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British Literature — page 123

5,898 public-domain british literature books, summarised. Page 123 of 123.

Cover of The Twickenham Peerage

The Twickenham Peerage

Richard Marsh

When a notorious long-lost peer is supposedly found, a web of imposture, financial scheming, and unexpected domestic devotion reshapes high and low London society.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The White Virgin

The White Virgin

George Manville Fenn

A young engineer, a secretive soldier's daughter, and an unprincipled brother collide in a mountain dale where hidden lead veins match the explosive, volatile passions underground.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, July 20, 1895

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, July 20, 1895

Various

A satirical window into late-Victorian society, this issue of the classic magazine captures a culture locked in rapid transition.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, March 12, 1919

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, March 12, 1919

Various

This collection of wit and commentary captures the singular, weary, and eccentric atmosphere of London in the spring of 1919, as a society attempts to laugh while navigating the strange, lingering debris of the Great War.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Splendid Folly

The Splendid Folly

Margaret Pedler

A young singer's meteoric rise to fame is shadowed by a mysterious husband, a web of political secrets, and the difficult choice between a grand career and a consuming love.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Thorogood Family

The Thorogood Family

R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne

A sturdy blacksmith and his five sons pursue their distinct, adventurous callings with a shared commitment to faith, eventually reuniting across the Atlantic to build a new life in the rugged wilderness.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Are these Things So? (1740) The Great Man's Answer to Are These things So: (1740)

Are these Things So? (1740) The Great Man's Answer to Are These things So: (1740)

James Miller

These sharp, biting satires capture the frantic political climate of 1740, as a masked poet confronts a powerful minister over the fate of a nation teetering toward war and corruption.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Miss Hildreth: A Novel, Volume 1

Miss Hildreth: A Novel, Volume 1

Augusta de Grasse Stevens

A decade of secrets and silent resentment separates two former lovers who must now confront their unresolved past amidst the stifling social rituals of high society. Pride and pride alone stands between them and the reconciliation they both secretly crave.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, June 14, 1916

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, June 14, 1916

Various

A weekly snapshot of British life in 1916, capturing the absurdity of the home front alongside the somber weight of the Great War.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Maid and the Magpie: An Interesting Tale Founded on Facts

The Maid and the Magpie: An Interesting Tale Founded on Facts

Charles Moreton

The Maid and the Magpie is a cautionary verse tale illustrating how easily silence and circumstance can condemn the innocent. It serves as a reminder that the truth often hides in plain sight, waiting for a chance discovery.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Romantic Scottish Ballads: Their Epoch and Authorship

The Romantic Scottish Ballads: Their Epoch and Authorship

Robert Chambers

A provocative inquiry into the origins of Scotland’s most beloved ballads, challenging the long-held belief that these haunting verses are ancient relics of the medieval minstrel tradition.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 3 (of 3)

The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 3 (of 3)

Richard Dowling

This psychological thriller tracks a banker’s slow, agonizing descent into madness as he attempts to conceal a massive financial betrayal. It is a portrait of a man haunted by the literal and figurative ghosts of his own greed.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of A Romance of Wastdale

A Romance of Wastdale

A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason

When an idealist discovers his fiancée’s past love affair, a solitary walk through the English Lake District becomes a descent into obsession, betrayal, and violence.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Margaret Capel: A Novel, vol. 3 of 3

Margaret Capel: A Novel, vol. 3 of 3

Ellen Wallace

A quiet, deeply felt recovery from heartache, this narrative follows a young woman’s journey from the shadows of a misunderstood past toward an eventual, hard-won peace. It captures the subtle, often painful, ways that pride and silence can keep even the most devoted hearts apart.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Prize Money: Sailor's Knots, Part 10

Prize Money: Sailor's Knots, Part 10

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

A scheming cottager dupes his village neighbors twice over in a hilarious game of wits spun inside an English country pub.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, Jubilee Issue, July 18, 1891

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, Jubilee Issue, July 18, 1891

Various

A fifty-year retrospective celebrates a iconic British magazine’s survival, chronicling the satirical victories, political battles, and artistic triumphs that defined a Victorian publishing phenomenon.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, Jan. 15, 1919

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, Jan. 15, 1919

Various

The end of the First World War brings a sudden rush of relief and absurdity to London's streets and military dugouts.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Rank and Talent

Rank and Talent

William Pitt Scargill

The contrast between hollow social standing and genuine capability drives this exploration of manners and vanity in early 19th-century London. It is a sharp, observant portrait of a society obsessed with appearances.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Call of the Town: A Tale of Literary Life

The Call of the Town: A Tale of Literary Life

J. A. (John Alexander) Hammerton

The path from a quiet village to the bustling newsrooms of London is paved with broken illusions and the hard lessons of professional ambition. This story traces a young man's journey into the heart of literary life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Sign of the Stranger

The Sign of the Stranger

William Le Queux

HOOK A mysterious stranger’s arrival at a quiet village inn triggers a chain of lethal secrets, binding an unassuming narrator to the fate of a woman he desperately loves.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The three sisters [Night watches, Part 6.]

The three sisters [Night watches, Part 6.]

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

A dying woman vows to return from the grave to claim her sisters, unleashing a dark tide of avarice, terrifying spectral visitations, and mortal terror.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Works of George Meredith: A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Editions

The Works of George Meredith: A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Editions

George Meredith

A comprehensive treasury of Victorian ambition and intellectual wit, these collected works map the human comedy through nuanced character studies, sharp social satire, and the enduring tension between rigid tradition and the restless spirit.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Cruel Barbara Allen: From Coals Of Fire And Other Stories, Volume II. (of III.)

Cruel Barbara Allen: From Coals Of Fire And Other Stories, Volume II. (of III.)

David Christie Murray

A gifted musician’s desperate hunt for fame in London leads to a feverish misunderstanding, testing the boundaries of his artistic pride and the depth of his devotion to the girl he left behind.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Mrs. Dorriman: A Novel. Volume 3 of 3

Mrs. Dorriman: A Novel. Volume 3 of 3

Chetwynd, Henry Wayland, Mrs.

This introspective Victorian drama follows a web of sisters and dependents navigating the wreckage of past secrets and the crushing weight of social expectation. It is a quiet study of how guilt, illness, and the elusive nature of happiness shape domestic life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, January 12th, 1895

Punch, or the London Charivari, January 12th, 1895

Various

This collection captures the sharp, satirical pulse of late Victorian London, offering a witty, often irreverent window into the anxieties and absurdities of a world on the brink of a new century.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98, May 3, 1890

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98, May 3, 1890

Various

A satirical portrait of Victorian life, this collection gathers the biting wit, political barbs, and theatrical lampoons of a nation caught between its imperial grandiosity and the absurdity of its own social conventions.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, Or The London Charivari, Volume 102, April 2, 1892

Punch, Or The London Charivari, Volume 102, April 2, 1892

Various

A vibrant, satirical mosaic of Victorian London, capturing the eccentricities of Parliament, the frustrations of early telephone technology, and the fleeting joy of a disastrous day spent salmon fishing.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, January 29, 1919

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, January 29, 1919

Various

A nation emerging from four years of war finds itself suspended between relief and absurdity, where global peace conferences share page space with the exasperating bureaucracy of military demobilization.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of A Season at Harrogate: In a Series of Poetical Epistles, from Benjamin Blunderhead, Esquire, to His Mother, in Derbyshire. With Useful and Copious Notes, Descriptive of the Objects Most Worthy of Attention in the Vicinity of Harrogate

A Season at Harrogate: In a Series of Poetical Epistles, from Benjamin Blunderhead, Esquire, to His Mother, in Derbyshire. With Useful and Copious Notes, Descriptive of the Objects Most Worthy of Attention in the Vicinity of Harrogate

Mrs. (Barbara) Hofland

A young gentleman’s playful, rhyming letters capture the social whirl, picturesque sights, and romantic entanglements of a season spent at the Harrogate mineral springs.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Harold : the Last of the Saxon Kings

Harold : the Last of the Saxon Kings

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

The weight of a crown hangs upon the breaking of a vow, trapping a noble leader between his loyalty to his people and the cold, encroaching machinery of a rival’s ambition.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Punch, Or The London Charivari, Volume 102, July 2, 1892

Punch, Or The London Charivari, Volume 102, July 2, 1892

Various

This collection captures the volatile pulse of Victorian London, blending sharp political satire with the absurdities of daily life as the 1892 general election looms on the horizon.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, September 27, 1890

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, September 27, 1890

Various

This collection of Victorian wit and satire offers a sharp, wry glimpse into the social anxieties, political posturing, and bureaucratic absurdities of late 19th-century London life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Head of the Family: Sailor's Knots, Part 9

The Head of the Family: Sailor's Knots, Part 9

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

A discharged sailor poses as a grieving mother’s long-lost son to thwart a tyrannical stepfather, only to fall for his fake sister and claim the household by marriage.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 393, October 10, 1829

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 393, October 10, 1829

Various

This collection offers a vibrant glimpse into the intellectual curiosities, local traditions, and literary passions of early nineteenth-century British life. It serves as a time capsule of an era’s common interests.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Story of Charles Strange: A Novel. Vol. 3 (of 3)

The Story of Charles Strange: A Novel. Vol. 3 (of 3)

Wood, Henry, Mrs.

A disgraced runaway on the brink of capture, a young lawyer burdened with family secrets, and a wife driven mad by suspicion collide in the dramatic conclusion to Mrs. Henry Wood's Victorian trilogy.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Captain Rogers: The Lady of the Barge and Others, Part 7

Captain Rogers: The Lady of the Barge and Others, Part 7

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

The old stone bridge at Riverstone leads into a quiet town, but for one man, it serves as the gateway to a long-deferred reckoning. A fragile peace is shattered when the past, embodied by a ragged, menacing intruder, arrives to claim the spoils of an old, dark secret.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Diana of the Crossways

Diana of the Crossways

George Meredith

A brilliant, mercurial woman navigates the treacherous social landscape of Victorian England, striving to maintain her independence while battling the constraints of a stifling marriage and the weight of public scandal.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Quotes and Images From The Confessions of Harry Lorrequer

Quotes and Images From The Confessions of Harry Lorrequer

Charles Lever

A restless soldier navigates the absurdities of nineteenth-century military and social life, where an appetite for romance and wine consistently leads him into ridiculous predicaments. This picaresque adventure captures the wit and folly of a young man determined to charm his way through Ireland and beyond.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Methodist

The Methodist

Evan Lloyd

When religious enthusiasm masks human frailty, satire emerges to expose how easily noble ideals curdle into hypocrisy, chaos, and self-serving deceit across a changing society.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Admiral Peters: Odd Craft, Part 14

Admiral Peters: Odd Craft, Part 14

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

A quiet naval pensioner finds his peaceful retirement shattered when an old acquaintance arrives, forcing him into a web of elaborate lies that quickly spiral out of control.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, July 11, 1917

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, July 11, 1917

Various

A satirical snapshot of a war-weary empire, this week’s issue captures the absurdity, grief, and domestic strain of Britain in the summer of 1917.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The unknown [Night watches, Part 7.]

The unknown [Night watches, Part 7.]

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

The night-watchman’s attempt to orchestrate a lesson in humility for a domineering wife backfires, ensnaring his own domestic life in a web of absurd jealousy and misplaced gallantry.

British Literature6 min read