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32,123 public-domain books, summarised. Page 109 of 670.

Cover of Voyage of H.M.S. 'Pandora'

Voyage of H.M.S. 'Pandora'

Edward Edwards

A high-seas chase across the South Pacific ends in a catastrophic shipwreck, forcing both captors and captured mutineers into an agonizing open-boat voyage for survival.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Celtic Folklore: Welsh and Manx (Volume 1 of 2)

Celtic Folklore: Welsh and Manx (Volume 1 of 2)

Rhys, John, Sir

A field worker walks through the mist-shrouded valleys of Wales and the Isle of Man, gathering the vanishing threads of ancient myth before modern life unravels them forever.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore7 min read
Cover of Play-Making: A Manual of Craftsmanship

Play-Making: A Manual of Craftsmanship

William Archer

Crafting a play requires far more than raw inspiration; it demands a rigorous, conscious mastery of form, architecture, and dramatic tension.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Poems by Emily Dickinson, Series One

Poems by Emily Dickinson, Series One

Emily Dickinson

Solitude transforms into a boundless domain where quiet observation unlocks the hidden intensity of mortal existence.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of San Francisco Relief Survey

San Francisco Relief Survey

Unknown

When fire and earthquake leveled a prosperous metropolis in a single morning, an unprecedented social experiment arose to feed, house, and rebuild a displaced population.

History - American10 min read
Cover of The Book of Humorous Verse

The Book of Humorous Verse

Unknown

A soldier in the trenches dreams of keeping a jellyfish just to listen to it breathe; a young girl tries to fly with homemade wings of leather and bellows; and an elderly woman survives poison, cold, and a broken bone purely to spite the man paying her annuity.

Humour10 min read
Cover of The Legends of the Jews

The Legends of the Jews

Louis Ginzberg

Ancient tales of cosmic creation, warring giant clans, and patriarchs who wrestle with angels unfold in a vast tapestry of rabbinic lore. Beyond the spare lines of the biblical text lies a hidden world of vibrant, complex folklore.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1970 July - December

U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1970 July - December

Library of Congress. Copyright Office

This vast, meticulously ordered volume is not a narrative, but an essential ledger recording the survival of human thought, law, and imagination across a pivotal era.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference5 min read
Cover of An Essay on the Principle of Population

An Essay on the Principle of Population

T. R. (Thomas Robert) Malthus

Human population naturally grows at a geometric rate, while the food required to sustain it expands only at an arithmetical rate, creating a perpetual imbalance that dooms humanity to recurrent hardship.

Economics6 min read
Cover of Chronicles of Avonlea

Chronicles of Avonlea

L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery

Down off the coast of Prince Edward Island, small lives quietly collide over pride, old grudges, and sudden leaps of grace, where a deferred love story can turn on a walk through a moonlit lane or a child in a hogshead.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Whirligigs

Whirligigs

O. Henry

Human fate twists like a children's toy across crowded Manhattan streets, dusty Texas rangelands, and tropical banana ports. In these brief tales, desperate gambits and casual deceptions repeatedly backfire into unexpected redemption.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Why Worry?

Why Worry?

George Lincoln Walton

Worry is a mental habit, not a moral failing. By applying discipline and shifting one's focus, the mind can be trained to abandon the cycle of anxious, insistent thoughts.

Health & Medicine6 min read
Cover of A History of English Romanticism in the Nineteenth Century

A History of English Romanticism in the Nineteenth Century

Henry A. (Henry Augustin) Beers

The nineteenth century did not simply inherit the past; it reimagined it, turning the medieval world into a mirror for its own deepest longings and anxieties.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Computers—the machines we think with

Computers—the machines we think with

D. S. (Daniel Stephen) Halacy

These machines are not mere calculators but extensions of human intellect, shaping the modern world with silent, lightning-fast precision. They represent a fundamental shift in how civilization stores information, makes decisions, and conceptualizes the future.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of The snow-image, and other twice-told tales

The snow-image, and other twice-told tales

Nathaniel Hawthorne

In these haunting tales, ordinary New England life dissolves into shadow and symbol, revealing the dark, imaginative interior of the human heart.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Travels in China, Containing Descriptions, Observations, and Comparisons, Made and Collected in the Course of a Short Residence at the Imperial Palace of Yuen-Min-Yuen, and on a Subsequent Journey through the Country from Pekin to Canton

Travels in China, Containing Descriptions, Observations, and Comparisons, Made and Collected in the Course of a Short Residence at the Imperial Palace of Yuen-Min-Yuen, and on a Subsequent Journey through the Country from Pekin to Canton

Barrow, John, Sir

Few Westerners in the nineteenth century ever gained a glimpse behind the Great Wall, but this record captures the rare, firsthand experience of a British diplomatic mission arriving at the height of the Qing Dynasty.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)8 min read
Cover of Poems by William Cullen Bryant

Poems by William Cullen Bryant

William Cullen Bryant

In these quiet, stately verses, the vast American landscape meets the ancient, inescapable truths of mortality and the passage of time. The poems serve as a meditative bridge between the wild, untamed frontier and the reflective spirit of the nineteenth century.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Proposed Roads to Freedom

Proposed Roads to Freedom

Bertrand Russell

The modern struggle for a just society remains a work in progress, shaped by the tension between individual liberty and collective authority. This inquiry explores how we might transcend the cruel chaos of our current world.

History - Modern (1750+)6 min read
Cover of The Blithedale Romance

The Blithedale Romance

Nathaniel Hawthorne

A group of idealists retreats to a farm to reinvent society, only to find that human nature—jealousy, ambition, and hidden pasts—proves stronger than their utopian blueprints. This meditation on the failure of high-minded schemes remains a haunting portrait of how personal obsession can dismantle collective hope.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Defendant

The Defendant

G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton

The world is often misjudged because we mistake the familiar for the bad, dismissing the gold of our own existence as mere dust. This collection invites us to reclaim the wonder hidden in plain sight.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Art

Art

Clive Bell

Art is the creation of "significant form," a quality that triggers an aesthetic emotion distinct from all other human experiences. This book serves as a foundational manifesto for modernism, stripping away historical sentiment to focus on the essential, structural reality of the work itself.

Art6 min read
Cover of History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814

History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814

M. (François-Auguste-Marie-Alexis) Mignet

This concise history charts the tumultuous quarter-century of the French Revolution, analyzing the collapse of the Old Regime, the rise of radical democracy, and the ultimate emergence of imperial authority.

History - European7 min read
Cover of The revenge of Florida Jack

The revenge of Florida Jack

Ernest Haycox

The story follows the calculated, murderous spite of a dismissed, drifting sheepherder who attempts to orchestrate a deadly feud between his former employer and a local mountaineer. It is a stark, rapid-fire Western that interrogates the volatile intersection of pride, isolation, and reputation in the frontier.

Short Stories6 min read
Cover of The Tower of Oblivion

The Tower of Oblivion

Oliver Onions

A man begins to shed his adult life, regressing through time toward a long-lost youth. This haunting narrative explores the terrifying, beautiful erosion of identity as the past physically reclaims the present.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Alchemy: Ancient and Modern: Being a Brief Account of the Alchemistic Doctrines, and Their Relations, to Mysticism on the One Hand, and to Recent Discoveries in Physical Science on the Other Hand

Alchemy: Ancient and Modern: Being a Brief Account of the Alchemistic Doctrines, and Their Relations, to Mysticism on the One Hand, and to Recent Discoveries in Physical Science on the Other Hand

H. Stanley (Herbert Stanley) Redgrove

Alchemy: Ancient and Modern offers a measured, scholarly examination of the historical alchemists, tracing how their mystical pursuits eventually intersected with the emerging scientific discoveries of the twentieth century.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of History of Phoenicia

History of Phoenicia

George Rawlinson

Uncover the ancient world of Phoenicia, a civilization of remarkable mariners, traders, and cultural pioneers.

History - Ancient7 min read
Cover of History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Edward Gibbon

The Roman Empire’s slow dissolution is not a sudden collapse, but a centuries-long transformation shaped by the weight of its own history, the rise of new faiths, and the relentless pressure of migration. It remains the definitive, panoramic account of how an ancient superpower frayed at the edges until it simply…

History - European10 min read
Cover of The Son of Tarzan

The Son of Tarzan

Edgar Rice Burroughs

The son of the legendary jungle lord finds his own path in the wild, navigating a perilous world of desperate criminals and savage beasts to protect the girl who has become his entire world.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of A History of Art in Ancient Egypt, Vol. 1 (of 2)

A History of Art in Ancient Egypt, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Georges Perrot

This expansive study meticulously reconstructs the origins and development of Egyptian creative expression. It treats the civilization’s architecture and sculpture as an organic, unfolding history rather than a static collection of relics.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of The Antiquarian Magazine & Bibliographer

The Antiquarian Magazine & Bibliographer

Various

This collection captures the Victorian obsession with the past, serving as a time capsule for nineteenth-century scholars who found deep, almost spiritual significance in the weathered stones and faded parchments of Great Britain.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament

A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament

William Greenfield

A rigorous reference tool, this volume bridges the distance between modern English and the ancient Greek of the New Testament, serving as both a linguistic anchor and a scholarly map for theological study.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of Collected Articles of Frederick Douglass

Collected Articles of Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass

HOOK A profound voice of the nineteenth century navigates the perilous passage from bondage to freedom and, later, demands that a fractured nation secure true equality through the transformative power of the ballot.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Four Plays of Aeschylus

Four Plays of Aeschylus

Aeschylus

The ancient works collected here reveal the foundational power of Greek tragedy, where gods, kings, and outcasts collide in a cosmic struggle between fate and the human will.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of How music grew, from prehistoric times to the present day

How music grew, from prehistoric times to the present day

Ethel R. (Ethel Rose) Peyser

This guide invites readers of all ages to trace the evolution of musical expression from primitive rhythmic impulses to the complex experiments of the twentieth century. It serves as a narrative map for those seeking to understand the historical struggle of music against the constraints of politics, religion, and…

History - Other8 min read
Cover of International Short Stories: French

International Short Stories: French

Unknown

This collection offers a vivid, kaleidoscopic tour through the French imagination, capturing the grandeur of historical sacrifice and the quiet, crushing weight of private human longing.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Opportunities in Aviation

Opportunities in Aviation

Arthur Sweetser

This accessible handbook serves as an early, optimistic manual for the burgeoning field of aviation, written at the dawn of the commercial era. It offers a practical perspective on the transition of flight from a destructive weapon of war into a transformative tool for global peace and commerce.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Strength and How to Obtain It

Strength and How to Obtain It

Eugen Sandow

Vitality and strength are not merely inherited traits, but attainable results that follow from a disciplined, mind-centered approach to physical culture.

Health & Medicine6 min read
Cover of Superstition in all ages

Superstition in all ages

Holbach, Paul Henri Thiry, baron d'

A relentless critique of religious dogma, this work presents the radical confession of a rural priest who spent his life in quiet service while secretly documenting his total rejection of faith. It serves as a foundational text for Enlightenment-era atheism.

History - Religious7 min read
Cover of The Antiquary

The Antiquary

Walter Scott

This intricate portrait of a Scottish coastal community captures the tension between fading feudal traditions and the relentless, often unromantic, march of modern life. It remains a foundational work of historical realism, celebrated for its sharp wit and deeply human characters.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer: With an Introductory History of Roads and Travelling in Great Britain

The Life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer: With an Introductory History of Roads and Travelling in Great Britain

Samuel Smiles

A master builder’s rise from a humble mason to the "Colossus of Roads," this biography charts the transformation of Britain’s rugged, isolated landscape into a connected, modern nation through the power of civil engineering.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Poison Belt

The Poison Belt

Arthur Conan Doyle

As the earth drifts into a lethal belt of cosmic ether, four survivors barricaded in a room must confront the extinction of humanity and the terrifying fragility of life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of William Blake: A Critical Essay

William Blake: A Critical Essay

Algernon Charles Swinburne

This critical study navigates the visionary landscape of a misunderstood genius, arguing that his radical imagination offers a profound liberation from the rigid moralism and material constraints of his era.

Art6 min read
Cover of From Pole to Pole: A Book for Young People

From Pole to Pole: A Book for Young People

Sven Anders Hedin

The world is vast, and the spirit of discovery is its greatest mapmaker. This collection of journeys traverses the globe to reveal the strange, the majestic, and the enduring heart of human civilization.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of Greenmantle

Greenmantle

John Buchan

A soldier-spy and his comrades must navigate the treacherous heart of the Ottoman Empire to thwart a fanatical conspiracy that threatens to ignite the East during the Great War.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of King Henry V: Arranged for Representation at the Princess's Theatre

King Henry V: Arranged for Representation at the Princess's Theatre

William Shakespeare

A young king stakes his nation's future on a desperate invasion of France, transforming from a wild, reckless youth into a resolute commander beneath the weight of an imperial crown.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Lincoln's yarns and stories

Lincoln's yarns and stories

Alexander K. (Alexander Kelly) McClure

The wisdom of a president is often measured by his words, but for this leader, it was found in the laughter he cultivated. Through droll stories and plain-spoken humor, he navigated a nation through its deepest divide.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Minnie's Pet Lamb

Minnie's Pet Lamb

Madeline Leslie

A gentle exploration of rural life and natural history, this story follows a young girl’s expanding affection for a lamb and the lessons in responsibility, empathy, and observation that follow.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The corset and the crinoline

The corset and the crinoline

William Barry Lord

The quest for the ideal silhouette has spanned millennia, prompting both fervent devotion and fierce debate. This exploration of historical dress examines the enduring, controversial legacy of the corset and the crinoline.

Fashion6 min read
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