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British Literature — page 37

6,377 public-domain british literature books, summarised. Page 37 of 133.

Cover of The Poetical Works of Addison

The Poetical Works of Addison

John Gay

A collection of classical translations, courtly panegyrics, instructive fables, and sporting verse captures the changing literary appetites of eighteenth-century Britain.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Politeness of Princes, and Other School Stories

The Politeness of Princes, and Other School Stories

P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

Schoolboy schemes, late-breakfast dodges, and pitch-level cricket battles collide in an early window onto P. G. Wodehouse's comedic genius.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Queen Who Flew: A Fairy Tale

The Queen Who Flew: A Fairy Tale

Ford Madox Ford

A young queen escapes the cage of her cold, political realm on magical wings, choosing the quiet warmth of a humble life over the weight of a crown.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Red Year: A Story of the Indian Mutiny

The Red Year: A Story of the Indian Mutiny

Louis Tracy

Across the dust and fury of the Sepoy Mutiny, two lovers navigate a shattered empire of bloody sieges, daring disguises, and treacherous court intrigues.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Under the Hill, and Other Essays in Prose and Verse

Under the Hill, and Other Essays in Prose and Verse

Aubrey Beardsley

A singular collection of literary and visual fragments, this volume illuminates the brief, incandescent career of an artist whose wit and aesthetic precision defined the decadent spirit of the late nineteenth century.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Deadham Hard: A Romance

Deadham Hard: A Romance

Lucas Malet

In a sleepy English coastal village, a young woman discovers a secret about her father's past that dismantles her innocence and alters her future.

British Literature8 min read
Cover of Dear Brutus

Dear Brutus

J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie

A moonlit garden on Midsummer Eve becomes the playground for a mysterious host who grants a group of discontented houseguests their deepest wish: a second chance at life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Diary of a Pilgrimage

Diary of a Pilgrimage

Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome

Travelling across Victorian Europe to view a sacred spectacle yields a surprisingly modern travelogue filled with luggage misadventures, baffling language barrier mix-ups, and sudden moments of genuine reverence.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of St. Bernard's: The Romance of a Medical Student

St. Bernard's: The Romance of a Medical Student

Edward Berdoe

Behind the grand facade of Victorian charity lies a chilling reality: public hospitals where impoverished patients are treated as mere disposable material for medical experimentation.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of St. Leon: A Tale of the Sixteenth Century

St. Leon: A Tale of the Sixteenth Century

William Godwin

A French nobleman sacrifices his family and peace of mind when he accepts the double-edged gift of the philosopher’s stone and eternal youth from a dying stranger.

British Literature9 min read
Cover of The Athelings

The Athelings

Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

Three siblings in a modest 19th-century London suburb navigate unexpected fame, mysterious aristocrats, and a life-changing inheritance case that tests their loyalties, romantic devotion, and family bonds.

British Literature8 min read
Cover of The Heavenly Twins

The Heavenly Twins

Sarah Grand

Her rebellious mind was shaped by books her parents never thought to supervise, but her heart was broken by the quiet, accepted corruptions of the men her world insisted she must honor.

British Literature10 min read
Cover of The Point Of Honor: A Military Tale

The Point Of Honor: A Military Tale

Joseph Conrad

Driven by an absurd, unyielding grudge, two French officers pursue a private duel across two decades of the Napoleonic Wars. They fight between grand battles, through ice and dust, transforming a trivial insult into a lifelong obsession.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Surgeon's Daughter

The Surgeon's Daughter

Walter Scott

A young Scottish surgeon travels from the quiet streets of his village to the dangerous, gilded courts of India in search of the woman he loves, battling treachery and betrayal to save her from a horrifying fate.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of The Two Gentlemen of Verona

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

William Shakespeare

Two lifelong friends venture out into the world only to find their devotion fractured by the sudden spell of love, betrayal, and disguise.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Beaumont and Fletcher's Works, Vol. 06 of 10

Beaumont and Fletcher's Works, Vol. 06 of 10

John Fletcher

A vibrant collection of Jacobean dramatic works ranges from high-stakes royal tragedies and heroic ancient wars to meta-theatrical comedies and tale of far-flung romantic intrigue.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Niece Catherine

Niece Catherine

Mary Hampden

When an orphan's integrity collides with her wealthy family's long-standing feud, love and plain dealing prove far more persuasive than gold.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Popular British Ballads, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 1 (of 4)

Popular British Ballads, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 1 (of 4)

Unknown

These traditional verses pull readers straight into a visceral landscape of fierce loyalties, bloody betrayals, tragic romances, and supernatural horrors.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 2

A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 2

Unknown

A woman hides in a labyrinthine home during an invasion, only to face a far more intimate and devastating form of violence from her defender.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Demos

Demos

George Gissing

A sudden industrial fortune turns a working-class reformer into an ironmaster, setting public ideals on a collision course with personal integrity, social ambition, and the unyielding realities of class in Victorian England.

British Literature9 min read
Cover of Lady Rose's Daughter

Lady Rose's Daughter

Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

A brilliant, illegitimate woman in Edwardian London leverages her intellect to rule high society from the shadows, only to find her heart torn between a charming, penniless officer and the saintly heir to a dukedom.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Massacre at Paris

Massacre at Paris

Christopher Marlowe

An unsparing portrait of political violence, Christopher Marlowe's historical drama turns the religious wars of sixteenth-century France into a breathless sequence of treachery, ambition, and sudden slaughter.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Death of the Lion

The Death of the Lion

Henry James

A brilliant writer is slowly devoured by the very society that claims to worship his genius.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of An English Garner: Critical Essays & Literary Fragments

An English Garner: Critical Essays & Literary Fragments

Unknown

Eloquence tamed primitive humanity into social order, yet the public sphere remains a chaotic arena of literary feuds, economic anxiety, and intellectual pretension.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Beauty and the beast

Beauty and the beast

Unknown

A gentle maiden’s selfless love breaks a terrible enchantment, proving that true beauty lies within the soul and that kindness holds the ultimate power to redeem.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Christopher and Columbus

Christopher and Columbus

Elizabeth Von Arnim

Fleeing anti-German sentiment during World War I, two seventeen-year-old orphaned Anglo-German twins voyage to America under the care of a well-meaning bachelor, only to face social suspicion, eccentric chaperones, and the misadventures of starting an English tea-house.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Eric

Eric

F. W. (Frederic William) Farrar

A vibrant, warm-hearted schoolboy enters a strict boarding school, only to find his integrity slowly chipped away by the quiet temptations of bad company and compromise.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Selected English Letters (XV-XIX Centuries)

Selected English Letters (XV-XIX Centuries)

Unknown

A small, quiet window opens into five centuries of private lives, showing how the art of writing to one another changed from a grave necessity to a joyful, intimate pastime.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Finn the wolfhound

Finn the wolfhound

A. J. (Alec John) Dawson

An Irish Wolfhound bred in Sussex faces theft, betrayal, and the harsh Australian wilderness before finding his way home.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Hamlet: The First ('Bad') Quarto

Hamlet: The First ('Bad') Quarto

William Shakespeare

A grief-stricken prince unravels a web of betrayal at court after learning his uncle murdered his father, feigning madness to execute a desperate scheme of revenge.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Views and Reviews: Essays in appreciation: Literature

Views and Reviews: Essays in appreciation: Literature

William Ernest Henley

This critical collection strips away Victorian pretense to evaluate literature through an unyielding, craftsmanlike lens. It delivers sharp, unfiltered judgments on the great writers and cultural icons of the modern era.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Ayala's Angel

Ayala's Angel

Anthony Trollope

She chases an impossible dream of perfection until she learns that real love wears an surprisingly human face.

British Literature10 min read
Cover of Betty Trevor

Betty Trevor

Vaizey, George de Horne, Mrs.

In a grey London square full of busy homes, a doctor’s daughter learns to navigate the noisy demands of family, the pull of quiet romances, and the unexpected choices that shape a woman's life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Sign of Silence

The Sign of Silence

William Le Queux

A dead woman in a bachelor's flat, a stolen identity, and a trail of poisonous serpents lead an innocent man across Europe in search of the truth.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Wee Wifie

Wee Wifie

Rosa Nouchette Carey

A gentle, earnest Victorian romance of mistaken motives and deep devotion, where lost souls find their way home through patience and quiet forgiveness.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Popular Schoolgirl

A Popular Schoolgirl

Angela Brazil

An overdue move, a lost family fortune, and a fiercely proud girl trying to navigate high school while keeping her private struggles hidden from her wealthy peers.

British Literature10 min read
Cover of A Son of Hagar: A Romance of Our Time

A Son of Hagar: A Romance of Our Time

Caine, Hall, Sir

A dark family secret, a stolen inheritance, and a devious double threaten to destroy a young couple’s future in the rugged Cumbrian fells.

British Literature9 min read
Cover of Gammer Gurton's Needle

Gammer Gurton's Needle

Unknown

A lost sewing needle throws an entire sixteenth-century village into chaos, sparking bitter feuds, broken heads, and wild accusations.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Case of Richard Meynell

The Case of Richard Meynell

Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

A reformist English clergyman risks his living and his repute to transform his ancestral Church from within, only to face a ruinous public scandal when his enemies unearth a long-buried secret.

British Literature8 min read
Cover of The Career of Katherine Bush

The Career of Katherine Bush

Elinor Glyn

A young woman of lower-middle-class origins resolves to rise into the highest ranks of Edwardian society using sheer intellect, absolute self-control, and calculated ambition.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Ardath: The Story of a Dead Self

Ardath: The Story of a Dead Self

Marie Corelli

A mystical vision on a desolate ancient plain shatters a poet’s worldly skepticism, setting him on a extraordinary journey across time to confront his own forgotten past.

British Literature11 min read
Cover of The Drunkard

The Drunkard

Guy Thorne

A brilliant poet surrenders his soul to inherited dipsomania, destroying his art and his marriage in a tragic descent toward murder and spiritual ruin.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Poems in Two Volumes, Volume 2

Poems in Two Volumes, Volume 2

William Wordsworth

A quiet, reflective journey through mountain landscapes and inner memories reveals how simple moments of everyday life can grow into enduring spiritual truths.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Lunatic at Large

The Lunatic at Large

J. Storer (Joseph Storer) Clouston

An escaped asylum patient effortlessly assumes new identities, outwits aristocrats across England, and turns every absurd turn of fortune into a hilarious social victory.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of My Aunt Margaret's Mirror

My Aunt Margaret's Mirror

Walter Scott

A quiet walk through a changing Scottish landscape opens into a haunted parlor where long-dead grievances, forbidden magic, and family betrayals are brought into the light.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Dominie in Doubt

A Dominie in Doubt

Alexander Sutherland Neill

This is a restless, searching inquiry into the nature of freedom and authority in the classroom, written by a teacher who is perpetually questioning his own methods.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Old Christmas

Old Christmas

Washington Irving

This observant journey captures the fading charm of traditional English yuletide customs, offering a window into a world where communal warmth once defied the winter chill.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 01

A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 01

Unknown

These early dramatizations mark the literal birth of English theater, moving from the pulpit to the public square. They serve as a foundational archive of how humanity first began to stage its own moral and intellectual struggles.

British Literature6 min read