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American Literature — page 95

4,619 public-domain american literature books, summarised. Page 95 of 97.

Cover of Dickens in Camp

Dickens in Camp

Bret Harte

Dickens in Camp acts as a bridge between the rugged, gold-rush reality of the American West and the Victorian sentimentality of England’s most celebrated novelist. It is a brief, evocative poetic tribute that captures how literature can momentarily tame even the wildest spirits.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Half a Dozen Girls

Half a Dozen Girls

Anna Chapin Ray

A vibrant circle of friends navigates the small triumphs and relatable stumbles of youth in a quiet New England town. Their shared laughter and growing pains define a year of simple, enduring connections.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Lefty o' the Blue Stockings

Lefty o' the Blue Stockings

Burt L. Standish

A young pitcher’s rise in the professional ranks is derailed by personal turmoil and a mysterious lapse in memory. He must find his way back to the mound to reclaim his identity and his game.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of Mrs. Tree's Will

Mrs. Tree's Will

Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

A sharp-tongued, centenarian matriarch uses her final testament to orchestrate the lives of her village, demanding one last act of defiance against changing times.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Stephen H. Branch's Alligator, Vol. 1 no. 14, July 24, 1858

Stephen H. Branch's Alligator, Vol. 1 no. 14, July 24, 1858

Stephen H. Branch

This aggressive political broadsheet captures the frantic, scandal-ridden atmosphere of 1858 New York City, where public figures are routinely skewered for their perceived corruption and moral failings.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Case and the Girl

The Case and the Girl

Randall Parrish

A restless veteran answers a mysterious newspaper advertisement, only to find himself entangled in a dangerous web of mistaken identity, corporate conspiracy, and a life-altering search for a long-lost sister.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Colossus: A Novel

The Colossus: A Novel

Opie Percival Read

A young man from the margins of society suddenly finds himself the heir to a Chicago retail empire, caught between his hard-won independence and the crushing, soulless weight of his father’s wealth.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Literary Shop, and Other Tales

The Literary Shop, and Other Tales

James L. (James Lauren) Ford

In the late nineteenth century, the American literary landscape transformed into a vast, industrialized machine. This collection of satirical sketches unmasks the commercial pressures and hollow conventions governing the periodicals of the era.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Supply at Saint Agatha's

The Supply at Saint Agatha's

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps

Saint Agatha’s is a story of a fashionable, insular church confronted by the sudden appearance of a mysterious, transcendent figure. It is a quiet, intense meditation on the cost of true devotion and the spiritual complacency of the wealthy.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The White Bees

The White Bees

Henry Van Dyke

A tapestry of lyrical verse celebrating the American landscape, the virtues of a life lived with purpose, and the enduring power of faith, friendship, and discovery.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Bobby of Cloverfield Farm

Bobby of Cloverfield Farm

Helen Fuller Orton

A young boy navigates the changing seasons of a bustling family farm, learning small, vital lessons about responsibility, nature, and the warmth of home.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Cap'n Jonah's fortune

Cap'n Jonah's fortune

James A. Cooper

An elderly mariner returns home to find his long-lost relatives are miserly opportunists, but his fortunes take a turn when an overlooked investment suddenly yields a hidden, life-changing bounty.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Frank Merriwell's Prosperity

Frank Merriwell's Prosperity

Burt L. Standish

The life of a touring actor is rarely as glamorous as the footlights suggest, especially when your company is plagued by internal rivalries and hostile locals. This brisk, episodic adventure captures a young star navigating the treacherous waters of professional theater and personal loyalty.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Sketches from Memory: (From: "The Doliver Romance and Other Pieces: Tales and Sketches")

Sketches from Memory: (From: "The Doliver Romance and Other Pieces: Tales and Sketches")

Nathaniel Hawthorne

A keen observer wanders through the bustling borderlands and infant cities of early nineteenth-century America, recording the quiet poetry and restless energy of a nation in motion.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of The Complete Works of Artemus Ward

The Complete Works of Artemus Ward

Artemus Ward

The American landscape is a patchwork of absurdity, and this wandering showman observes it all with a sharp wit that favors the Union, the common person, and the occasional well-timed "goak.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of The Hermit Of ——— Street: 1898

The Hermit Of ——— Street: 1898

Anna Katharine Green

This mystery of 1898 captures the unsettling intersection of domestic comfort and hidden, high-stakes malice. Through the eyes of an ingenue, a dark secret is slowly unspooled, revealing how a young woman’s romantic fascination with a brooding, mysterious neighbor leads her into a trap of her own making.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Moccasin Ranch: A Story of Dakota

The Moccasin Ranch: A Story of Dakota

Hamlin Garland

A prairie claim in the Dakota Territory promises a fresh start, but isolation, brutal weather, and forbidden love soon threaten to tear three pioneers apart.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The prior claim

The prior claim

Eleanor Mercein Kelly

This story of a frontier marriage portrays the quiet, haunting conflict between a settler’s claim to the land and the lingering ties of a woman reclaimed from the wilderness. It is a stark, tense look at the costs of expansion.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Thunders of Silence

The Thunders of Silence

Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb

A charismatic politician builds a career on national attention, only to learn how quickly a country can erased a man by simply looking away.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A journey in search of Christmas

A journey in search of Christmas

Owen Wister

A cowboy arrives in town seeking the holiday spirit, only to stumble upon a runaway child who forces him to reconcile his lonely, rootless existence with the sudden, heavy burden of fatherhood.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Atchoo! Sneezes from a Hilarious Vaudevillian

Atchoo! Sneezes from a Hilarious Vaudevillian

George Niblo

A vaudevillian takes the stage to share a rapid-fire collection of jokes, anecdotes, and observations from his life on the road. This performance captures the restless, observational humor of turn-of-the-century American stage comedy.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of Deep channel

Deep channel

Margaret Prescott Montague

The quiet, inward-looking lives of two timid souls collide in a small Virginia village, forcing them to choose between social conformity and the risky, liberating truth of their own hearts.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Idylls of the Skillet Fork

Idylls of the Skillet Fork

Payson Sibley Wild

A rustic, plain-spoken account of farm life in the American Midwest, capturing the humor, hardship, and resilience of those tied to the land during the Great War.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Ole Mars an' Ole Miss

Ole Mars an' Ole Miss

Edmund K. Goldsborough

This collection of sketches and anecdotes captures the rhythms of life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore during the antebellum era. It presents a series of vignettes centered on the plantation life of the Pinckney family and the community of enslaved people who resided there, focusing on their storytelling, religious…

American Literature5 min read
Cover of Representative Plays by American Dramatists: 1856-1911: Love in '76: An Incident of the Revolution

Representative Plays by American Dramatists: 1856-1911: Love in '76: An Incident of the Revolution

Oliver Bell Bunce

A quick-witted heroine turns the tables on her political enemies using nothing but her own cleverness and a perfectly timed masquerade. This spirited domestic comedy breathes life into the tension of the American Revolution without losing its light, romantic touch.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Crucifixion of Philip Strong

The Crucifixion of Philip Strong

Charles M. Sheldon

The story of a minister who attempts to live by the radical principles of his faith, this work explores the inevitable collision between spiritual conviction and established social power. It stands as a poignant record of late-nineteenth-century social gospel, examining the cost of integrity in a world governed by…

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Man Who Stole A Meeting-House: 1878, From "Coupon Bonds"

The Man Who Stole A Meeting-House: 1878, From "Coupon Bonds"

J. T. (John Townsend) Trowbridge

This story captures a peculiar American frontier humor, blending a tall-tale premise with a sharp, empathetic portrait of domestic struggle. It is a work of regional realism that finds profound weight beneath the absurdity of a man attempting to claim a community church as his own property.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Margenes

The Margenes

Miriam Allen De Ford

The arrival of mysterious, life-sustaining organisms from the ocean promises a golden age of plenty, but their sudden disappearance reveals the fragile, volatile nature of human dependency and global stability.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Old Stone House

The Old Stone House

Constance Fenimore Woolson

This narrative follows an aging aunt’s struggle to raise her five orphaned nieces and nephews within the quiet, hallowed walls of a family home, exploring the tension between worldly ambition and spiritual devotion.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A Hundred and Sixty Books by Washington Authors: Some Other Writers Who are Contributors to Periodical Literature

A Hundred and Sixty Books by Washington Authors: Some Other Writers Who are Contributors to Periodical Literature

Unknown

This catalog serves as a snapshot of early twentieth-century Washington state literary life, documenting the voices of pioneers, historians, and storytellers who helped define the Pacific Northwest’s cultural identity.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Edward MacDowell, His Work and Ideals

Edward MacDowell, His Work and Ideals

Elizabeth Fry Page

An intimate exploration of a celebrated tone-poet’s creative spirit, this volume blends biography with sensitive poetic interpretations to honor a life defined by nature, mysticism, and the pursuit of artistic excellence.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Medoline Selwyn's Work

Medoline Selwyn's Work

Colter, J. J., Mrs.

A young woman’s arrival in a new town sparks a quiet, transformative journey of faith, social discovery, and unexpected romance, proving that small acts of kindness can reshape the lives of both the giver and the recipient.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Punchinello, Volume 1, No. 06, May 7, 1870

Punchinello, Volume 1, No. 06, May 7, 1870

Various

This nineteenth-century periodical offers a sharp-witted, satirical window into the political scandals, social pretensions, and daily irritations of post-Civil War New York. It functions as a comedic mirror held up to the excesses of the Gilded Age.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Heart of the Rose

The Heart of the Rose

Mabel Anne McKee

A young man on the cusp of adulthood learns the heavy cost of casual flirtation through the gentle, urgent guidance of his protective older sister. This quiet moral narrative balances the innocence of youth against the sobering responsibilities of manhood.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The pennant

The pennant

Everett T. (Everett Titsworth) Tomlinson

HOOK A talented country boy finds his grit tested when an act of kindness launches him into the high-stakes world of elite prep school baseball.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of The Yale Literary Magazine (Vol. I, No. 3, April 1836)

The Yale Literary Magazine (Vol. I, No. 3, April 1836)

Various

This collection of student essays, poetry, and narratives provides a window into the intellectual ambitions and social habits of undergraduates in the early nineteenth century. It captures a specific moment of academic life where classical rigor meets the emerging, earnest voice of a new generation.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A Prevaricated Parade

A Prevaricated Parade

W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle

A Fourth of July celebration in the Old West descends into a chaos of rivalries, mistaken identities, and explosive misunderstandings. This comic tale captures the absurdity of small-town pride when frontier tempers collide with modern machinery.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A Spray of Kentucky Pine: Placed at the Feet of the Dead Poet James Whitcomb Riley

A Spray of Kentucky Pine: Placed at the Feet of the Dead Poet James Whitcomb Riley

Douglass Sherley

A heartfelt, unconventional tribute to an American icon, this work serves as both a public memorial for a beloved poet and a private celebration of the author’s mother. It captures the intersection of fame, personal friendship, and the enduring power of vernacular verse.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of An Old Woman's Tale: (From: "The Doliver Romance and Other Pieces: Tales and Sketches")

An Old Woman's Tale: (From: "The Doliver Romance and Other Pieces: Tales and Sketches")

Nathaniel Hawthorne

This atmospheric sketch explores the thin, porous veil between the waking world and the dreamscape, where local history and the restless spirits of the past converge in a quiet New England village.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Bib Ballads

Bib Ballads

Ring Lardner

A weary father navigates the messy, delightful, and exhausting rhythms of domestic life with a young son. Through light verse, he captures the small, universal dramas of raising a toddler at the turn of the twentieth century.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Christmas: A Story

Christmas: A Story

Zona Gale

This quiet, meditative narrative explores the intersection of individual isolation and the universal impulse toward community during the holiday season. It centers on the inhabitants of Old Trail Town as they struggle to reconcile their personal losses with the inherent demands of human connection.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Geoffrey Strong

Geoffrey Strong

Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

This is a tender portrait of a young physician’s arrival in a quiet village, where he finds his professional composure tested by the intricate, unspoken lives of two sisters and their niece.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Highland annals

Highland annals

Olive Tilford Dargan

This collection of sketches captures the rugged, vanishing life of a North Carolina mountain community through the eyes of a sympathetic outsider. It is a portrait of a place where humanity, for better or worse, remains stubbornly rooted in the soil.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Richard Carvel

Richard Carvel

Winston Churchill

The story follows a young Maryland colonial, Richard Carvel, as he navigates the treacherous intersections of high-society London, political revolution, and personal honor. It is a sweeping historical narrative centered on his maturation from an impulsive youth into a man of conscience and integrity.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of The quilt of happiness

The quilt of happiness

Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

The quiet, rural corners of New England come alive in these stories, where the smallest acts of kindness—a mended roof or a handmade quilt—carry the weight of a lifetime.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Triumph Of Night: 1916

The Triumph Of Night: 1916

Edith Wharton

A young secretary’s chance encounter with a charismatic stranger on a bitter winter night leads him into a web of unspoken malice and a haunting, fatal destiny he is powerless to avert.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A Transient Guest, and Other Episodes

A Transient Guest, and Other Episodes

Edgar Saltus

The sky is a suffocating indigo, and in the heat of the tropics, the most innocent gesture—a kiss, a letter, a gift—can become a fatal misstep.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Aftermath: Part second of "A Kentucky Cardinal"

Aftermath: Part second of "A Kentucky Cardinal"

James Lane Allen

HOOK A solitary gardener finds his quiet, nature-bound existence transformed by the arrival of love and the inevitable, maturing weight of human responsibility.

American Literature6 min read