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British Literature — page 128

6,377 public-domain british literature books, summarised. Page 128 of 133.

Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 93. August 6, 1887

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 93. August 6, 1887

Various

This snapshot of late-Victorian public life captures the peculiar mix of high-stakes parliamentary drama and whimsical, nonsensical humor that defined the era’s most famous satirical periodical.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, September 13, 1890

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, September 13, 1890

Various

This collection of late Victorian wit offers a sharp, satirical window into the cultural anxieties, political posturing, and social manners of 1890s England. It serves as an entertaining, often biting, record of a society grappling with the friction between tradition and a rapidly changing modern world.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Amazing Marriage

The Amazing Marriage

George Meredith

The marriage of a mountain-born bride to a wealthy, mercurial peer becomes a public spectacle, as the couple’s inability to reconcile their disparate natures turns their private life into a tragedy of pride and public gossip.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Case of General Ople and Lady Camper

The Case of General Ople and Lady Camper

George Meredith

A retired, vanity-prone soldier finds his peaceful suburban life besieged by a witty neighbor who weaponizes caricature to dismantle his delusions of grandeur.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Last of the Barons

The Last of the Barons

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

HOOK A titan of the medieval battlefield struggles to navigate a shifting political landscape where the sharp edge of a sword no longer outweighs the whispers of a royal court.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel

The Ordeal of Richard Feverel

George Meredith

The high-minded dreams of a father collide with the burning, impulsive heart of his son, sparking a collision between rigid philosophy and the messy, inescapable reality of human desire.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The True Life of Betty Ireland: With Her Birth, Education, and Adventures. Together with Some Account of Her Elder Sister Blanch of Britain. Containing Sundry Very Curious Particulars

The True Life of Betty Ireland: With Her Birth, Education, and Adventures. Together with Some Account of Her Elder Sister Blanch of Britain. Containing Sundry Very Curious Particulars

Anonymous

A satirical allegory, this narrative traces the turbulent relationship between two sisters, Betty Ireland and Blanch of Britain, whose fractured bond reflects the complex, often fraught history of their respective lands.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of This House to Let

This House to Let

William Le Queux

The quiet streets of post-war Kensington conceal a desperate game of identity, where a vacant house serves as the stage for a haunting, cycle-breaking tragedy.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of What Will He Do with It?

What Will He Do with It?

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

A man of iron pride and a mysterious, orphaned girl find their paths inextricably linked as they navigate the shadows of past secrets and the potential for a new, shared future.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Little Pilgrim in the Unseen

A Little Pilgrim in the Unseen

Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

A gentle soul finds that passing from life is not an end, but a quiet, unfolding transition into a state of profound clarity and service. This narrative offers a tender meditation on the mystery of what awaits beyond the threshold of death.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Charity's birthday text

Charity's birthday text

Agnes Giberne

On her tenth birthday, a young London girl receives an illuminated text that becomes her silent anchor when sudden tragedy uproots her life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of First Love: A Novel. Vol. 1 of 3

First Love: A Novel. Vol. 1 of 3

Mrs. (Margracia) Loudon

A brutal act of cruelty on the Lakeland road turns a rescued beggar boy into an officer whose unknown origins threaten his passion for the woman who raised him.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Harold : the Last of the Saxon Kings

Harold : the Last of the Saxon Kings

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

In the shadow of a dying king, a nation braces for a clash of empires that will determine the fate of England and the final act of an ancient royal line.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Letters to His Son, 1759-65: On the Fine Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman

Letters to His Son, 1759-65: On the Fine Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman

Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of

A seasoned statesman offers his son a masterclass in diplomacy, manners, and the relentless cultivation of the self. These dispatches reveal the private, meticulous schooling of a young man navigating the complex corridors of eighteenth-century European power.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Lucretia

Lucretia

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

A calculating young woman and a dark, manipulative tutor navigate the treacherous waters of greed and inheritance, proving that the most dangerous monsters are those created by the expectations of the high-born.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of On both sides of the sea

On both sides of the sea

Elizabeth Rundle Charles

The shadow of the executioner’s axe and the dawn of a new, uncertain world frame a chronicle of families torn apart by the convictions of the English Civil War.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105, August 26th 1893

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105, August 26th 1893

Various

A Victorian periodical opens like a window onto a world obsessed with its own absurdities, where high-society scandals, political posturing, and suburban anxieties are continuously parodied.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, September 21, 1895

Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, September 21, 1895

Various

A boy stands near a seaside cab-stand, clutching a newly purchased walking-stick with a costly handle. Behind him, a pair of buskers in dark spectacles bellow music-hall tunes to the local vacationers, while further down the coast, a retired naval officer fusses over steamer schedules and rowdy passenger choirs.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, December 11, 1841

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, December 11, 1841

Various

This collection captures the frantic, biting, and fiercely observant energy of early Victorian London, serving as both a time capsule of 1841 and a prototype for modern satirical journalism. It is a work of restless wit that refuses to take any authority—or any citizen—entirely seriously.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 103, September 24, 1892

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 103, September 24, 1892

Various

A quintessential snapshot of late-Victorian British life, capturing the era’s peculiar blend of political satire, medical eccentricities, and the relentless, witty commentary of the London social scene.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, October 18, 1890

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, October 18, 1890

Various

This collection captures the sharp, satirical pulse of late-Victorian London, where the trivial and the monumental collide in wit, verse, and social commentary.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Signelil, A Tale from the Cornish, and Other Ballads

Signelil, A Tale from the Cornish, and Other Ballads

George Borrow

These ballads weave ancient, rhythmic narratives of love, betrayal, and spectral justice into a collection that echoes the stark, enduring cadence of folklore.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Amazing Marriage

The Amazing Marriage

George Meredith

A woman of fierce, unyielding character navigates the wreckage of a disastrous marriage while struggling to protect her child from a nobleman who treats human beings like tactical pieces on a board.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Caxtons: A Family Picture

The Caxtons: A Family Picture

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

The path of a young man’s life is rarely a straight line, but often a series of lessons learned in the shadows of family secrets and the pursuit of individual purpose. Ambition, when untempered by wisdom, can easily drift into the territory of ruin.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Tommy Wideawake

Tommy Wideawake

Bashford, H. H. (Henry Howarth), Sir

A energetic thirteen-year-old boy, entrusted to four middle-aged bachelor friends in rural England, gently disrupts their stagnant routines with catapults, river swims, and raw, youthful vitality.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of A lyttel booke of nonsense

A lyttel booke of nonsense

Randall Davies

An eccentric gathering of restless travelers, absent-minded grandfathers, and peculiar animals stumbles through absurd mishaps, awkward social calls, and domestic confusions across various towns and distant shores.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Strange Story

A Strange Story

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

A chilling and mysterious encounter forces a rational physician to question where the boundaries of science end and the supernatural begin.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 111, Vol. III, February 13, 1886

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 111, Vol. III, February 13, 1886

Various

Time shrinks everything we thought was vast, leaving us to navigate the bittersweet realization that the golden age of childhood was never quite as perfect as we remember.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Chambers's journal of popular literature, science, and art, fifth series, No. 116, Vol. III, March 20, 1886

Chambers's journal of popular literature, science, and art, fifth series, No. 116, Vol. III, March 20, 1886

Various

Guarding Her Majesty’s Tower by night or marveling at Persian turquoise mines, these diverse Victorian vignettes capture the curiosity and craftsmanship of a bygone era.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 744, March 30, 1878

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 744, March 30, 1878

Various

A stifling afternoon in the Straits of Malacca gives way to coastal perils, London boarding-houses, nocturnal park trysts, and pioneering scientific notes on early phonographs and solar photography.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Married or single?, Vol. 3 (of 3)

Married or single?, Vol. 3 (of 3)

B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker

A glittering London ball, a hidden midnight telegram, and a secret marriage collide when a society darling's double life shatters against the raw, unforgiving stone of maternal grief.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Poems of the Great War: Published on the Behalf of the Prince of Wales's National Relief Fund

Poems of the Great War: Published on the Behalf of the Prince of Wales's National Relief Fund

Various

This collection of verse, gathered in the autumn of 1914, captures the initial, fervent pulse of a nation transitioning from peace to total war. It stands as a vital historical artifact of the era’s immediate emotional and moral landscape.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105 September 23, 1893

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105 September 23, 1893

Various

An autumn afternoon in Victorian London yields a kaleidoscope of political satire, stage comedy, and wry observational humor.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, June 21st, 1916

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, June 21st, 1916

Various

Amid the shadow of World War I, sharp observational satire turns domestic absurdities, political pomposity, and military propaganda into an exercise in national resilience.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, November 28, 1917

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, November 28, 1917

Various

During the grimmest days of the First World War, an iconic British periodical serves up satire, domestic comedy, and quiet observational humor to keep home-front morale intact.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari. Volume 93. August 27, 1887

Punch, or the London Charivari. Volume 93. August 27, 1887

Various

HOOK This collection captures the frantic, biting pulse of Victorian London, where political satire, social commentary, and absurd fiction collide in a weekly rhythm of wit.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 93, July 9, 1887

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 93, July 9, 1887

Various

A satirical weekly chronicle navigates the political tempests, operatic novelties, and scorching summer weather of Victorian London during the Jubilee year.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Disowned

The Disowned

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron

A young man cast off by his tyrannical father must navigate the glittering vanity and social squalls of Georgian England to forge his own fortune, honor, and destiny.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Book of Old Ballads

A Book of Old Ballads

Unknown

These timeless verses capture the raw ache of lost love, the thrill of daring escapes, and the quiet dignity of those who find redemption in the most unexpected corners of human experience.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Mock Idyl

A Mock Idyl

Percy Ross

When a sea captain and a schoolmaster conspire to navigate the treacherous waters of Devonshire romance, their devotion to one another proves far sturdier than their erratic schemes for winning the local admiral's nieces.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Brown William, The Power of the Harp, and Other Ballads

Brown William, The Power of the Harp, and Other Ballads

George Borrow

An epic ballad of political betrayal and divine retribution reveals the darker currents of Manx history alongside tales of tragic brides and fierce celestial magic.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Double Dealing: Sailor's Knots, Part 11

Double Dealing: Sailor's Knots, Part 11

W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs

A chance resemblance leads a vacationing stranger into a bizarre trap, where he must navigate a web of staged debts and familial expectations to escape a case of mistaken identity.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Next year

Next year

Harry Pick

A massive emigration of two thousand Britons journeys across the Atlantic and into the Canadian Northwest to carve out new homes on the raw Saskatchewan frontier.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of One of Our Conquerors

One of Our Conquerors

George Meredith

Caught between social convention and an irregular marriage, an ambitious man builds a grand estate while his secret life slowly unravels beneath the weight of Victorian propriety.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, October 19 1895

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, October 19 1895

Various

A satirical snapshot of late-Victorian British life, this volume captures the anxieties, absurdities, and eccentricities of 1895 through biting wit, theatrical court reports, and verse.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, February 16, 1916

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, February 16, 1916

Various

Amid wartime rations, Zeppelin scares, and diplomatic friction, a London satirical weekly lampoons society, chronicles frontline absurdities, and reviews the cultural landscape of 1916 Britain.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 103, September 10, 1892

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 103, September 10, 1892

Various

The wit of late Victorian London lives on in these pages, capturing the restless, satirical spirit of a world obsessed with news cycles, social decorum, and the absurdities of daily life. This collection serves as a vibrant, multifaceted mirror of a bygone era.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 150, May 24, 1916

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 150, May 24, 1916

Various

A satirical chronicle of a nation at war, this collection of wit, verse, and commentary captures the stoicism and sharp-edged absurdity of life in Britain during the spring of 1916.

British Literature6 min read