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47,382 public-domain books, summarised. Page 968 of 988.

Cover of Ahead of the Show

Ahead of the Show

Fred Thorpe

The relentless pursuit of a missing sister drives a young man to trade his quiet life for the high-stakes, unpredictable world of nineteenth-century American touring theater.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Box-garden

Box-garden

Allen Kim Lang

A chance encounter in a neighborhood bar spirals into a paranoid meditation on the hidden, sinister mechanisms of mass-media advertising. The story examines the thin line between psychological manipulation and science fiction.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 1, Vol. I, January 5, 1884

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 1, Vol. I, January 5, 1884

Various

Across a diverse collection of essays, fiction, and verse, this Victorian anthology captures the universal human longing to reconsider the past while navigating the shifting uncertainties of a modern, rapidly industrializing world.

Journals6 min read
Cover of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 750, May 11, 1878

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 750, May 11, 1878

Various

This nineteenth-century periodical offers a fascinating, kaleidoscopic window into the Victorian era, gathering travelogues, social commentary, and fiction into a single, vibrant collection of contemporary thought.

Journals7 min read
Cover of Comrades

Comrades

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps

Memorial Day is a lonely vigil for those left behind, but one woman discovers that the power of devotion can sustain a man even as his world fades away.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Embers, Volume 1

Embers, Volume 1

Gilbert Parker

A collection of lyrical fragments, this work gathers the private memories and impressions of a wanderer, serving as a quiet record of a life spent traveling between distant lands and the warmth of home.

Poetry7 min read
Cover of Frank and Andy at boarding school

Frank and Andy at boarding school

Vance Barnum

Two brothers arrive at a neglected boarding school, only to find that their own energy and grit are the only things capable of saving the institution from ruin.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Good Blood

Good Blood

Ernst von Wildenbruch

HOOK The sight of two schoolboys brawling in a quiet square unlocks a flood of long-buried memories for an elderly colonel, revealing a tragic story of brotherhood, honor, and sacrifice within the walls of a rigid military academy.

German Literature6 min read
Cover of Good Stories Reprinted from the Ladies' Home Journal of Philadelphia

Good Stories Reprinted from the Ladies' Home Journal of Philadelphia

Various

The traveler who searches for a quick laugh in the dusty corners of a parlor will find a familiar companion in these pages. This collection captures the sharp, fleeting wit of a bygone era.

Humour5 min read
Cover of In the Fire of the Forge: A Romance of Old Nuremberg

In the Fire of the Forge: A Romance of Old Nuremberg

Georg Ebers

Amidst the political upheavals of medieval Nuremberg, a young woman finds her strength in the crucible of duty and love. This historical romance traces the quiet, enduring power of faith during a time of war.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of It's a Small Solar System

It's a Small Solar System

Allan Howard

The first human ship to reach Mars encounters a startling, familiar greeting, revealing that the dreams of science fiction writers have finally bridged the gap between pulp fantasy and cold reality.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Life and Death of John of Barneveld, Advocate of Holland

Life and Death of John of Barneveld, Advocate of Holland

John Lothrop Motley

The life and death of a pivotal statesman captures the intense friction between civil law and military power. This narrative examines how a republic’s internal fractures can undo its greatest achievements.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of My toughest trip

My toughest trip

Robert William Reading

The wilderness of the Canadian Arctic demands a resilience that transcends the common myths of law enforcement, requiring a duty that is often tender, desperate, and profoundly human. This account pulls back the curtain on the reality of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, moving away from gunfights and dramatic…

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Notes and Queries, Number 138, June 19, 1852: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Notes and Queries, Number 138, June 19, 1852: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

Various

This is a collaborative archive of nineteenth-century curiosity, functioning as a sprawling, printed conversation where scholars and enthusiasts exchange hard-won facts and lingering mysteries. It serves as a static snapshot of an intellectual community gathering around the nascent idea that no piece of historical…

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Old Daniel

Old Daniel

Thomas Hodson

HOOK A portrait of faith and village life in 19th-century India, this memoir traces the journey of a washerman who leaves behind ancestral idol worship to become a steadfast, lifelong Christian convert.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of On the Church Steps

On the Church Steps

Sarah C. Hallowell

A misunderstanding born of jealousy and silence drives two lovers apart, leading them on a frantic, cross-country search for clarity and reconciliation.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Only an Irish Girl

Only an Irish Girl

Duchess

The wild and willful Honor Blake fights to protect her ancestral home, Donaghmore, while caught between the duty she owes her family and the dangerous, divided loyalties of the man she loves.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Ossianic controversy

Ossianic controversy

M'Pherson, John, Rev.

The authenticity of ancient Gaelic song remains a landscape of suspicion and wonder, where the lines between ancestral memory and modern artifice blur into a centuries-long intellectual battle.

General7 min read
Cover of Père Antoine's Date-Palm

Père Antoine's Date-Palm

Thomas Bailey Aldrich

A solitary date-palm towers over a New Orleans street, standing as a living monument to a love that defied the boundaries of the cloth and the finality of the grave. This quiet legend traces the life of a priest whose earthly devotion becomes anchored in a tree.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Pioneer Day Exercises

Pioneer Day Exercises

Mich.) Ladies' Library Association (Schoolcraft

This collection of reminiscences captures the fading memories of a vanishing frontier, preserving the personal stories of the men and women who transformed the Michigan wilderness into a settled community during the early nineteenth century.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105, September 16th, 1893

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105, September 16th, 1893

Various

HOOK This collection captures the biting, satirical pulse of late Victorian London, where political upheaval, social vanity, and the trivialities of daily life are skewered with relentless, rhythmic wit.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 107, September 8, 1894

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 107, September 8, 1894

Various

This collection of late-Victorian satire captures the frantic, witty, and often cynical spirit of London’s high-society life and professional anxieties at the end of the nineteenth century. It serves as both a cultural mirror and a humorous critique of a class preoccupied with its own status, manners, and the…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, January 3, 1917

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, January 3, 1917

Various

This is a weekly periodical serving as a satirical mirror to the social anxieties, bureaucratic absurdities, and grim realities of Britain during the third year of the Great War. It captures a nation attempting to maintain its characteristic sense of irony while under the shadow of global conflict.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Societies of the Kiowas

Societies of the Kiowas

Robert Harry Lowie

The Kiowa people shaped their lives through complex social organizations, where the path from boyhood to warrior status was paved by tradition, military discipline, and the pursuit of honor.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of The Almost-Men

The Almost-Men

Cox, Irving E., Jr.

The future of humanity lies not in the weapons we build, but in the minds we cultivate. A new generation, born into occupation, discovers that true strength is a matter of perception rather than machinery.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Black Feather: From "Mackinac And Lake Stories", 1899

The Black Feather: From "Mackinac And Lake Stories", 1899

Mary Hartwell Catherwood

HOOK A boastful voyageur returns from the wilderness to find his wife’s heart shut against him, sparking a jealous confrontation that echoes through the bustling, hard-bitten fur-trading outpost of Mackinac Island.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Chickens of Fowl Farm

The Chickens of Fowl Farm

Lena Barksdale

The chickens of Fowl Farm live by their own rules, finding adventure, community, and domestic drama in a forgotten corner of an abandoned estate. This charming, earnest chronicle brings the daily lives of a barnyard society to vivid, anthropomorphic life.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Deacon of Dobbinsville: A Story Based on Actual Happenings

The Deacon of Dobbinsville: A Story Based on Actual Happenings

John Arch Morrison

A sincere, unvarnished portrait of religious revival in the Ozarks, this story charts the collision between entrenched institutional pride and the disruptive, transformative power of personal faith. It serves as both a period piece and a testament to the author’s conviction regarding the nature of spiritual conversion.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The defects of the Negro church

The defects of the Negro church

Orishatukeh Faduma

This study examines the spiritual and organizational shortcomings of the early 20th-century African American church, advocating for a shift from emotional spectacle toward intellectual rigor, social morality, and disciplined leadership.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Disowned

The Disowned

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

A young man of unknown origins and soaring ambition must navigate the betrayals of the aristocracy and the quiet wisdom of outcasts to reclaim his identity and his lost love.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Kansas University science bulletin, Vol. I, No. 7, September 1902

The Kansas University science bulletin, Vol. I, No. 7, September 1902

Unknown

This bulletin functions as a meticulous geological record, cataloging the fossilized life forms embedded within the strata of the Kansas Coal Measures. It serves as an essential reference for understanding the biological history of the region.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of The Lost Dahlia

The Lost Dahlia

Mary Russell Mitford

A woman's quest to find her lost dahlia leads her on a journey through picturesque landscapes and unexpected discoveries.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 382, July 25, 1829

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 382, July 25, 1829

Various

This collection serves as a curated cabinet of nineteenth-century curiosity, blending scenic travelogues, artistic biography, and whimsical folklore into a vibrant mosaic of the Regency era’s intellectual life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The moors and the fens, volume 1 (of 3)

The moors and the fens, volume 1 (of 3)

Riddell, J. H., Mrs.

A sprawling family saga of contrasting landscapes, this narrative traces the lives of two brothers trapped by a miserly father and the spirited young woman caught in the suffocating web of Victorian high society.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The San Francisco Fairy: A Tale of Early Times

The San Francisco Fairy: A Tale of Early Times

Anonymous

The waters of a prehistoric inland sea recede to reveal a city of prophecy, as a young woman’s act of kindness towards a magical creature secures her fortune and her future.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The Woodcutter of Gutech

The Woodcutter of Gutech

William Henry Giles Kingston

This story of faith and survival follows a humble woodcutter whose life is transformed by the arrival of a forbidden book. Amidst the religious upheavals of Reformation-era Germany, he and his family must navigate a world of shifting loyalties and violent social unrest.

Historical Novels7 min read
Cover of Vacation Verse

Vacation Verse

William M. (William Mackay) MacKeracher

This collection of verse captures the quiet intensity of a young scholar’s observations, mapping the intersection of Canadian landscapes, historical memory, and the interior life of a contemplative mind.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of What Will He Do with It?

What Will He Do with It?

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

HOOK A celebrated, weary man of status seeks to restart his life and secure his legacy, only to find that his past and his possessions remain as complicated as the people who orbit his orbit.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Whilst father was fighting

Whilst father was fighting

Eleanora H. Stooke

A lonely boy and his young brother find solace in the dark during the Great War, guided by a faithful, elderly neighbor and a stray dog.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of A Canadian Heroine, Volume 2: A Novel

A Canadian Heroine, Volume 2: A Novel

Coghill, Harry, Mrs.

A story of survival and secret burdens, this novel follows a mother and daughter navigating the rigid social structures and raw, unforgiving landscape of nineteenth-century Canada. Caught between a haunting past and an uncertain future, they must confront the truth of their family’s identity while seeking grace in…

Novels5 min read
Cover of A London Baby: The Story of King Roy

A London Baby: The Story of King Roy

L. T. Meade

This story follows a young boy and his devoted older sister as they navigate the harsh realities of 19th-century London, exploring the transformative power of faith and the resilience of a child’s love. It is a poignant, moralizing tale that tracks how a temporary crisis can reshape a broken family.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Bacchus

Bacchus

P. Morton (Philip Morton) Shand

A spirited defense of the grape, written in the shadow of Prohibition to champion wine as the essential, civilizing partner of a temperate life.

General6 min read
Cover of Carnac's Folly, Volume 3

Carnac's Folly, Volume 3

Gilbert Parker

The life of a young, idealistic artist takes a dramatic turn when he enters the volatile world of Quebec politics to challenge a formidable and duplicitous Secretary of State. What begins as a quest for public influence evolves into a harrowing confrontation with the hidden truths of his own parentage and the dark…

Novels7 min read
Cover of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, fifth series, no. 140, vol. III, September 4, 1886

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, fifth series, no. 140, vol. III, September 4, 1886

Various

This collection of nineteenth-century journalism offers a panoramic window into the Victorian mind, blending high-minded technical reporting with the era’s penchant for dramatic, sentimental storytelling. It remains a fascinating artifact of how a broad reading public consumed the world, from the mysteries of…

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Christmas builders

Christmas builders

Charles Edward Jefferson

The modern frenzy of holiday obligation has obscured the true, expansive spirit of the season. This reflection argues that the only way to reclaim the joy of Christmas is to return to the heart of a child.

Religion/Spirituality7 min read
Cover of Clear Crystals

Clear Crystals

Clara Frances McKee Beede

The rhythm of the home front beats in these verses, echoing the quiet prayers and steady persistence of those waiting for their loved ones to return from war.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Collected writings of Clarence Edwin Flynn, first series

Collected writings of Clarence Edwin Flynn, first series

Clarence Edwin Flynn

These collected writings offer a window into the earnest, tradition-steeped heart of an early twentieth-century American clergyman. They present a thoughtful, moralizing perspective on faith, social duty, and the challenges of a rapidly changing modern world.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Flight from New Mu

Flight from New Mu

Joe Archibald

A brash, tongue-in-cheek account of a space-traveling underdog, this story follows the intergalactic misadventures of Septimus Spink, a man who finds himself caught between Earth’s military bureaucracy and his own eccentric alien destiny.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy6 min read