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British Literature — page 100

5,719 public-domain british literature books, summarised. Page 100 of 120.

Cover of The Star-Gazers

The Star-Gazers

George Manville Fenn

The lives of two families intertwine in a quiet English countryside, where hidden pasts and unspoken social tensions collide under the watchful eyes of the local inhabitants.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Story of a Dewdrop

The Story of a Dewdrop

John R. (John Ross) Macduff

A tiny drop resting on a rose-leaf reveals its true origin to three forest birds, showing how earthly grief turns into heavenly beauty.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Little Pilgrim: Stories of the Seen and the Unseen

A Little Pilgrim: Stories of the Seen and the Unseen

Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

Waking quietly after a peaceful passing, a gentle soul finds herself in a sunlit realm where death is merely a doorway and eternity is filled with familiar, welcoming faces.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Marriage in High Life, Volume I

A Marriage in High Life, Volume I

Lady (Caroline Lucy) Scott

A young woman's struggle in a loveless marriage within the confines of high society.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Son of Ishmael: A Novel

A Son of Ishmael: A Novel

L. T. Meade

On his deathbed, a bitter doctor extracts a grim vow from his daughter to avenge her brother's murder, setting off a perilous collision between high society and a ruthless gang of burglars.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Captains of souls

Captains of souls

Edgar Wallace

Beneath the polished surface of high society and dark London alleyways, a terrifying web of blackmail, financial ruin, and a dead man walking unravels.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 720, October 13, 1877

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 720, October 13, 1877

Various

Step back into late-Victorian Britain through this fascinating periodical issue, where serialized drama, scientific inquiry, and social commentary vividly intertwine.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Feudal tyrants

Feudal tyrants

Benedikte Naubert

Amid feudal shadows and alpine solitudes, a tangle of secret vows, misguided passions, and long-buried wrongs gives way to eventual grace.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Honor Edgeworth

Honor Edgeworth

Vera

An ambitious young woman navigates the intricate social machinery of late nineteenth-century Ottawa society, balancing quiet inner depths with the pressures of romance, ambition, and class expectation.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Louie's married life

Louie's married life

Sarah Doudney

An unexpected inheritance and a jealous rival threaten a young bride’s devotion as she navigates poverty and misunderstanding in late-Victorian London.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Magic London

Magic London

Netta Syrett

An elderly godmother transforms a skeptical girl's view of the capital by whisking her through centuries of living history, turning ordinary streets into a magical city.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Nancy of Paradise Cottage

Nancy of Paradise Cottage

Shirley Watkins

Nancy Prescott, a spirited and intellectually ambitious young woman, navigates the social and financial anxieties of early 20th-century life while balancing the needs of her impractical mother and her beautiful, status-seeking sister, Alma. When their mother’s poor financial decisions threaten their future, Nancy…

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Poems

Poems

Robert Bridges

Walking beside familiar rural streams and watching silent winter snows blanket a sleepy city, a quiet voice searches the depths of memory, nature, and human attachment for enduring solace.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 93, November 19, 1887

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 93, November 19, 1887

Various

A biting, rain-soaked snapshot of late-Victorian political maneuvering, urban anxiety, and satirical wit from the pages of a quintessential weekly magazine.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, Or the London Charivari, Volume 148, January 6th, 1915

Punch, Or the London Charivari, Volume 148, January 6th, 1915

Various

Published amidst the opening months of the First World War, this satirical periodical captures the anxious yet resolutely humorous British spirit through verse, theatrical commentary, and home-front sketches.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The coming

The coming

J. C. (John Collis) Snaith

Amid the spiritual crisis of the First World War, a gentle outsider arrives in an English village, bringing a radical message of peace that clashes with a fractured world.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 994, January 14, 1899

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 994, January 14, 1899

Various

The magazine opens windows onto late-Victorian life, capturing the quiet struggles, legal puzzles, and artistic pursuits of turn-of-the-century women and detainees.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The rat-trap

The rat-trap

Dolf Wyllarde

On a stifling colonial island where duty and desire collide, a young bride learns that her husband's weakness invites a ruthless administrator into the very center of her life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A King, and No King

A King, and No King

John Fletcher

A volatile monarch discovers that his absolute power is a hollow illusion, masking a terrifying secret about his own identity. This gripping drama explores the dangerous intersection of unchecked passion and royal authority.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of At Sunwich Port, Part 2.: Contents: Chapters 6-10

At Sunwich Port, Part 2.: Contents: Chapters 6-10

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

In a quiet English coastal town, a long-standing feud between two stubborn captains ignites a series of comical maneuvers, as their children navigate romance, social awkwardness, and the weight of their fathers' pride.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Christmas Penny Readings: Original Sketches for the Season

Christmas Penny Readings: Original Sketches for the Season

George Manville Fenn

A collection of Victorian hearthside tales offers a vibrant tapestry of mid-century London life, blending seasonal hardship, whimsical misadventures, and heartwarming redemption.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Harebell's friend

Harebell's friend

Amy Le Feuvre

A lonely orphan struggles to find belonging in her new home, eventually discovering that the path to love is paved by persistent, quiet kindness toward the broken people around her.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Her Ladyship's Elephant

Her Ladyship's Elephant

David Dwight Wells

When a misplaced wedding journey collides with a stray circus elephant, two bewildered Englishmen and their American brides find themselves caught in a cascade of diplomatic and domestic chaos.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Katherine Lauderdale

Katherine Lauderdale

F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford

A secret marriage among the New York elite sparks a sudden public scandal, testing whether young love can survive family tyranny and unfounded disgrace.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Lambkin's Remains

Lambkin's Remains

Hilaire Belloc

This satire captures the insular, self-important world of an Oxford don through the lens of a sycophantic, equally delusional editor. It serves as a sharp, comedic excavation of academic pretension and the absurdities of the English class system.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Miss Cheyne of Essilmont, Volume 2 (of 3)

Miss Cheyne of Essilmont, Volume 2 (of 3)

James Grant

A high-stakes pursuit through the streets of Antwerp and the jungles of Africa, where honor and inheritance collide in a Victorian-era race against time.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Miss Merivale's Mistake

Miss Merivale's Mistake

Clarke, Henry, Mrs.

The secret of a lost inheritance and a hidden family identity unravels within the walls of a quiet country estate, challenging the rigid social pretensions of a young woman’s elite ambitions.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Old comrades

Old comrades

Agnes Giberne

A retired colonel, isolated and struggling with debt, finds his world transformed when an estranged army comrade intervenes, leading his daughter into a life-changing web of family connections and unexpected romance.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts: A Book of Stories

Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts: A Book of Stories

Arthur Quiller-Couch

These are stories of the lingering past, where the dead and the broken-hearted revisit the scenes of their lives to settle debts, seek penance, or simply witness a final, flickering moment of clarity.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 104, May 13, 1893

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 104, May 13, 1893

Various

A glimpse into the Victorian mind, this collection of satirical wit, parliamentary commentary, and light verse serves as a lively mirror to the anxieties and absurdities of an empire in flux.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105, October 14th 1893

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105, October 14th 1893

Various

A brilliant, biting Victorian snapshot of a society wrestling with modernization, labor strikes, and social absurdities.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, October 26, 1895

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, October 26, 1895

Various

Amidst the shifting anxieties and cultural absurdities of late-Victorian London, a weekly chronicle captures the nation's changing moods through biting satire, theatrical critiques, and whimsical sketches of daily life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Carbonels

The Carbonels

Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge

In 1822 rural England, Captain Carbonel and his family try to bring education and order to an unyielding village, sparking resistance, riots, and lasting transformation.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Convict Ship, Volume 1 (of 3)

The Convict Ship, Volume 1 (of 3)

William Clark Russell

HOOK A woman risks everything to follow the man she loves, who has been wrongly accused of a crime and transported on a prison ship to the colonies.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The day's journey

The day's journey

Netta Syrett

HOOK Marriage is a long, winding road that rarely leads where the travelers expected. This story traces the quiet collapse and eventual, scarred reconciliation of a couple facing the inevitable disillusionment of their shared life.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Evil Shepherd

The Evil Shepherd

E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim

He saved a murderer from the gallows only to discover the man was guilty; now, a brilliant London barrister finds himself dragged into a dark world of mysterious deaths, hidden grudges, and a enigmatic host who manipulates human souls.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 1016, June 17, 1899

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 1016, June 17, 1899

Various

A turn-of-the-century window into girlhood, blending serialized romance, practical self-improvement, botanical notes, and earnest editorial counsel.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 1020, July 15, 1899

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 1020, July 15, 1899

Various

The nineteenth-century weekly magazine offers a window into the moral, domestic, and intellectual life expected of young women in 1899. Readers are invited to find refinement and instruction within these pages, which blend sentimental fiction, horticultural advice, and rigorous self-improvement.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The House on the Moor, v. 2/3

The House on the Moor, v. 2/3

Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

A proud young man loses his inheritance, a retired officer finds new life in Scotland, and a reclusive father keeps a dark secret hidden within a desolate moorland home.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Last of the Barons

The Last of the Barons

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

Amid the turbulent rivalries of the Wars of the Roses, a dedicated scholar labors in secret on a wondrous invention while court intrigue and royal peril close in.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Rainbow Feather

The Rainbow Feather

Fergus Hume

A young woman’s murder in a quiet English village entangles the lives of her neighbors, revealing secrets that threaten to destroy the innocent and the guilty alike.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Three Brothers

The Three Brothers

Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

Life is a long apprenticeship, often served in the shadow of those who came before us. This narrative explores what happens when the structures of family, wealth, and expectation suddenly dissolve, leaving the next generation to build from scratch.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Twins: A Domestic Novel

The Twins: A Domestic Novel

Martin Farquhar Tupper

This domestic tale explores the heavy toll of family secrets and the sharp moral divide between two brothers, set against the backdrop of a quiet English watering place. It is a cautionary, earnest work that weighs the consequences of hidden truths and the redemptive power of faith.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Bill of Divorcement: A Play in Three Acts

A Bill of Divorcement: A Play in Three Acts

Clemence Dane

This play explores the collision between individual freedom and the heavy, invisible debts of familial love, set against the backdrop of a changing legal and social landscape.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Minor Poet, and Other Verse

A Minor Poet, and Other Verse

Amy Levy

This collection of poetry captures the sharp, unvarnished pulse of late-Victorian melancholy, offering a piercing look at the struggle between the hunger for human connection and the weight of an indifferent world. It is a work of intellectual honesty, mapping the landscape of a soul that finds beauty in sorrow and…

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Fiander's Widow: A Novel

Fiander's Widow: A Novel

M. E. Francis

The independent widow of a Dorset farm finds that managing her own estate is a battle against both societal expectations and the unwanted persistence of local suitors. She discovers that even in a quiet corner of England, a woman’s autonomy is a prize constantly under siege.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Graham's Magazine, Vol. XIX, No. 4, October 1841

Graham's Magazine, Vol. XIX, No. 4, October 1841

Various

This collection serves as a vibrant time capsule of American literary life, blending serialized fiction, historical lore, and social commentary from the mid-nineteenth century. It offers a window into the diverse tastes of a pre-Civil War audience.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of He that will not when he may

He that will not when he may

Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

The sudden arrival of a mysterious stranger shatters the settled peace of a prominent family, forcing them to confront the fragility of their inheritance and the hidden history of a patriarch.

British Literature5 min read