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44,127 public-domain books, summarised. Page 890 of 920.

Cover of Jacob Behmen: An Appreciation

Jacob Behmen: An Appreciation

Alexander Whyte

The Teutonic shoemaker whose inner life became the bedrock of German philosophy remains a bridge between the unseen world and the human heart. This exploration captures a rare soul who transformed personal suffering into a vast, singular vision of divinity.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Joshua Haggard's daughter, Vol. 2 (of 3)

Joshua Haggard's daughter, Vol. 2 (of 3)

M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

HOOK In this mid-Victorian drama, a revered minister’s late-life marriage to a young protégé triggers a cascade of domestic betrayal, social conflict, and spiritual anguish that threatens to dismantle his pious family.

Novels5 min read
Cover of Kalevan uhri: Näytelmä 4:ssä näytöksessä

Kalevan uhri: Näytelmä 4:ssä näytöksessä

Eero Eerola

A tragedy of betrayal and rebirth, this play captures the visceral collapse of an agrarian community when the lines between kin and invader are violently erased. It is a stark, rhythmic exploration of national identity caught in the crucible of war.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore5 min read
Cover of Legend of Moulin Huet

Legend of Moulin Huet

Lizzie A. Freeth

A stern miller’s obsession with political purity and a jealous suitor’s malice threaten to destroy a romance, leaving a trail of blood and fire on the crags of a remote island.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Life on the Mississippi, Part 8

Life on the Mississippi, Part 8

Mark Twain

The river is a stage for both the noble and the absurd, where a traveler’s sharp eye unmasks the truth hidden beneath a veneer of romantic pretense.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Lollingdon Downs, and Other Poems, with Sonnets

Lollingdon Downs, and Other Poems, with Sonnets

John Masefield

This collection of verse grapples with the fragile, flickering nature of human existence, setting the brief vitality of individual life against the vast, indifferent backdrop of the natural world and the passage of time.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Meg of the heather

Meg of the heather

Evelyn R. Garratt

HOOK A young wanderer finds beauty in the heather, only to be cast into a world of privilege and sudden, cold indifference. She must learn that true belonging is not found in velvet or fine speech.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Murder Beneath the Polar Ice

Murder Beneath the Polar Ice

Hayden Howard

The Arctic ice pack masks a silent, high-stakes game of cat and mouse where the line between a scavenger hunt and a global catastrophe blurs. Deep beneath the surface, human survival relies on the fragile, deadly machinery of the Cold War.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of "My Novel"

"My Novel"

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

A sprawling exploration of English character and societal change, this expansive work weaves together the lives of rural villagers, displaced aristocrats, and ambitious climbers.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Index of Volume 4, July-December, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Index of Volume 4, July-December, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

When found, make a note of it: this collection serves as a Victorian era clearinghouse for the curious, the obscure, and the forgotten.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 111, December 13, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 111, December 13, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

This collection serves as a Victorian forum for the curious, where literary, historical, and linguistic mysteries are debated by scholars and enthusiasts through short, spirited exchanges of information.

History - Modern (1750+)6 min read
Cover of Oberon and Puck

Oberon and Puck

Helen Gray Cone

This collection of verse captures the shifting moods and intellectual currents of the late 19th century, blending lyrical tributes to the natural world with sharp, witty observations on social pretension. It is an exploration of the poet’s place in an age of transition, moving gracefully between the timeless beauty…

Mythology, Legends & Folklore7 min read
Cover of One dialogue, or Colloquye of Erasmus (entituled Diuersoria): Translated oute of Latten into Englyshe: And Imprinted, to the ende that the Judgement of the Learned maye be hadde before the Translator procede in the reste

One dialogue, or Colloquye of Erasmus (entituled Diuersoria): Translated oute of Latten into Englyshe: And Imprinted, to the ende that the Judgement of the Learned maye be hadde before the Translator procede in the reste

Desiderius Erasmus

Travelers compare the comforts of the road with the rigorous customs of a foreign culture, debating the merits of hospitality. This short, spirited dialogue offers a window into the expectations of early modern travel, capturing the social friction that occurs when one way of life meets another.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Pardners

Pardners

Rex Beach

This collection of frontier tales captures the raw, desperate, and often darkly humorous essence of life in the American West and the Alaskan gold fields, where the only currency that truly matters is the bond between men.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Paul Clifford

Paul Clifford

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

The tragedy of a brilliant mind shaped by a cruel society, this novel traces the path of a charismatic youth who descends into criminality because he is denied an honest place in the world.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, March 22, 1916

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, March 22, 1916

Various

This volume captures the weary yet resilient spirit of wartime Britain, offering a satirical mirror to the anxieties, absurdities, and official posturing of the spring of 1916.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, November 28, 1891

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, November 28, 1891

Various

HOOK This collection captures the biting, satirical pulse of late Victorian London, where the humor is as sharp as a tailor’s shears and the commentary spares neither the politician nor the social climber.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 103, August 6, 1892

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 103, August 6, 1892

Various

A late-Victorian variety show in print, this single issue captures Londoners sending up their leaders, their high society, their street hawkers, and themselves.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Records of Harvest Mice, Reithrodontomys, from Central America, with Description of a New Subspecies from Nicaragua

Records of Harvest Mice, Reithrodontomys, from Central America, with Description of a New Subspecies from Nicaragua

J. Knox Jones

This technical report documents new geographic records and a previously undescribed subspecies of harvest mice, offering a precise update to the taxonomic understanding of Reithrodontomys in Central America.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Report on the Cost of Living in Ireland, June 1922

Report on the Cost of Living in Ireland, June 1922

Ireland. Ministry of Economic Affairs

The Irish state, newly born in the summer of 1922, faces an urgent question: how much has the cost of daily life shifted since the world changed in 1914? This formal inquiry provides the answer.

Economics6 min read
Cover of Return of the brute

Return of the brute

Liam O'Flaherty

A descent into the primal madness of the trenches, this stark narrative follows the collapse of humanity under the relentless pressure of a war that has lost all meaning.

History - Warfare6 min read
Cover of Rhoda Fleming

Rhoda Fleming

George Meredith

This is a story of two sisters whose lives diverge when the older, delicate Dahlia leaves their quiet Kentish farm for the deceptive allure of London. Their bond is tested by a devastating secret, challenging the rigidity of Victorian morality and the strength of family pride.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Sir Hilton's Sin

Sir Hilton's Sin

George Manville Fenn

The social and moral contradictions of a faded aristocrat collide in this tale of sporting obsession, deception, and the quiet, iron-fisted control of a wife who seeks to sanitize her husband’s legacy.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Sorry: Wrong Dimension

Sorry: Wrong Dimension

Ross Rocklynne

A harried housewife’s domestic routine is upended when a bizarre, invisible creature from another dimension befriends her baby. This science fiction romp explores the collision between mundane 1950s life and the infinite, chaotic possibilities of a multi-dimensional universe.

Humour6 min read
Cover of Systematic Status of the Colubrid Snake, Leptodeira discolor Günther

Systematic Status of the Colubrid Snake, Leptodeira discolor Günther

William Edward Duellman

This technical monograph resolves a long-standing taxonomic mystery by reclassifying a rare Mexican snake, moving it from a known genus into an entirely new category based on anatomical evidence.

Science - Biology6 min read
Cover of Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine

Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine

Jean de La Fontaine

This collection of verse captures the sharp, playful, and often ribald spirit of seventeenth-century French storytelling, transforming domestic mischief and clerical folly into timeless, rhythmic observations on human nature.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Terror out of the past

Terror out of the past

Raymond Z. (Raymond Zinke) Gallun

This high-stakes adventure pits the insatiable curiosity of two scientists against the ruthless ambition of a corporate industrialist, all set against the backdrop of an unearthed, long-forgotten technological marvel.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of That Last Waif

That Last Waif

Horace Fletcher

The plight of the neglected child is a mirror reflecting a society's true character. This urgent, century-old call to action argues that the only path to a moral, prosperous civilization is to surround every single child with early, organized, and loving care.

History - American6 min read
Cover of The Bad Little Owls

The Bad Little Owls

John Breck

The animal inhabitants of the woods find their peaceful, communal way of life threatened by a pair of malicious, scheming owls and the ruthless weasel they invite into their midst.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Battle of the Bells

The Battle of the Bells

Jerome Bixby

The Battle of the Bells is a whimsical, philosophical fantasy that explores the cosmic significance of human morality through the lens of a small-town prank.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The blue socks

The blue socks

Lucy Ellen Guernsey

The virtue of a quiet, honest life becomes a battleground when a group of schoolgirls clashes over social status and integrity. This narrative examines the high cost of character in a world of shifting allegiances.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Boat Club

The Boat Club

Oliver Optic

A group of young friends navigates the complexities of honor, rivalry, and the pursuit of excellence while building a custom-made rowing club on a quiet lake.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Bountiful Lady

The Bountiful Lady

Thomas Cobb

The story of a neglected orphan girl who finds salvation through the intervention of a mysterious, fairy-like benefactor and her magic tokens. It is a gentle, moralizing fable about finding security and belonging.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Boy who sailed with Blake

The Boy who sailed with Blake

William Henry Giles Kingston

This historical narrative follows a young protagonist into the turbulent seventeenth-century naval service of Robert Blake, capturing a nation divided by civil war and the rise of a legendary admiral.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Caxtons: A Family Picture

The Caxtons: A Family Picture

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

The future is a landscape that demands more than reading; it requires a temperament forged in the crucible of both ancient wisdom and raw, unvarnished action.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Court of Chancery: a satirical poem

The Court of Chancery: a satirical poem

Reginald James Blewitt

The machinery of the British legal system serves as a grim stage for this biting critique, where the pursuit of justice is exposed as a ruinous, soul-crushing exercise in vanity and greed. It is a work of righteous indignation disguised as verse, transforming a dull subject into a vivid, often brutal, indictment of…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Dark Door

The Dark Door

Alan Edward Nourse

HOOK A paranoid man caught in a web of shifting realities must determine if his tormentors are supernatural interlopers or doctors manipulating his mind.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The diggings, the bush and Melbourne

The diggings, the bush and Melbourne

James Armour

The gold fever of the 1850s serves as a crucible for the human spirit, stripping away the pretenses of civilization to reveal the raw, often unglamorous, reality of the Australian frontier.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Eskdale Herd-boy: A Scottish Tale for the Instruction and Amusement of Young People

The Eskdale Herd-boy: A Scottish Tale for the Instruction and Amusement of Young People

Mrs. (Martha) Blackford

A young orphan finds his place in the world through steady industry and the guidance of a compassionate mentor. His journey reveals how small acts of perseverance ripple outward to shape a life of quiet integrity.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Ghost of Jerry Bundler

The Ghost of Jerry Bundler

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

A group of weary travelers, huddled in a dim, firelit inn, find their nerves frayed by tales of a local specter until a reckless prank spirals into a terrifying, irreversible confrontation with the unknown.

Humour6 min read
Cover of The Girl at the Halfway House: A Story of the Plains

The Girl at the Halfway House: A Story of the Plains

Emerson Hough

The vast, untamed expanse of the American West transforms those who seek their fortunes within its borders, testing their resolve as much as the rugged landscape itself. In this story, the frontier serves as both a crucible for personal ambition and a sanctuary for those fleeing the ghosts of their past.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 369, January 22, 1887

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 369, January 22, 1887

Various

This collection captures the late Victorian era’s rigid social boundaries and earnest moral education, offering a singular window into the anxieties and aspirations of young women in 1887.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 1026, August 26, 1899

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 1026, August 26, 1899

Various

This volume serves as a quintessential artifact of Victorian girlhood, blending domestic fiction with the earnest, instructional tone of a late-nineteenth-century advice periodical. It offers a window into an era where moral instruction and practical household management were considered the bedrock of a young…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 993, January 7, 1899

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 993, January 7, 1899

Various

This issue of a Victorian periodical offers an intimate window into the late nineteenth-century world, blending practical instruction, moral guidance, and serialized fiction to help young women navigate their path toward adulthood. It serves as both a manual for self-improvement and a companion for the isolated reader.

Journalism/Media/Writing6 min read
Cover of The Gold that Glitters: The Mistakes of Jenny Lavender

The Gold that Glitters: The Mistakes of Jenny Lavender

Emily Sarah Holt

The story of a flighty farm girl who mistakes vanity for opportunity, this historical tale follows a young woman’s brief, disillusioned foray into service during the turbulent escape of King Charles II.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Hunt Pack

The Hunt Pack

Samuel Alexander White

The Northland wilderness acts as both judge and jury, systematically stripping away the pretenses of those who violate its strict code of honor. This relentless pursuit leaves nowhere to hide, proving that in a lawless frontier, survival requires more than just physical strength.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Life and Work of William Tindale

The Life and Work of William Tindale

William Barrett Cooper

A scholar sacrifices his life to translate the scriptures into the common tongue, sparking a revolution that forever shapes the English language and the spiritual identity of a nation.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Lost Gold of the Montezumas: A Story of the Alamo

The Lost Gold of the Montezumas: A Story of the Alamo

William O. Stoddard

A desperate fight for Texas independence collides with an ancient Aztec priest’s quest to retrieve the lost, sacred gold of Montezuma.

Adventure6 min read