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46,038 public-domain books, summarised. Page 822 of 960.

Cover of The Complete Works of Artemus Ward

The Complete Works of Artemus Ward

Artemus Ward

A roaming showman navigates the absurdities of nineteenth-century America with a sharp tongue and a misspelled, phonetically rendered wit that exposes the era's grand pretensions.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Convert: Deep Waters, Part 5

The Convert: Deep Waters, Part 5

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

Joe Billing is a local firebrand who discovers that turning the other cheek is far more difficult than it sounds, especially when the neighbors are eager to test his new resolve. This short, sharp story explores the comedic friction between high-minded ideals and the rough-and-tumble reality of working-class life…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Corner House Girls Solve a Mystery: What It Was, Where It Was, and Who Found It

The Corner House Girls Solve a Mystery: What It Was, Where It Was, and Who Found It

Grace Brooks Hill

The Corner House girls are orphans who have recently moved into a large, inherited home, but their quiet life is soon disrupted by mysterious intruders, strange midnight noises, and a puzzling message from a local laundryman.

Children & Young Adult Reading5 min read
Cover of The Court of the King, and Other Studies

The Court of the King, and Other Studies

Margaret Benson

An exploration of the threshold between the tangible world and the hidden, luminous realms of spirit, this collection finds deep meaning in the quiet corners of Egypt and the landscape of the human soul.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Duke's Daughter

The Duke's Daughter

Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

A father’s desperate attempt to control his daughter’s marriage collides with the changing social tides of Victorian England, leaving a trail of broken traditions and hidden shames in its wake.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Four-Faced Visitors of Ezekiel

The Four-Faced Visitors of Ezekiel

Arthur W. Orton

An ancient prophet’s strange vision of whirling fire, glowing metal, and four-faced creatures might not be mystical at all, but humanity's very first eyewitness record of an extraterrestrial landing.

Religion/Spirituality6 min read
Cover of The Good Time Coming

The Good Time Coming

T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur

The human heart often chases a future of prosperity that remains perpetually out of reach. This narrative explores the quiet redirection of a man who learns that true contentment is found only when one stops looking for it in material gain.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 20, March 25, 1897: A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls

The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 20, March 25, 1897: A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls

Various

This weekly periodical captures the pulse of the 1897 world, blending urgent accounts of global political conflicts with domestic news and poignant tales of animal devotion.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Harroun Site: A Fulton Aspect Component of the Caddoan Area, Upshur County, Texas

The Harroun Site: A Fulton Aspect Component of the Caddoan Area, Upshur County, Texas

Edward B. Jelks

This technical report documents the rescue excavation of four earthen mounds, offering a precise window into the architectural and material lives of the Caddoan peoples in prehistoric East Texas.

Archaeology & Anthropology5 min read
Cover of The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 12, September 19, 1840

The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 12, September 19, 1840

Various

This nineteenth-century miscellany captures a vanished Ireland through antiquarian essays, folk-tales, and observational sketches, offering a window into the pastoral, the historical, and the everyday lives of a nation at a crossroads.

History - British7 min read
Cover of The Life and Sufferings of Leonard Black, a Fugitive from Slavery

The Life and Sufferings of Leonard Black, a Fugitive from Slavery

Leonard Black

This firsthand account of the brutal reality of American enslavement serves as a stark, urgent testimony from a man who found his voice only after securing his freedom. It stands as a harrowing record of systemic inhumanity and a personal chronicle of spiritual and physical liberation.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Little Fig-tree Stories

The Little Fig-tree Stories

Mary Hallock Foote

These stories capture the intersection of childhood wonder and the vast, unsparing landscape of the American West, where every fence line and mountain trail serves as an invitation to grow.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Madness of Philip, and Other Tales of Childhood

The Madness of Philip, and Other Tales of Childhood

Josephine Daskam Bacon

These stories capture the unruly, imaginative, and often baffling inner lives of children as they navigate the rigid expectations of the adult world.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Maid of Honour: A Tale of the Dark Days of France. Vol. 2 (of 3)

The Maid of Honour: A Tale of the Dark Days of France. Vol. 2 (of 3)

Lewis Wingfield

The shadow of the guillotine falls long across the domestic halls of Lorge, where a young woman finds herself trapped in a web of familial treachery and shifting allegiances.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Memoirs of a Swine in the Land of Kultur

The Memoirs of a Swine in the Land of Kultur

Benjamin Muse

A young American soldier endures a year of hunger, forced labor, and bitter irony as a prisoner in the German countryside, documenting the slow collapse of the "Land of Kultur.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Mind Digger

The Mind Digger

Winston K. (Winston Kinney) Marks

A young playwright achieves fame by unlocking the hidden power of his own memory, only to discover that reliving the past is a torment no creative talent can survive.

Novels5 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 13, No. 371, May 23, 1829

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 13, No. 371, May 23, 1829

Various

This nineteenth-century miscellany offers a panoramic view of its era, blending scholarly curiosity with the casual, eclectic interests of the Victorian reading public. It serves as a curated cabinet of wonders, capturing the intellectual pulse of 1829.

Art6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 379, July 4, 1829

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 379, July 4, 1829

Various

This collection serves as a nineteenth-century digest of human knowledge, offering a kaleidoscopic view of the era’s architecture, natural history, and social curiosities through a blend of instructional prose and literary wit.

Art6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 19, No. 528, January 7, 1832

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 19, No. 528, January 7, 1832

Various

This collection serves as a vibrant microcosm of early nineteenth-century intellectual curiosity, capturing a society eager to catalog the world through science, history, and satirical wit. It functions as a curated bridge between the romantic past and the industrializing future, offering a snapshot of a moment…

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 20, No. 560, August 4, 1832

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 20, No. 560, August 4, 1832

Various

An 1832 issue of an English weekly periodical misleads no one with promises of grand narrative, offering instead a charming, eclectic mosaic of early Victorian culture, science, and storytelling.

Journals6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 20, No. 568, September 29, 1832

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 20, No. 568, September 29, 1832

Various

This compendium of nineteenth-century curiosity serves as a vibrant microcosm of the Victorian-era appetite for knowledge, blending biographical sketches, scientific inquiry, and historical anecdote into a single, accessible package.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of The Monkey's Frolic: A Humorous Tale, in Verse

The Monkey's Frolic: A Humorous Tale, in Verse

Anonymous

A monkey’s decision to play barber to a captive cat sparks a chaotic, house-wide pursuit that ends in an unexpected medical miracle. This lighthearted verse tale turns a simple prank into a comedy of errors.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The nature of living matter

The nature of living matter

Lancelot Thomas Hogben

The nature of living matter represents a rigorous, polemical intervention in early twentieth-century biology. It systematically dismantles the "holistic" and "vitalistic" philosophies of the era, advocating instead for a strictly mechanistic and experimental approach to life.

Science - Biology6 min read
Cover of The new gas from radium

The new gas from radium

Ernest Rutherford

Radiant energy escapes from matter, challenging our understanding of the physical world. This investigation reveals the hidden behavior of a strange, self-emitting gas that defies conventional categorization.

General6 min read
Cover of The Observations of Henry

The Observations of Henry

Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome

A career waiter recounts a life spent observing the human comedy from the sidelines of Europe’s grandest dining rooms. Through his eyes, the shifting social hierarchies of the turn of the century take on a sharp, anecdotal clarity.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The other Miller girl

The other Miller girl

Joslyn Gray

A young girl’s unconventional efforts to heal a grief-stricken neighbor bring unexpected transformation to a quiet New England village.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue 1, March 31, 1832

The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue 1, March 31, 1832

Unknown

This inaugural issue of a pioneering nineteenth-century periodical serves as a manifesto for the democratization of information, bridging the gap between high-minded academic inquiry and the everyday interests of a burgeoning reading public.

Journals6 min read
Cover of The Privet Hedge

The Privet Hedge

J. E. Buckrose

A small seaside town resists the tide of modernity, but youth and change sweep past the barrier anyway.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Red-Blooded Heroes of the Frontier

The Red-Blooded Heroes of the Frontier

Edgar Beecher Bronson

A firsthand chronicle of life on the American frontier, where the law was often defined by the quickness of a draw and the strength of one’s resolve.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Review, Volume I, No. 9, September 1911

The Review, Volume I, No. 9, September 1911

Various

This collection of reports and editorials serves as a primary-source snapshot of the American carceral system at a pivotal moment, capturing the shift from purely punitive confinement to nascent models of reform and industrial oversight.

History - American6 min read
Cover of The Right Time

The Right Time

John Berryman

HOOK In a world where telekinetic surgeons and clairvoyants navigate the political minefield of a high-tech Lodge, one man risks everything to prove that a "witch" from Nevada holds the key to the future.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Rival Crusoes

The Rival Crusoes

Agnes Strickland

A deep-seated grudge between a haughty young aristocrat and a proud village youth turns into an ordeal of survival when shipwreck strands them together on a desolate island.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The river of stars

The river of stars

Edgar Wallace

A disgraced ex-convict with a penchant for mischief and a sharp mind finds himself entangled in a dangerous plot involving a fraudulent diamond mining scheme and a missing explorer. This high-stakes pursuit leads from the shadows of London’s criminal underworld into the perilous, uncharted depths of the African bush.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The road to Sinharat

The road to Sinharat

Leigh Brackett

A weary archeologist races across the dying, dust-choked deserts of Mars to recover ancient truths, hoping to save a proud people from the destructive "help" of well-meaning Earthmen.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Seigneurs of Old Canada

The Seigneurs of Old Canada

William Bennett Munro

This chronicle explores the mechanics of New World feudalism, tracing how a transplanted European social structure shaped the landscape and character of early Canada. It remains a definitive, accessible study of a vanished era.

History - American6 min read
Cover of The Solar Magnet

The Solar Magnet

S. P. (Sterner St. Paul) Meek

The world’s seasons are failing, and only a brilliant scientist and his quick-witted partner can stop a mastermind from bending the Earth’s axis to his will. In a high-stakes race against total climate collapse, they must navigate international waters and enemy fire to neutralize a hidden threat.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower

The Song of the Blood-Red Flower

Johannes Linnankoski

The blood-red flower of youth blooms in the forests of Finland, where passion and consequence collide to shape the soul of a wandering man.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Story of a Peninsular Veteran: Sergeant in the Forty-Third Light Infantry, during the Peninsular War

The Story of a Peninsular Veteran: Sergeant in the Forty-Third Light Infantry, during the Peninsular War

Anonymous

A young Irishman finds his true calling amidst the brutal battlefields of the Peninsular War, transitioning from a soldier of the crown to a soldier for the spirit.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Sword and the Atopen

The Sword and the Atopen

Taylor H. Greenfield

The survival of civilization hinges on a desperate, high-stakes gamble involving synthetic proteins and the hidden, lethal vulnerabilities of the human body. This brief work of speculative fiction explores the intersection of advanced weaponry and biological warfare.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Tallants of Barton, vol. 2 (of 3)

The Tallants of Barton, vol. 2 (of 3)

Joseph Hatton

This Victorian narrative explores the volatile intersection of social ambition, financial ruin, and the shifting identities of those caught in the orbit of a wealthy family. It is a story of moral consequence, where the pursuit of status and the weight of secrets test the bonds of love and duty.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Waif Woman

The Waif Woman

Robert Louis Stevenson

A haunting, atmospheric tale of greed and spectral retribution set against the stark, unforgiving landscape of early Christian Iceland. A woman’s desperate obsession with a stranger’s forbidden treasures leads her family toward a dark and inevitable doom.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Winged Men of Orcon: A Complete Novelette

The Winged Men of Orcon: A Complete Novelette

David R. Sparks

Stranded on a alien world, a small crew must destroy a renegade villain's weapon before he obliterates Earth from afar.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Y. M. C. A. boys of Cliffwood

The Y. M. C. A. boys of Cliffwood

Brooks Henderley

A spirited group of boys in Cliffwood finds their lives transformed when a benevolent minister opens a local YMCA, sparking a competitive race for a literary prize and testing the true character of every lad in town.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Tides: A Book of Poems

Tides: A Book of Poems

John Drinkwater

The spirit of the English countryside and the quiet persistence of human love define these verses, capturing the tension between a world of turbulent change and the enduring beauty of the land.

Poetry7 min read
Cover of True Riches

True Riches

T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur

The pursuit of wealth often masks a deeper, spiritual poverty, and the things we hold most dear are the very things that test our moral resolve.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Upstarts

Upstarts

Stecher, L. J., Jr.

A bold Earthman faces down an alien empire, securing his planet’s future through a gamble that alters the course of galactic history forever.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of Vittoria

Vittoria

George Meredith

A struggle for liberation against Austrian rule serves as the crucible for the human spirit, testing the limits of loyalty, sacrifice, and the endurance of love. Amidst the shifting tides of history, a young woman’s voice becomes both a weapon and a testament to the soul of a nation.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, Luke

Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, Luke

Richard Francis Weymouth

A meticulous historian sets out to write a clear, orderly account of a transformative life, beginning with miraculous announcements in Judea and tracking a quiet child into a radical teacher.

Religion/Spirituality8 min read