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47,330 public-domain books, summarised. Page 825 of 987.

Cover of The Madness of Mr. Lister: Captains All, Book 9

The Madness of Mr. Lister: Captains All, Book 9

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

A miserly sailor spins a web of deception about his own impending death to manipulate a greedy shipmate, only to see his scheme spiral into a chaotic, late-night calamity involving the vessel's captain.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 404, December 12, 1829

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 404, December 12, 1829

Various

A single two-penny issue of a nineteenth-century weekly offers a vivid snapshot of Regency Britain, bridging the gap between high science and the bustling street.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The Night Has a Thousand Eyes

The Night Has a Thousand Eyes

John De Courcy

A scarred, ape-like space captain finds his long-hardened heart shattered by a stowaway who resembles a lost love from his tragic, forgotten youth.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of The Pearl of Peace

The Pearl of Peace

Madeline Leslie

A young girl’s unwavering commitment to reconciliation transforms her fractured community, teaching her friends that the deepest happiness is found in smoothing the paths of others.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue 9, May 26, 1832

The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue 9, May 26, 1832

Unknown

This nineteenth-century periodical issue preserves everyday knowledge, moral instruction, and historical curiosities disseminated for public improvement.

Journals6 min read
Cover of The phantom of Bogue Holauba: 1911

The phantom of Bogue Holauba: 1911

Charles Egbert Craddock

A city broker travels to a remote Mississippi plantation to settle a cousin's minor estate, only to be drawn into a haunting family legacy.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of The Philistine

The Philistine

Various

A rebellious little periodical of the late nineteenth century takes sharp, witty aim at pretentious literature, contemporary criticism, and the absurdities of modern society.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Planet That Time Forgot

The Planet That Time Forgot

Donald A. Wollheim

The discovery of a distant, massive world leads to an extraordinary encounter between humanity and a civilization living at a different pace of time. This story explores the clash of cultures and the unintended consequences of playing god in the vacuum of space.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Planet with No Nightmare

The Planet with No Nightmare

Jim Harmon

Bound by low gravity and lower light, a three-man mapping expedition encounters a landscape where native animals instantly drop dead, only to rise again when left unobserved.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The proceedings of the Canadian Eclipse Party, 1869

The proceedings of the Canadian Eclipse Party, 1869

E. D. (Edward David) Ashe

A small team of Canadian observers races to the Iowa prairie on short notice, battling broken gear and swarming insects to capture the sky.

History - Modern (1750+)5 min read
Cover of The Queen of Space

The Queen of Space

Joseph Slotkin

When a galactic burlesque queen hips herself straight out of a Venusian barroom and into ancient history, a mild-mannered psychiatrist and a desperate mobster are left to chase the ultimate fourth-dimensional dance.

Humour6 min read
Cover of The Rise of the Dutch Republic

The Rise of the Dutch Republic

John Lothrop Motley

This chronicle dramatizes the birth of a nation through the crucible of religious war and the relentless struggle against imperial tyranny. It captures the rise of the Dutch Republic as a monumental test of human endurance.

History - European7 min read
Cover of The scientific pioneer returns

The scientific pioneer returns

Nelson S. Bond

When a university president and his faculty vanish into thin air, a quick-witted publicity agent and a dirt-farming genius are yanked two centuries into the future aboard an interplanetary freighter trapped in a negative universe.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The Seed of the Toc-Toc Birds

The Seed of the Toc-Toc Birds

George Henry Weiss

The atom contains worlds beyond our own, and when one man bridges the gap, he invites an invasion of creatures who view our planet as mere territory to be conquered.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Asian World: A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Editions

The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Asian World: A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Editions

George Rawlinson

This expansive historical survey reconstructs the vanished civilizations of the ancient Near East, mapping the rise, cultural achievements, and eventual decline of seven successive imperial powers.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of The Simpkins Plot

The Simpkins Plot

George A. Birmingham

The arrival of a stranger in a quiet Irish village triggers an elaborate, absurd, and well-intentioned campaign of social engineering that spirals rapidly out of control.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Statue

The Statue

Mari Wolf

The passage of time can turn one’s origin into a phantom, leaving the heart caught between a remembered past and a changing present. Two aging pioneers must decide where they truly belong when the home they have built and the home they have lost begin to demand their final allegiances.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read
Cover of The Talking Deaf Man: A Method Proposed, Whereby He Who is Born Deaf, May Learn to Speak

The Talking Deaf Man: A Method Proposed, Whereby He Who is Born Deaf, May Learn to Speak

Johann Conrad Amman

This seventeenth-century treatise presents a pioneering method for teaching those born deaf to articulate human speech, arguing that the voice is an extension of the soul and a physical manifestation of life.

Health & Medicine7 min read
Cover of The things which belong—

The things which belong—

Constance Holme

An elderly English couple face the terrifying finality of a long-delayed emigration to Canada, only to discover how deeply their roots are bound to the soil they planned to leave.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Village Champion

The Village Champion

William O. Stoddard

This story follows a mysterious, street-smart youth who trades the hazards of city life for the academic halls of a New England village. It is a classic tale of a boy seeking an identity, finding mentors, and proving his mettle.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Washington Peace Carillon

The Washington Peace Carillon

James Marion Shull

A proposal for a national memorial in Washington, D.C., that transforms the brutal implements of modern warfare into a source of enduring peace through the ethereal music of a grand carillon.

Art5 min read
Cover of The White Feather Hex

The White Feather Hex

Don Peterson

A sinister visitor tricks a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer into revealing a deadly curse, only to realize the dark power will consume them both.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The Wise Mamma Goose

The Wise Mamma Goose

Charlotte B. (Charlotte Bronte) Herr

When a nocturnal predator begins preying on a farmyard, an unassuming mother goose steps up to protect her brood, uncovering a clever strategy that ultimately saves all the barnyard creatures.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The World Turned Upside Down

The World Turned Upside Down

Ellen C. (Ellen Creathorne) Clayton

In a series of surreal, topsy-turvy tales, ordinary objects and creatures rise up against their human masters to reverse the natural order of the world. Through these whimsical reversals, the boundaries between the ruler and the ruled dissolve with consequences both humorous and cautionary.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Tied Up for Tombstone

Tied Up for Tombstone

W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle

Returning to the dusty Montana town of Piperock, a weary prospector finds his former partner editing a backward-printed newspaper while dodging bullets from local malcontents.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of Town and Country

Town and Country

John S. (John Stowell) Adams

HOOK A tapestry of nineteenth-century moral instruction, this collection weaves together sentimental poetry and cautionary tales to remind the reader that kindness, faith, and sobriety are the only true paths to a meaningful life.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Under a Charm: A Novel. Vol. III

Under a Charm: A Novel. Vol. III

E. Werner

A long-standing emotional spell binds two lovers across the divide of warring national identities and family legacies. Their journey toward union demands the sacrifice of old prejudices and the reconciliation of irreconcilable worlds.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Upsidonia

Upsidonia

Archibald Marshall

A traveler stumbles into a hidden society where the social order is perfectly reversed, forcing him to navigate a world where poverty is the ultimate mark of prestige. This satirical fantasy explores the absurdity of wealth by inverting the values of the Edwardian elite.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of White Ashes

White Ashes

Sidney R. (Sidney Robinson) Kennedy

The catastrophe of a massive urban conflagration serves as the crucible for this story, testing both the financial integrity of insurance companies and the emotional resilience of those caught in the fallout.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Wise or Otherwise

Wise or Otherwise

Lydia Leavitt

A collection of aphorisms and moral fables, this volume traverses the landscape of Victorian social critique, offering sharp, cynical, and occasionally tender observations on the human condition. It serves as an artifact of late-19th-century thought.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Young Folks Magazine, Vol. I, No. 1, March 1902: An Illustrated Monthly Journal for Boys & Girls

Young Folks Magazine, Vol. I, No. 1, March 1902: An Illustrated Monthly Journal for Boys & Girls

Various

Step into a bygone spring through this 1902 monthly journal, where stirring Revolutionary tales, northern wilderness adventures, and parlor magic await young readers.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of A Mere Chance: A Novel. Vol. 1

A Mere Chance: A Novel. Vol. 1

Ada Cambridge

An innocent young Australian debutante finds herself torn between a wealthy, conventional marriage and a magnetic, dangerous outsider with a shadowy past.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A study of some factors influencing fertility and sterility in the bull

A study of some factors influencing fertility and sterility in the bull

Herbert Lester Gilman

This technical monograph investigates the often-overlooked biological factors behind infertility in bulls, emphasizing the sire’s critical role in herd reproductive efficiency. It serves as a foundational veterinary study of the early 20th century.

Health & Medicine6 min read
Cover of A time of terror

A time of terror

Douglas Morey Ford

As 1910 London fractures under domestic terror and foreign conspiracy, a mysterious mastermind orchestrates a nation-shaking revenge that only the resilience of ordinary citizens can ultimately survive.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of A Transmutation of Muddles

A Transmutation of Muddles

H. B. (Horace Bowne) Fyfe

An old space hand-turned-arbitrator must sort out an insurance mess, an enraged crew, and a sacred native temple built directly over a stranded trading ship before a Earth envoy arrives.

Novels6 min read
Cover of A Zloor for Your Trouble!

A Zloor for Your Trouble!

Mack Reynolds

The pursuit of a legendary Martian creature becomes a test of wit when a seasoned hunter discovers that brute force is no match for an animal that eats through steel.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of Adrienne

Adrienne

Amy Le Feuvre

An independent English girl finds her quiet life upended when she travels to France to steady an ailing aunt and confronts a formidable cousin's quiet rule.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Advisory Ben: A Story

Advisory Ben: A Story

E. V. (Edward Verrall) Lucas

When a capable young woman opens a London advice bureau called "The Beck and Call," she finds herself untangling the chaotic love lives and domestic crises of her friends and family.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Aikenside

Aikenside

Mary Jane Holmes

A young woman’s journey from a life of modest poverty to the grand halls of an estate reveals the enduring power of devotion and the resilience of the human heart in the face of tragedy.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of An account of the battle of Wilson's Creek, or Oak Hills, fought between the Union troops, commanded by Gen. N. Lyon and the Southern, or Confederate troops, under command of Gens. McCulloch and Price, on Saturday, August 10, 1861, in Greene county, Missouri

An account of the battle of Wilson's Creek, or Oak Hills, fought between the Union troops, commanded by Gen. N. Lyon and the Southern, or Confederate troops, under command of Gens. McCulloch and Price, on Saturday, August 10, 1861, in Greene county, Missouri

R. I. (Return Ira) Holcombe

Dawn breaks over the Ozarks as opposing forces march toward a bloody collision that will change Missouri forever.

History - American6 min read
Cover of An Autumn Sowing

An Autumn Sowing

E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson

A prosperous merchant discovers late in life that thirty years of unyielding commercial success and rigid piety have left his inner self entirely uncultivated.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of An essay on the influence of tobacco upon life and health

An essay on the influence of tobacco upon life and health

R. D. (Reuben Dimond) Mussey

Man is the only creature that deliberately poisons his own instincts, choosing a narcotic weed that defies nature and slowly wrecks both body and mind.

Drugs/Alcohol/Pharmacology7 min read
Cover of Arne and the Christmas star: A story of Norway

Arne and the Christmas star: A story of Norway

Alta Halverson Seymour

A red-headed boy navigates mountain trails, strict schoolteachers, and fierce winter storms along the Norwegian coast, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Christmas ship.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of At the Sign of the Fox: A Romance

At the Sign of the Fox: A Romance

Mabel Osgood Wright

When financial ruin shatters a wealthy New York family's elite life, they retreat to a remote hill country homestead where hard work, nature, and unexpected romance reshape their world.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Battery D First Rhode Island Light Artillery in the Civil War

Battery D First Rhode Island Light Artillery in the Civil War

George C. (George Cady) Sumner

Dragged into the crucible of the American Civil War, a dedicated Rhode Island artillery battery marches, freezes, and fights across four grueling years to preserve a fractured nation.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Beast of prey

Beast of prey

Jay Williams

A strange paralysis claims the outpost's men one by one, driving a seasoned ecologist to hunt a phantom predator in an alien forest where beauty masks a silent, fatal design.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy5 min read
Cover of Boarding party

Boarding party

Robert F. Young

A stranded pilot discovers that the smallest inhabitants of a forbidden planet possess a terrifying and unexpected capacity for violence. This brief account serves as a cautionary report from an interstellar traveler whose routine mission takes a sharp, harrowing turn.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Boy Scouts in California

Boy Scouts in California

G. Harvey (George Harvey) Ralphson

High in the Sierra Nevada mountains, a group of New York Boy Scouts on a routine vacation stumble into a high-stakes corporate conspiracy involving a hidden mother lode of gold, outlaw half-breeds, and ancient mountain secrets.

Adventure6 min read