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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 811 of 988.

Heavenly Gifts
Aaron L. Kolom
A lonely janitor’s pious prayers inadvertently trigger a global catastrophe, as her requests for simple gifts from a mail-order catalogue are misinterpreted by an alien enterprise as high-stakes trade.

Heir Apparent
Alan Edward Nourse
The open reaches of space beckon to the restless soul, but the gravitational pull of a conventional life threatens to anchor the boldest spirits to Earth. Whether one chooses to pursue the infinite or the intimate, the cost of the path not taken remains a haunting, lifelong burden.

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…

Homecoming
Miguel Hidalgo
A war-weary soldier wanders through a radioactive, mutated wasteland to find his family, only to face the crushing reality of what time and catastrophe have wrought. This haunting journey captures the futility of holding onto the past in a world that has irrevocably changed.

Houlihan's Equation
Walter J. Sheldon
A brilliant nuclear engineer discovers a colony of leprechauns building a spaceship to flee a self-destructive humanity. He uses their desperation to solve a critical scientific problem, ultimately deciding the fate of both his civilization and theirs.

I thought of Daisy
Edmund Wilson
A disillusioned young intellectual navigates the glittering art circles and gritty reality of 1920s New York, searching for meaning through love affairs with two very different women.

Illustrated Catalogue of the Collections Obtained from the Indians of New Mexico in 1880: Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1880-81, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1883, pages 429-466
James Stevenson
This meticulous 1883 government report captures a crucial moment of ethnological field recording, offering an unadorned catalog of the material cultures, stone implements, and distinct pottery styles found across New Mexico’s Indigenous pueblos.

In Case of Fire
Randall Garrett
A delicate balance of human frailty keeps the gears of interstellar politics spinning.

Jean Craig Finds Romance
Kay Lyttleton
The Craig family’s move to the Connecticut countryside is supposed to be a quiet retreat, but for two sisters, it becomes an unexpected proving ground for independence, ambition, and the complexities of the heart.

Kathleen in Ireland
Etta Blaisdell McDonald
A young girl’s journey across the Irish countryside weaves together local folklore, family devotion, and the quiet beauty of a land caught between ancient myths and modern life.

Literature of the Indian Languages: A Bibliographical Catalogue of Books, Translations of the Scriptures, and Other Publications in the Indian Tongues of the United States, With Brief Critical Notes
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
This catalogue serves as a formal record of mid-19th-century efforts to document and translate literature into indigenous North American languages. It functions as a foundational index for those studying the intersection of linguistics, missionary work, and colonial administration.

Little Sally Waters
Ethel Calvert Phillips
A young girl spends a seaside summer navigating small heartaches, the arrival of new friends, and the simple, profound pleasures of childhood. It is a gentle portrait of growing up in a world of dolls and sunshine.

Lucia's trust
Catharine Shaw
A reluctant young woman discovers that the heavy burden of duty is actually a path toward grace, finding unexpected fulfillment in the very responsibility she once dreaded.

Maru: A Dream of the Sea
H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole
This haunting tale of memory and loss follows a young islander’s journey from a doomed atoll into the vast, indifferent Pacific. It is a story of how a single soul navigates a world that is at once beautiful, terrifying, and fundamentally beyond his understanding.

Mary Christmas
Mary Ellen Chase
The arrival of a mysterious, colorfully dressed peddler irrevocably shifts the quiet, predictable landscape of a New England family’s childhood. Through her, they learn that the world is far older and more magical than their textbooks suggest.

Memoranda Sacra
J. Rendel (James Rendel) Harris
True faith is not a static refuge, but a path of progressive enlargement where the soul expands to mirror the nature of its Creator.

Memories of my life
Francis Galton
This autobiography offers a rare, clear-eyed view into the mind of a Victorian polymath, charting a life defined by restless curiosity and a lifelong drive to measure the world.

Miles Murchison
Agnes Giberne
The life of a working-class family shifts from modest stability to profound, life-altering tragedy, followed by a gentle, redemptive path toward finding one’s true purpose. This quiet story explores the endurance of faith and the unexpected connections forged between different social ranks.

Miriam's Schooling and Other Papers
William Hale White
This collection of narratives explores the quiet, often agonizing struggles of conscience and the persistence of individual human longing against the weight of rigid religious and social structures.

Miss McDonald
Mary Jane Holmes
A young bride’s flight from an unwanted marriage leads to years of separation, financial ruin, and personal growth. This narrative explores the heavy cost of impulsive choices and the slow, difficult path toward genuine maturity.

Miss Peck's Adventures: The Second Part of The Conceited Pig
Anonymous
The journey of a self-important hen and her companions offers a cautionary tale about the perils of vanity and the folly of neglecting one’s own station in life.

Nature and Culture
Harvey Rice
The natural world and the human spirit are mirrors reflecting the same divine design, waiting for the diligent mind to unlock their shared laws.

New York: The Nation's Metropolis
Unknown
New York is a sprawling, restless monument to human ambition, defined by the constant collision of beauty and industrial utility. It stands as a testament to the nation’s unceasing, sometimes brutal, drive for progress.

Newshound
Stephen Marlowe
In a 22nd-century society where newspapers do not just report the news but manufacture it, a cynical journalist must navigate a lethal web of corporate intrigue to survive.

Notes and Queries, Number 216, December 17, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc
Various
This weekly Victorian miscellany serves as a collaborative clearinghouse for historical, linguistic, and antiquarian discovery. It functions as a nineteenth-century forum where scholars and curious laypeople trade knowledge to solve obscure intellectual puzzles.

Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor
T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur
These tales of domestic folly and social pretense reveal the quiet ironies of mid-nineteenth-century life, where a misplaced word or a sudden financial crisis can expose the fragility of a reputation.

Philip: The Story of a Boy Violinist
Virginia C. Young
A young boy leaves the darkness of the coal mines to pursue a musical destiny, discovering that the true chords of life are struck through sacrifice, friendship, and the courage to face the inevitable.

Pottery decoration under the glaze
M. Louise (Mary Louise) McLaughlin
This manual serves as a foundational guide for the dedicated artisan, demystifying the complex, often unforgiving process of decorating pottery beneath a protective glaze. It is a practical testament to the beauty achievable through patience and technical discipline.

Presidential addresses and state papers, Volume 4 (of 7)
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt’s fourth volume of presidential addresses and state papers captures the energetic, moralizing, and deeply didactic tenor of his leadership at the height of his influence. It presents a portrait of a president who views his role as a teacher-in-chief, moving across the country to frame the…

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98, June 28 1890
Various
London’s high society—a world of shifting allegiances and sudden, mysterious stars—is skewered here through biting satire and the sharp, observational wit of an era obsessed with its own vanity.

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 104, May 6, 1893
Various
The pages of this Victorian periodical capture the fleeting pulse of London life, where political maneuvering, theatrical critiques, and street-corner humor collide in a single, crowded week. It is a snapshot of an empire at play and at odds, documented with biting wit and an observant eye.

Punchinello, Volume 2, No. 33, November 12, 1870
Various
This weekly periodical serves as a vibrant, satirical snapshot of American public life in 1870, blending sharp political commentary with relentless mockery of cultural trends, theater, and the era’s self-important "great men.

Quarterdeck and Fok'sle: Stories of the Sea
Molly Elliot Seawell
Two boys find their destinies on the high seas, navigating the rigid codes of the naval academy and the daring exploits of the Revolutionary War.

Race and nationality
Franz Boas
The persistent myth that human conflict is rooted in biological race serves only to mask the aggressive, often destructive ambitions of nationalism. By dismantling these pseudo-scientific claims, a more rational path toward global federation emerges.

Ralph Trulock's Christmas Roses
Annette Lyster
This is a story of a solitary, embittered man who finds redemption when two orphaned children arrive on his doorstep, unexpectedly transforming his grief into a life of shared purpose.

Seven Graded Sunday Schools: A Series of Practical Papers
Unknown
Late nineteenth-century Methodist educators faced a crisis of retention and order, discovering that traditional, single-room Sunday schools failed to keep maturing children engaged or systematically build Biblical literacy.

Sir Isaac Brock
Hugh S. (Hugh Sterling) Eayrs
A life of duty and daring, this account follows the soldier who anchored the defense of British North America during the pivotal years of the War of 1812.

Sketches from Memory (From "Mosses from an Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
A wanderer journeys through the majestic notch of the White Mountains and across the dark waters of the Erie Canal, capturing the changing spirit of nineteenth-century New England.

Some Winter Days in Iowa
Frederick John Lazell
The quiet observation of the Iowa landscape during the final, frozen months of the year reveals a vibrant, living world beneath the snow. This meditation on winter’s stillness invites readers to look beyond the surface of the natural world to find profound, enduring beauty.

Stephen H. Branch's Alligator, Vol. 1 no. 05, May 22, 1858
Unknown
This is a feverish, idiosyncratic artifact of mid-19th-century New York—a chaotic political broadsheet that blends biting, partisan muckraking with earnest personal confession and wildly surreal anecdotes.

Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Erwin E. Klaas
This focused ornithological survey chronicles the summer breeding and life cycles of birds inhabiting the Yucatan Peninsula, filling critical gaps in regional natural history. It serves as a vital record of mid-century biodiversity in a unique ecological crossroads.

Summer of Love
Joyce Kilmer
The poet kneels before his beloved, laying down a tribute of verse to celebrate a summer of love. He speaks of romance as a journey through fire, where the heart finds its true home in another’s eyes.

Ten Degrees Backward
Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler
A bachelor’s orderly, solitary life is upended when he falls in love with a woman half his age, only to discover that marriage is a far more complex negotiation than he ever imagined.

The American Missionary
Various
These pages chronicle the administrative rigor, theological convictions, and practical obstacles of late 19th-century home missionary work within the United States. It serves as both a ledger of faith and a record of social development.

The American Missionary
Various
A religious periodical documents the earnest, often difficult labor of spreading education and faith across post-Civil War America. It serves as a vital record of a nation struggling to reconcile its ideals with systemic inequality.

The authorized life of Marie C. Stopes
Aylmer Maude
A trailblazing scientist navigates the rigid gender norms of the early twentieth century to become a pioneer in birth control. This account captures the relentless intellectual drive of a woman who transformed her own personal struggles into a public crusade for reproductive autonomy.

The basket maker
Luther Weston Turner
The art of basket making is an ancient, honorable craft that bridges the gap between manual labor and artistic expression. It serves as a disciplined, meditative practice, demanding close attention to detail and the steady development of both motor control and aesthetic judgment.

The Berserker
Charles V. De Vet
The Berserker is a hard-edged adventure that follows an Earth operative stranded on an alien world, where he must navigate a labyrinth of political intrigue and lethal combat to close a trans-dimensional breach. It is a story of a man defined by violence and high-stakes survival, enduring because of its lean,…