wreck of the Titan

The Wreck of the Titan

Morgan Robertson

A disgraced sailor battles ocean ice and corporate corruption after an unsinkable ocean liner strikes an iceberg, while naval mutineers, secret blinding weapons, and trapped submarines test the limits of human survival at sea.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of A History of Rome to 565 A. D

A History of Rome to 565 A. D

Arthur E. R. (Arthur Edward Romilly) Boak

A ancient Mediterranean tribe learns to construct arches from its neighbors, turns its citizen-farmers into an disciplined infantry line, and slowly expands until its administrative machinery stretches from the Irish Sea to the banks of the Euphrates.

History - Ancient9 min read