myebooksbuy
My Books

The whole shelf

All free summaries — page 189

34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 189 of 714.

Cover of The Press-Gang Afloat and Ashore

The Press-Gang Afloat and Ashore

J. R. (John Robert) Hutchinson

For centuries, the British state maintained its global naval supremacy through a system of state-sanctioned kidnapping that targeted its own maritime population and turned its coastal towns into battlegrounds.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Rainbow Trail

The Rainbow Trail

Zane Grey

A man seeking a lost world finds the iron of the desert in his own blood.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The Story of the Woman's Party

The Story of the Woman's Party

Inez Haynes Gillmore

A small band of relentless women transforms the American political landscape by forcing a reluctant nation to grant them the right to vote.

Biographies8 min read
Cover of The Tale of Beowulf, Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats

The Tale of Beowulf, Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats

William Morris

A champion travels across the sea to free a king’s hall from a nocturnal terror, beginning a life devoted to defending his people against monsters and fate.

Classics of Literature7 min read
Cover of The World's Greatest Books

The World's Greatest Books

Unknown

A grand tapestry of classical imagination and theatrical passion unfolds across centuries, capturing humanity’s eternal struggles against fate, vanity, and divine will.

German Literature11 min read
Cover of The Young Lovell: A Romance

The Young Lovell: A Romance

Ford Madox Ford

An northern knight breaks his vigil on the eve of his knighthood, lured away from the damp borderlands of England into a glittering realm of pagan magic, mortal warfare, and ghostly illusion.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1957 July - December

U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1957 July - December

Library of Congress. Copyright Office

A vast, meticulously ordered census of twentieth-century American culture captures the moment when literary works, music, legal digests, and popular entertainment pass through the gates of legal renewal.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference5 min read
Cover of Where the Pavement Ends

Where the Pavement Ends

John Russell

Beyond the boundaries of Western civilization lies a vast, unpredictable frontier where desperate fugitives, ruthless traders, and adrift idealists collide with indigenous worlds that owe no allegiance to European law or morality. <Image alt="Original vintage book cover of Where the Pavement Ends by John Russell"…

Adventure7 min read
Cover of William Wycherley [Four Plays]

William Wycherley [Four Plays]

William Wycherley

Behind the polite veneer of Restoration society lies a ruthless marketplace where affection is a commodity, marriage is a transaction, and reputation is merely a mask for greed and desire.

British Literature9 min read
Cover of A Guide to the Exhibition Illustrating Greek and Roman Life

A Guide to the Exhibition Illustrating Greek and Roman Life

British Museum. Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities

Everyday objects reveal the rhythm of ancient domestic and civic life, shifting attention from monumental statues to the hand-held tools of survival, devotion, and entertainment.

Archaeology & Anthropology7 min read
Cover of Boat-Building and Boating

Boat-Building and Boating

Daniel Carter Beard

An accessible guide to simple watercraft, this manual transforms raw logs, canvas, and pine boards into functional, adventurous vessels for the backyard builder.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Dio's Rome, Volume 3: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form

Dio's Rome, Volume 3: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form

Cassius Dio Cocceianus

A ruthless, eye-level account of the fall of the Roman Republic, charting how personal ambition, political theater, and military force transformed a fragile democracy into an absolute autocracy.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of Fanny Herself

Fanny Herself

Edna Ferber

A small-town girl raised in the bustling ecosystem of her widowed mother's dry-goods store wrestles with a fierce drive for commercial success before reclaiming her creative spirit.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Garcia the Centenarian and His Times: Being a Memoir of Manuel Garcia's Life and Labours for the Advancement of Music and Science

Garcia the Centenarian and His Times: Being a Memoir of Manuel Garcia's Life and Labours for the Advancement of Music and Science

M. (Malcolm) Sterling Mackinlay

Living a life that spanned a century of profound artistic and scientific transformation, a single visionary musician redefined vocal instruction and changed the course of modern medicine.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XXIV, May 1852, Vol. IV

Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XXIV, May 1852, Vol. IV

Various

Living as a vibrant tapestry of mid-nineteenth-century thought, this periodical balances literary fiction with historical profiles, global travel, moral commentary, and fashion updates.

Children & Young Adult Reading7 min read
Cover of How to Get on in the World: A Ladder to Practical Success

How to Get on in the World: A Ladder to Practical Success

A. R. (Alfred Rochefort) Calhoun

Real ambition demands far more than raw talent or fleeting luck; it requires an uncompromising daily discipline, unwavering moral integrity, and the total mastery of one's own character.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of How to Travel: Hints, Advice, and Suggestions to Travelers by Land and Sea all over the Globe

How to Travel: Hints, Advice, and Suggestions to Travelers by Land and Sea all over the Globe

Thomas Wallace Knox

Navigating the world takes more than a ticket; it requires an understanding of custom, logistics, and human nature across every continent.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Memoirs (Vieux Souvenirs) of the Prince de Joinville

Memoirs (Vieux Souvenirs) of the Prince de Joinville

Joinville, François-Ferdinand-Philippe-Louis-Marie d'Orléans, prince de

An eyewitness to France’s nineteenth-century upheavals, a royal prince recounts a life forged at sea, shaped by revolution, and spent in service to a rapidly transforming nation.

Biographies5 min read
Cover of My Memoirs, Vol. VI, 1832 to 1833

My Memoirs, Vol. VI, 1832 to 1833

Alexandre Dumas

A tempestuous landscape of art, theatrical rivalries, and political rebellion unfolds as an energetic young playwright moves through the vibrant, cholera-stricken streets of 1832 Paris.

Biographies9 min read
Cover of Peace

Peace

Aristophanes

Desperate to end a decade of devastating war, a rustic farmer rides a giant dung-beetle into the heavens to rescue the goddess of peace from a dark pit.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of Roman Women

Roman Women

Alfred Brittain

Unmoved by social status or changing fashion, human nature remains a constant thread through every shift of imperial power.

Gender & Sexuality Studies12 min read
Cover of Samplers and Tapestry Embroideries: Second Edition

Samplers and Tapestry Embroideries: Second Edition

Marcus B. (Marcus Bourne) Huish

A needle's journey across linen canvas maps centuries of domestic life, preserving the quiet artistry, devotional rhymes, and changing fashions of young women.

Art5 min read
Cover of Sketches of Central Asia (1868): Additional chapters on my travels, adventures, and on the ethnology of Central Asia

Sketches of Central Asia (1868): Additional chapters on my travels, adventures, and on the ethnology of Central Asia

Ármin Vámbéry

Hardship and discovery intertwine across the nineteenth-century Central Asiatic steppes, where a disguised scholar measures ancient civilizations against modern imperial ambitions.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of The Code of Honor

The Code of Honor

John Lyde Wilson

A cool-headed handbook for an inherently bloody custom, this nineteenth-century manual outlines strict protocols designed to prevent unnecessary violence, enforce social equality, and govern gentlemen when personal disputes demand an appeal to arms.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)6 min read
Cover of The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless Man

The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless Man

Nels Anderson

An immersive sociological journey unveils the hidden world of Chicago's homeless men, tracing how rapid urbanization transforms the frontier spirit into the restless life of the urban migrant.

Sociology7 min read
Cover of The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898

Unknown

A fleet sails against Dutch privateers while a fire destroys the wealth of Manila, revealing the fragile networks of trade and faith that bind an empire.

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)8 min read
Cover of The Steam Engine Explained and Illustrated (Seventh Edition): With an Account of Its Invention and Progressive Improvement, and Its Application to Navigation and Railways

The Steam Engine Explained and Illustrated (Seventh Edition): With an Account of Its Invention and Progressive Improvement, and Its Application to Navigation and Railways

Dionysius Lardner

From primitive boiler toys and temple trickery to the high-pressure locomotives driving the Industrial Revolution, the mechanism that transformed human civilization is rigorously unspooled.

Biographies8 min read
Cover of The Student's Mythology: A Compendium of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Hindoo, Chinese, Thibetian, Scandinavian, Celtic, Aztec, and Peruvian Mythologies

The Student's Mythology: A Compendium of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Hindoo, Chinese, Thibetian, Scandinavian, Celtic, Aztec, and Peruvian Mythologies

Catherine Ann White

A world forged by human necessity moves through ages of gold, silver, iron, and stone, populated by gods and mortals whose choices shape the sky and earth.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The wonders of prayer

The wonders of prayer

Unknown

A compilation of well-attested accounts demonstrates how practical, immediate, and intimate God's intervention remains for ordinary people facing desperate physical, financial, and spiritual trials.

Religion/Spirituality6 min read
Cover of The World of Dreams

The World of Dreams

Havelock Ellis

A quiet room, a sleeping body, and a mind weaving chaos out of a cold foot or a heavy meal—this investigation turns the midnight mind into a landscape of precise psychological discovery.

Psychiatry/Psychology6 min read
Cover of Travels in Arabia

Travels in Arabia

Bayard Taylor

A rigorous compilation of historical expeditions reveals the inner sanctuary of the Arabian peninsula, mapping its unforgiving topography, isolated oases, and fiercely guarded political regimes.

History - Other6 min read
Cover of A book of European statistics

A book of European statistics

Leo Markun

Numerical snapshots capture a continent suspended between the devastation of a global conflict and the quiet build-up toward another. Tables of wheat, warships, and telephone wires reveal the architecture of interwar Europe.

General7 min read
Cover of Anna of the Five Towns

Anna of the Five Towns

Arnold Bennett

In a bleak industrial corner of Staffordshire, a young woman's sudden, massive inheritance exposes the suffocating weight of domestic tyranny, religious hypocrisy, and provincial expectation.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Bird Neighbors: An Introductory Acquaintance with One Hundred and Fifty Birds Commonly Found in the Gardens, Meadows, and Woods About Our Homes

Bird Neighbors: An Introductory Acquaintance with One Hundred and Fifty Birds Commonly Found in the Gardens, Meadows, and Woods About Our Homes

Neltje Blanchan

A gentle, accessible guide to local birdwatching invites everyday readers to turn casual outdoor walks into lively visits with familiar winged neighbors.

Nature/Gardening/Animals5 min read
Cover of Cassell's Vegetarian Cookery: A Manual of Cheap and Wholesome Diet

Cassell's Vegetarian Cookery: A Manual of Cheap and Wholesome Diet

A. G. (Arthur Gay) Payne

A dining room table set with elegance and care can transform modest plant ingredients into a deeply satisfying feast.

Cooking & Drinking6 min read
Cover of Cedric, the Forester

Cedric, the Forester

Bernard Gay Marshall

Two young men, one a nobleman and the other a lowborn archer, forge an unbreakable bond across a divided thirteenth-century England to fight for justice, true knightliness, and the liberty of common folk.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of Celebrated Women Travellers of the Nineteenth Century

Celebrated Women Travellers of the Nineteenth Century

W. H. Davenport (William Henry Davenport) Adams

Fierce alpine storms, treacherous African rivers, and the icy seas of the Far North could not deter a remarkable series of nineteenth-century women from shattering Victorian conventions to chart the unknown world.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Einstein, the searcher

Einstein, the searcher

Alexander Moszkowski

An extraordinary mind turns its gaze upon the universe, reshaping our fundamental concepts of space, time, and physical reality through quiet reflection and mathematical rigor.

Biographies5 min read
Cover of History of Chemistry, Volume 1 (of 2): From the earliest time to the middle of the nineteenth century

History of Chemistry, Volume 1 (of 2): From the earliest time to the middle of the nineteenth century

T. E. (Thomas Edward) Thorpe

Human curiosity transforms practical crafts into a rigorous search for fundamental truths, turning ancient metalworking, secret alchemical recipes, and mystical guesswork into a disciplined science that systematically uncovers the hidden laws of matter.

History - Ancient11 min read
Cover of Household Papers and Stories

Household Papers and Stories

Harriet Beecher Stowe

A warm, shrewd study of mid-nineteenth-century American domestic life reveals that true home-making relies far more on thoughtful taste and human kindness than on costly display.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Walt Whitman

Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

An expansive map of poetic and prose works traces a lifelong commitment to capturing the spirit of a nation, its people, and the human soul.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of Poems

Poems

Matthew Arnold

A quiet, searching mind surveys classical myths, modern heartbreaks, and the industrial rush of the nineteenth century, seeking a calm center in a world that has lost its moorings.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Robin Hood

Robin Hood

Paul Creswick

An arched yew bow, a misplaced arrow, and an unjust Sheriff drive a Saxon youth into the shadow of Sherwood Forest to forge an unbeatable fellowship of outlaws.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves

The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves

T. (Tobias) Smollett

A high-minded Yorkshire baronet dons a suit of armor to right the wrongs of eighteenth-century England, setting off a trail of comic mishaps, romantic longing, and sharp social observations.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Antiquity of Man

The Antiquity of Man

Lyell, Charles, Sir

Deep within river gravels and dark cavern floors, chipped flints sit beside the bones of long-extinct beasts, quietly dismantling traditional timelines and extending the human story into a vast, unmapped geological past.

Archaeology & Anthropology8 min read
Cover of The Boy's Voice: A Book of Practical Information on The Training of Boys' Voices For Church Choirs, &c

The Boy's Voice: A Book of Practical Information on The Training of Boys' Voices For Church Choirs, &c

J. Spencer (John Spencer) Curwen

A methodical survey of Victorian choral practice reveals how delicate juvenile voices were trained to fill vast ecclesiastical spaces without strain or ruin.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The International Magazine, Volume 4, No. 5, December 1851

The International Magazine, Volume 4, No. 5, December 1851

Various

Mid-nineteenth-century global thought, high-stakes fiction, and cultural reportage collide in an expansive periodical issue that captures a world rapidly transforming through political upheaval and artistic debate.

History - Religious7 min read
Cover of The Oxford Reformers: John Colet, Erasmus, and Thomas More

The Oxford Reformers: John Colet, Erasmus, and Thomas More

Frederic Seebohm

Three brilliant minds gather at the turn of the sixteenth century to challenge religious dogmatism, re-examine sacred texts, and envision a society built upon reason and shared humanity.

Biographies7 min read
Advertisement