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34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 174 of 714.

Cover of Reminiscences of Scottish Life & Character: And a Memoir of Dean Ramsay by Cosmo Innes

Reminiscences of Scottish Life & Character: And a Memoir of Dean Ramsay by Cosmo Innes

Edward Bannerman Ramsay

A warm, vivid celebration of a vanishing world, capturing the unyielding wit, eccentric piety, and sharp phrasing of old Scottish life.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star: War-time Editorials

Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star: War-time Editorials

Theodore Roosevelt

A former president uses a regional newspaper column to demand absolute preparation, condemn political half-measures, and urge an uncompromising victory during America's entry into World War I.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Ruth

Ruth

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

An orphaned apprentice dressmaker is seduced, abandoned, and left pregnant in North Wales, only to find redemption and purpose through quiet devotion in an unforgiving Victorian society. <Image alt="Penguin Classics cover edition of Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell" caption="Gaskell's poignant tale of redemption"…

British Literature8 min read
Cover of Seraphita

Seraphita

Honoré de Balzac

Across the frozen precipices of Norway, a enigmatic figure moves between worlds, drawing two seekers into a dizzying realm of Swedenborgian mysticism and divine transformation.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses

The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses

Robert Louis Stevenson

Underneath the clashing swords of the Wars of the Roses, a young orphan discovers that the guardian he trusted murdered his father.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The book of the ancient Greeks: An introduction to the history and civilization of Greece from the coming of the Greeks to the conquest of Corinth by Rome in 146 B.C

The book of the ancient Greeks: An introduction to the history and civilization of Greece from the coming of the Greeks to the conquest of Corinth by Rome in 146 B.C

Dorothy Mills

Across more than a millennium of classical history, the Greek world moves from the shadowy heroics of legend to the hard-fought realities of city-state rivalries and imperial expansion.

History - Ancient5 min read
Cover of The Crest-Wave of Evolution: A Course of Lectures in History, Given to the Graduates' Class in the Raja-Yoga College, Point Loma, in the College-Year 1918-19

The Crest-Wave of Evolution: A Course of Lectures in History, Given to the Graduates' Class in the Raja-Yoga College, Point Loma, in the College-Year 1918-19

Kenneth Morris

To trace the invisible currents of human history, one must look beyond the noise of battles and examine the quiet, recurring rhythms of the spirit.

History - Other10 min read
Cover of The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work

The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work

Ernest Favenc

Bridging colonial archives and inland paths, Ernest Favenc frames the conquest of Australia not as a single grand sweep, but as an agonizing series of foot-by-foot encounters with an unyielding landscape.

History - Other5 min read
Cover of The journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Vol. III, 1900

The journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Vol. III, 1900

Various

This collection serves as a meticulous record of the early twentieth-century mission to codify the Irish contribution to the American narrative. It provides a window into the self-conception of an ethnic organization determined to ensure that its historical legacy remains visible, documented, and beyond the reach…

History - American7 min read
Cover of We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run

We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run

Jim Kjelgaard

Crossing the line before the gun sounds means risking everything, but holding back might cost a family their future.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of A California Girl

A California Girl

Edward Eldridge

A visionary local preacher and his brilliant wife challenge the social conventions of turn-of-the-century California, sparking a sweeping movement for spiritual enlightenment, sexual reform, and woman’s suffrage.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of A History of Science

A History of Science

Henry Smith Williams

From prehistoric survival skills to the sophisticated mathematical systems of antiquity, human progress relies on a continuous chain of discovery where every foundational idea reshapes civilization's future.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of An Introduction to Machine Drawing and Design

An Introduction to Machine Drawing and Design

David Allan Low

A systematic Victorian manual reveals how drafting precision and mechanical understanding turn lines on paper into operational engine components.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Brown Wolf and Other Jack London Stories: Chosen and Edited By Franklin K. Mathiews

Brown Wolf and Other Jack London Stories: Chosen and Edited By Franklin K. Mathiews

Jack London

A world of raw muscle, sudden violence, and fierce loyalty awaits beneath the calm surface of civilized life.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 3: With His Letters and Journals

Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 3: With His Letters and Journals

Thomas Moore

A fiery celebrity, a whirlwind courtship, and an exile spent wandering Alpine lakes and Italian ruins shape this intimate record of romantic triumph and personal disaster. Drawn directly from private letters, detailed journals, and candid editorial notes, it catches a master poet at the height of his fame and the…

Biographies6 min read
Cover of London Clubs: Their History & Treasures

London Clubs: Their History & Treasures

Ralph Nevill

A window onto a vanishing world, this survey captures the smoke-filled rooms and eccentric rituals that defined the elite social architecture of London’s most storied institutions.

History - British6 min read
Cover of Public Speaking

Public Speaking

Clarence Stratton

Mastering the art of public speaking requires far more than projection; it demands disciplined logic, careful audience analysis, and the seamless alignment of vocal technique with clear thought.

How To ...7 min read
Cover of Roumania Past and Present

Roumania Past and Present

James Samuelson

Bridging the gap between a rising Danubian state and an indifferent Western public, this comprehensive account transforms a little-understood European realm into a vivid tapestry of ancient Roman legacy, regional warfare, and modern nation-building.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Tales from the Fjeld: A Second Series of Popular Tales

Tales from the Fjeld: A Second Series of Popular Tales

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen

Magic, clever trickery, and rugged wildness collide across the Norwegian mountains as clever peasants, adventurous youngest sons, and cunning beasts outwit overbearing monarchs, vengeful trolls, and fate itself.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The Adventures of Sally

The Adventures of Sally

P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

A young New York woman inherits a fortune, loses it to theatrical dreamers and bad luck, and finds her way through heartbreaks and misadventures to a quiet, genuine happiness.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The American Railway: Its Construction, Development, Management, and Appliances

The American Railway: Its Construction, Development, Management, and Appliances

Thomas Curtis Clarke

American railways emerged from a spirit of defiant innovation, transforming a rugged landscape into a connected nation through engineering ingenuity and rapid, often brutal, industrial evolution.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 1 (of 8): Poems Lyrical and Narrative

The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 1 (of 8): Poems Lyrical and Narrative

W. B. (William Butler) Yeats

This collection of early verse offers a gateway into a world where ancient Irish myth and personal longing collide. These poems map the transformation of a young poet as he moves from romantic idealism toward a more austere, hard-won wisdom.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Discovery of Guiana

The Discovery of Guiana

Walter Raleigh

Dense jungle waterways, volatile river swells, and the glittering promise of unmapped empires shape a high-stakes bid to win the favor of a Tudor monarch.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims. Volume 1 (of 2)

The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims. Volume 1 (of 2)

Andrew Steinmetz

A sweeping, unsparing chronicle reveals how the universal itch to hazard a fortune reshaped European society, ruining lords, corrupting monarchs, and turning quiet streets into dens of financial desperation.

History - Other7 min read
Cover of The Life of a Conspirator: Being a Biography of Sir Everard Digby by One of His Descendants

The Life of a Conspirator: Being a Biography of Sir Everard Digby by One of His Descendants

Thomas Longueville

A young, wealthy knight falls under the spell of a charismatic fanatic, risking his fortune, his family, and his head for a doomed gunpowder conspiracy against the English crown.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Man of Feeling

The Man of Feeling

Henry Mackenzie

Life is too harsh for Harley, a young Scottish gentleman whose extraordinary empathy leaves him utterly defenseless against a mercenary world.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Women of The American Revolution, Vol. 1

The Women of The American Revolution, Vol. 1

E. F. (Elizabeth Fries) Ellet

When war sweeps across a continent, history records the movements of armies while quietly erasing the women who held the home front together. This classic history restores those forgotten lives, showing how domestic fortitude proved as decisive as military strategy.

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of Tomato Culture: A Practical Treatise on the Tomato

Tomato Culture: A Practical Treatise on the Tomato

W. W. (William Warner) Tracy

In a world of agricultural manuals that offer rigid formulas, this text stands apart by teaching growers how to observe their plants rather than simply follow a recipe.

How To ...5 min read
Cover of Ukraine, the land and its people

Ukraine, the land and its people

Stepan Rudnytskyi

This work provides a rigorous geographical and ethnographic survey of Ukraine, framed as a foundational argument for the nation’s distinct identity and its inevitable, strategic importance in the heart of Europe.

Environmental Issues6 min read
Cover of An Englishman Looks at the World: Being a Series of Unrestrained Remarks upon Contemporary Matters

An Englishman Looks at the World: Being a Series of Unrestrained Remarks upon Contemporary Matters

H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

This collection of essays captures a restless, intellectually ambitious mind grappling with the rapid transformations of the early twentieth century. It serves as a candid window into the anxieties and hopes of an era on the cusp of modernity.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Baled Hay: A Drier Book than Walt Whitman's "Leaves o' Grass"

Baled Hay: A Drier Book than Walt Whitman's "Leaves o' Grass"

Bill Nye

A collection of sketches and observations, these dispatches from the American frontier serve as a dry, irreverent antidote to the earnest sentimentality of their time. They capture the absurdities of daily life with a sharp, journalistic edge.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1.: With an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed During

Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1.: With an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed During

John Lort Stokes

This chronicle captures the rigorous, methodical spirit of 19th-century hydrography, documenting the perilous surveys that mapped the rugged coastline and hidden rivers of an emerging Australian frontier.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of Dream Days

Dream Days

Kenneth Grahame

Childhood is a secret, sun-drenched country where adults are merely border guards to be evaded. This collection of linked stories captures the fierce, fragile intensity of growing up in a world that rarely understands the importance of play.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Fact and Fable in Psychology

Fact and Fable in Psychology

Joseph Jastrow

A clear-eyed examination of the human mind reveals that our greatest susceptibility to mystery often arises from our own psychological patterns rather than external wonders. Science serves as the necessary lantern to navigate these shadowed territories.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Insect Adventures

Insect Adventures

Jean-Henri Fabre

Jean-Henri Fabre reveals the intricate, often brutal, and always astonishing logic governing the lives of insects, turning a garden into a theater of epic drama.

Children & Young Adult Reading5 min read
Cover of Japanese Literature: Including Selections from Genji Monogatari and Classical Poetry and Drama of Japan

Japanese Literature: Including Selections from Genji Monogatari and Classical Poetry and Drama of Japan

Unknown

The refined sensibilities and melancholic beauty of classical Japan bloom in these pages, offering a window into a world where poetry, status, and transience define every human gesture.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of Life of Heber C. Kimball, an apostle

Life of Heber C. Kimball, an apostle

Orson F. (Orson Ferguson) Whitney

Driven by deep religious conviction and a rugged, intuitive nature, a blacksmith-turned-apostle braves violent mobs, foreign mission fields, and the treacherous Western frontier to help build a new religious society.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Princess Sarah, and Other Stories

Princess Sarah, and Other Stories

John Strange Winter

The life of a young girl often hangs upon the sudden shifts of fortune, where grace and grit determine whether she is crushed or emboldened by the world. This collection of stories explores the quiet trials of Victorian girlhood.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Prophetical, Educational and Playing Cards

Prophetical, Educational and Playing Cards

Van Rensselaer, John King, Mrs.

This inquiry explores the ancient lineage of playing cards, tracing their evolution from sacred instruments of divination into the ubiquitous tools of modern gambling and recreation. It offers a scholarly, if speculative, bridge between prehistoric ritual and contemporary play.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of Tales and Fantasies

Tales and Fantasies

Robert Louis Stevenson

These narratives explore the fragile boundary between respectability and ruin, charting how ordinary lives are upended by sudden violence, shameful secrets, and the stubborn weight of family expectations.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. II (1st Edition)

The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. II (1st Edition)

Charles Darwin

Sexual selection shapes the natural world, driving the elaborate displays and fierce rivalries that distinguish males from females. This examination reveals how aesthetic preferences and competitive battles have fundamentally sculpted the features of living things.

Science - Biology7 min read
Cover of The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Hollaender): Romantic Opera in Three Acts

The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Hollaender): Romantic Opera in Three Acts

Richard Wagner

HOOK A cursed sea captain seeks salvation through the devotion of a woman, leading to a fateful encounter on the Norwegian coast. Love and damnation collide in this sweeping tale of sacrifice and redemption.

Music6 min read
Cover of The Grey Fairy Book

The Grey Fairy Book

Unknown

These folktales, gathered from across the globe, act as a kaleidoscope of human imagination, where familiar motifs of magic, greed, and transformation are shaken into endless, vibrant combinations.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The History of the Most Noble Order of the Garter

The History of the Most Noble Order of the Garter

Elias Ashmole

This definitive record chronicles the origins, elaborate rites, and enduring prestige of England’s highest order of chivalry, detailing the lives of those who have worn its mantle across the centuries.

History - British9 min read
Cover of The Violin: Its Famous Makers and Their Imitators

The Violin: Its Famous Makers and Their Imitators

George Hart

The violin occupies a position of singular mystery in the musical world, a vessel of perfect design that has defied all efforts at modern improvement. This work serves as an essential, exhaustive chronicle of the instrument’s evolution, the lives of its master craftsmen, and the enduring legacy of the Cremonese school.

Art7 min read
Cover of Twelve Types

Twelve Types

G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton

These incisive essays explore the hidden souls of historical figures and writers, arguing that the true essence of a person is often found in the very things their biographers overlook or dismiss.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes

What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes

Dorothy Canfield Fisher

This expansive collection of activities serves as a timeless antidote to childhood boredom, offering a structured treasury of games, crafts, and pastimes for every imaginable setting. It transforms idle hours into opportunities for creativity, movement, and quiet reflection.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of William Blake, the Man

William Blake, the Man

Charles Gardner

This biographical study traces the spiritual evolution of a visionary artist, mapping his lifelong struggle to reconcile the demands of religious tradition with the fire of his own creative imagination.

Art7 min read
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