myebooksbuy
My Books

The whole shelf

All free summaries — page 178

34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 178 of 714.

Cover of Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 2

Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 2

François Rabelais

This sprawling, irreverent epic chronicles the coming-of-age of a giant prince, blending raucous satire, impossible feats of strength, and a deep, humanist thirst for knowledge. It is a work that refuses to take anything seriously, except perhaps the importance of wit and learning.

Classics of Literature7 min read
Cover of Jeanne d'Arc, Maid of Orleans, Deliverer of France: Being the Story of Her Life, Her Achievements, and Her Death, as Attested on Oath and Set Forth in the Original Documents

Jeanne d'Arc, Maid of Orleans, Deliverer of France: Being the Story of Her Life, Her Achievements, and Her Death, as Attested on Oath and Set Forth in the Original Documents

Unknown

A girl from a remote village leads armies, defies powerful churchmen, and meets a harrowing end, all captured in the stark, unadorned language of the original court records that condemned her.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Mr. Punch's History of the Great War

Mr. Punch's History of the Great War

Charles L. (Charles Larcom) Graves

The war is not a tragedy to be analyzed in the abstract, but a lived experience of endurance, humor, and quiet sacrifice observed through the lens of a national institution.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Murder in Paris

Murder in Paris

Alice Campbell

A young American woman in Paris finds herself trapped in a lethal conspiracy, caught between a deceptive maid and a man she barely knows but desperately needs.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of Parkhurst Boys, and Other Stories of School Life

Parkhurst Boys, and Other Stories of School Life

Talbot Baines Reed

This collection captures the frantic, earnest, and often ridiculous spirit of late-Victorian schoolboy life. From the high-stakes tension of the football field to the absurdities of boarding school friendships, it offers a glimpse into a world governed by honor, ritual, and a fair amount of mischief.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Rugs: Oriental and Occidental, Antique & Modern: A Handbook for Ready Reference

Rugs: Oriental and Occidental, Antique & Modern: A Handbook for Ready Reference

Rosa Belle Holt

This handbook serves as a definitive guide for the early twentieth-century enthusiast, documenting the history, artistry, and technical nuances of rug weaving across the Orient and beyond. It demystifies the complex craft of the loom for the serious collector and the curious homemaker alike, bridging the gap…

Art6 min read
Cover of The Children's Book of Christmas Stories

The Children's Book of Christmas Stories

Unknown

This collection offers a curated window into the sentimental and moral landscape of the early 20th century. It is a mosaic of fiction, folklore, and historical sketches, gathered to capture the spirit of the season through the eyes of children and the people who care for them.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of The Hymns of Prudentius

The Hymns of Prudentius

Prudentius

HOOK This collection of Latin hymns offers a rare, intimate window into the fourth-century mind as it bridges the divide between the fading grandeur of Rome and the rising light of the Christian faith.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of The Lady from the Sea

The Lady from the Sea

Henrik Ibsen

The restless pull of the ocean and the crushing weight of domestic expectation collide in this drama of a woman caught between her marriage and a phantom from her past. A haunting choice defines whether a life can truly be called one’s own.

Plays/Films/Dramas6 min read
Cover of The Samuel Butler Collection at Saint John's College, Cambridge: A Catalogue and a Commentary

The Samuel Butler Collection at Saint John's College, Cambridge: A Catalogue and a Commentary

Henry Festing Jones

This guide serves as a permanent memorial to a complex literary life, mapping the physical and intellectual artifacts of a writer who challenged the Victorian establishment. It acts as both a rigorous inventory and an intimate, annotated map of a man’s creative world.

Art6 min read
Cover of The Strand Magazine, Vol. 27, No. 161, May 1904

The Strand Magazine, Vol. 27, No. 161, May 1904

Various

A rich treasury of Edwardian imagination, this collection blends the sharp deductions of Sherlock Holmes with tales of magical rugs, theatrical memoirs, and the curiosities of a changing world.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Twilight of the Gods, and Other Tales

The Twilight of the Gods, and Other Tales

Richard Garnett

These stories offer a wry, erudite look at the foibles of gods, philosophers, and historical figures. They suggest that human wisdom is often just a fragile mask for absurdity.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The World's Desire

The World's Desire

Andrew Lang

An aging hero sets sail across a sea of ghosts to find the woman who was once the beauty of the world. He discovers that some desires are curses, and some loves are only meant to be found in death.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The World's Progress, Vol. 01 (of 10): With Illustrative texts from Masterpieces of Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Modern European and American Literature

The World's Progress, Vol. 01 (of 10): With Illustrative texts from Masterpieces of Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Modern European and American Literature

Delphian Society

This expansive survey of early human civilization chronicles the rise and fall of the great powers of the ancient world, from the Nile Valley to the Euphrates, through a synthesis of archaeological discovery and foundational literature.

History - Ancient8 min read
Cover of Tyrol and Its People

Tyrol and Its People

Clive Holland

This exploration of the Austrian Alps balances the grandeur of mountain scenery with the intimate, often tragic, pulse of the region’s long-standing traditions. It invites readers into a landscape where ancient stone castles and humble village rituals coexist.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Woman's Work in Music

Woman's Work in Music

Arthur Elson

A survey of feminine influence in musical history, this work reclaims the narratives of forgotten creators and examines the societal barriers that shaped their output. It serves as a bridge between myth and modern professionalization.

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of Autobiography: Truth and Fiction Relating to My Life

Autobiography: Truth and Fiction Relating to My Life

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This memoir captures the formative evolution of a literary giant, blending the clarity of retrospection with the raw, impressionable intensity of a young mind navigating the cultural currents of eighteenth-century Europe.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of Brown of Moukden: A Story of the Russo-Japanese War

Brown of Moukden: A Story of the Russo-Japanese War

Herbert Strang

A young man navigates the perilous landscape of the Russo-Japanese War to rescue his father from a Siberian prison camp. It is a classic tale of endurance, resourcefulness, and the shifting loyalties of wartime.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Colors of Life: Poems and Songs and Sonnets

Colors of Life: Poems and Songs and Sonnets

Max Eastman

A collection of verse that favors the raw, immediate pulse of individual experience over the rigid demands of political or social dogma. It captures a restless, observant mind navigating the transition from early-century idealism to the harsh realities of a changing world.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Elements of arithmetic

Elements of arithmetic

Augustus De Morgan

This classic instructional text strips arithmetic down to its logical foundations, transforming calculation from a series of rote chores into an exercise of consistent, reflective thought.

Mathematics6 min read
Cover of Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World

Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World

Hyacinthe Ringrose

This global survey of matrimonial jurisprudence offers a systematic record of how different societies defined and governed the union of marriage at the dawn of the twentieth century. It provides an essential look at the legal machinery that once shaped, limited, and dissolved the most fundamental of human…

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of Pictures and Stories from Uncle Tom's Cabin

Pictures and Stories from Uncle Tom's Cabin

Unknown

A mother’s desperate flight across frozen waters and a faithful man’s journey through profound sorrow reveal the human cost of a nation’s most grievous sin.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Secret Service Under Pitt

Secret Service Under Pitt

William J. (William John) Fitz-Patrick

The shadows of the late eighteenth century conceal a treacherous web, where the line between Irish patriot and government informant blurs into a landscape of moral ruin and political betrayal.

History - British7 min read
Cover of Sketches from Eastern History

Sketches from Eastern History

Theodor Nöldeke

These historical portraits navigate the complex currents of the Near East, blending the rise of empires with the intimate lives of saints and rulers. They offer a grounded, scholarly examination of the forces that shaped a civilization.

History - Other7 min read
Cover of Sleight of Hand: A Practical Manual of Legerdemain for Amateurs & Others

Sleight of Hand: A Practical Manual of Legerdemain for Amateurs & Others

Edwin Thomas Sachs

This comprehensive guide to the art of deception transforms the parlor trick into a rigorous discipline, blending technical manual dexterity with the psychology of misdirection. It remains a definitive masterclass in the mechanics of wonder.

How To ...7 min read
Cover of Steel Traps: Describes the Various Makes and Tells How to Use Them, Also Chapters on Care of Pelts, Etc

Steel Traps: Describes the Various Makes and Tells How to Use Them, Also Chapters on Care of Pelts, Etc

A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding

This practical guide serves as a foundational manual for the turn-of-the-century woodsman, detailing the mechanics, selection, and field application of various steel traps.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The Black Robe

The Black Robe

Wilkie Collins

A man haunted by a past tragedy finds his quiet life dismantled by the calculated machinations of a shadowy priest. This is a story of how secrets and religious fervor erode the foundations of a marriage.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Countess of Saint Geran: Celebrated Crimes

The Countess of Saint Geran: Celebrated Crimes

Alexandre Dumas

A nobleman’s daring escape from custody initiates a tangled web of deceit, where a cold-blooded conspiracy seeks to steal a family’s lineage and inheritance. This account chronicles the harrowing struggle of a mother to reclaim the son she was told never existed.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 02: (From the Rise of Greece to the Christian Era)

The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 02: (From the Rise of Greece to the Christian Era)

Unknown

This collection gathers seminal accounts of ancient history, tracing the rise of Greek democracy, the expansion of the Roman Republic, and the eventual transition into an empire through the eyes of classical and modern historians.

History - Ancient8 min read
Cover of The illustrated Tarzan book no. 1

The illustrated Tarzan book no. 1

Edgar Rice Burroughs

A refined English lord, orphaned in the African wilderness and raised by a tribe of great apes, must navigate the chasm between his savage upbringing and his true, hidden identity.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Tribal Custom in Anglo-Saxon Law: Being an Essay Supplemental to (1) 'The English Village Community', (2) 'The Tribal System in Wales'

Tribal Custom in Anglo-Saxon Law: Being an Essay Supplemental to (1) 'The English Village Community', (2) 'The Tribal System in Wales'

Frederic Seebohm

Legal codes are the hidden fossils of a civilization, preserving the structure of societies long before they were recorded by traditional historians. This study reconstructs the vanished tribal frameworks of early Anglo-Saxon and Continental European life by decoding their complex laws of kinship and compensation.

History - British7 min read
Cover of Under Fire: The Story of a Squad

Under Fire: The Story of a Squad

Henri Barbusse

A visceral, unflinching account of the Great War, this narrative follows a squad of ordinary men as they are ground into the mud of the trenches and slowly awakened to the true nature of their sacrifice.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of Why Men Fight: A method of abolishing the international duel

Why Men Fight: A method of abolishing the international duel

Bertrand Russell

A profound exploration of human psychology and the structures of power, this work offers a timeless meditation on why societies choose conflict over creation. It provides a radical, deeply compassionate blueprint for dismantling the mechanisms that sustain global violence.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of American Merchant Ships and Sailors

American Merchant Ships and Sailors

Willis J. (Willis John) Abbot

The story of the American merchant marine is a chronicle of audacity, from the early days of wooden sailing ships to the rise of steel steamers and the conquest of the poles.

History - American7 min read
Cover of File No. 113

File No. 113

Emile Gaboriau

A prominent Paris banker faces ruin when his vault is emptied, sparking a desperate investigation that uncovers long-buried secrets and tests the limits of loyalty.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of Metropolis

Metropolis

Thea von Harbou

The mediator between brain and muscle must be the heart. This classic vision of a future city-world explores the struggle for human soul amidst the relentless machinery of a technological age.

German Literature6 min read
Cover of Pictures of German Life in the XVth, XVIth, and XVIIth Centuries, Vol. II

Pictures of German Life in the XVth, XVIth, and XVIIth Centuries, Vol. II

Gustav Freytag

A harrowing portrait of seventeenth-century Germany, where the devastating Thirty Years’ War dismantled the fabric of daily life and left the survivors to reconstruct a shattered civilization from its own ruins.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Seven Centuries of Lace

Seven Centuries of Lace

Maria Margaret Pollen

This visual and technical survey serves as a definitive guide to the history of lace, tracing the evolution of thread-work from its early ecclesiastical roots to the refined, filmy textures of the eighteenth century. It bridges the gap between historical artifact and physical craft, offering a scholar’s perspective…

Art5 min read
Cover of Some Diversions of a Man of Letters

Some Diversions of a Man of Letters

Edmund Gosse

This collection of essays explores the evolution of English literature and the personal lives of its creators, bridging the gap between historical scholarship and the immediate, often painful, realities of the early twentieth century.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Songs of Kabir

Songs of Kabir

Kabir

The divine is not found in distant temples, but within the breath of the seeker. This collection of lyrical songs invites the reader to look inward and discover the reality of the soul’s communion with God.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Stories of Old Greece and Rome

Stories of Old Greece and Rome

Emilie K. (Emilie Kip) Baker

These tales of ancient gods and heroes illuminate the foundational myths of Western culture, tracing the turbulent lives of deities and the tragic, often heroic, journeys of men.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of Tales of lonely trails

Tales of lonely trails

Zane Grey

The majesty of the American West serves as both a sanctuary and a mirror in these rugged, contemplative accounts of wilderness travel. It captures a vanishing frontier through the eyes of a man seeking clarity in the silence of the desert and mountain.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Book of Hallowe'en

The Book of Hallowe'en

Ruth Edna Kelley

A deep dive into the origins and traditions of Hallowe'en, tracing its journey from ancient solar festivals and Druidic fires to the modern, playful charms of the American autumn.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of The Friendly Road: New Adventures in Contentment

The Friendly Road: New Adventures in Contentment

David Grayson

The open road offers a simple, transformative cure for the weary soul, proving that the most profound adventures are found not in distant lands, but in the quiet, unexpected encounters of daily life.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. - Volume 07: Historical and Political Tracts-Irish

The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. - Volume 07: Historical and Political Tracts-Irish

Jonathan Swift

These collected tracts offer a searing, masterful examination of eighteenth-century Ireland, documenting the systematic economic and political strangulation of a nation by the whims of its neighbor.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Rights of War and Peace

The Rights of War and Peace

Hugo Grotius

The fundamental question of whether war can ever be just, and how it must be conducted if it is, defines this essential inquiry into the moral boundaries of state violence.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)7 min read
Cover of The Surrender of Napoleon: Being the narrative of the surrender of Buonaparte, and of his residence on board H.M.S. Bellerophon, with a detail of the principal events that occurred in that ship between the 24th of May and the 8th of August 1815

The Surrender of Napoleon: Being the narrative of the surrender of Buonaparte, and of his residence on board H.M.S. Bellerophon, with a detail of the principal events that occurred in that ship between the 24th of May and the 8th of August 1815

Maitland, Frederick Lewis, Sir

A commanding officer faces an impossible dilemma when the world’s most famous fugitive surrenders to his ship, marking the final, quiet curtain call of a fallen emperor.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Theory of the Theatre, and Other Principles of Dramatic Criticism

The Theory of the Theatre, and Other Principles of Dramatic Criticism

Clayton Meeker Hamilton

The stage is not a place for literature meant for the solitary reader; it is a living mechanism designed to captivate a crowd. This volume dissects the unique architecture of the theater, separating the art of the play from the art of the novel.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Advertisement