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34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 211 of 714.

John Marr and Other Poems
Herman Melville
This collection captures the restless, meditative spirit of a writer looking backward from the twilight of his life. It gathers verses that find their strength not in polished grace, but in the rugged, haunting echoes of a long career spent confronting the indifference of the sea and the fractured soul of a nation.

Killer
James E. Gunn
A man flees his past only to find himself trapped in a paradise that reflects his own fractured psyche. This haunting tale examines the destructive power of projection and the thin line between love and lethal obsession.

Main-Travelled Roads
Hamlin Garland
The main-travelled road is a dusty, wearying path that leads from a dull town to a life of relentless toil. It carries the poor and the broken through the vast, indifferent expanse of the American West.

Memories of a Hostess: A Chronicle of Eminent Friendships: Drawn Chiefly from the Diaries of Mrs. James T. Fields
Annie Fields
The vibrant intellectual currents of nineteenth-century Boston come alive through the private journals of a woman who stood at the center of an extraordinary literary circle.

My Experiences in Manipur and the Naga Hills
Johnstone, James, Sir
This memoir documents the rugged life of a British colonial administrator navigating the complex cultural landscapes and volatile border politics of the remote eastern frontier of India during the late nineteenth century.

Norwegian Life: An Account of Past and Contemporary Conditions and Progress in Norway and Sweden
Unknown
This survey of Scandinavia captures the social fabric, historical evolution, and cultural spirit of Norway and Sweden at the turn of the twentieth century. It offers a multifaceted, compiled portrait of two nations defined by their resistance to the encroaching homogeneity of the modern world.

Our War with Spain for Cuba's Freedom
Trumbull White
The year 1898 ignited a transformation in the global order, chronicled here through the lens of a nation turning its eyes toward the Caribbean and the end of an empire. This account captures the feverish transition from diplomatic friction to naval battle and, finally, to the administrative reality of a post-war world.

Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman
E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung
A gentleman thief finds his greatest thrill in the pursuit of danger, whether navigating the dark streets of London or the front lines of war.

Talks on the study of literature
Arlo Bates
To engage deeply with literature is to move beyond the superficial consumption of words, transforming the act of reading into an exercise of the imagination that enriches the human spirit.

The Everett Massacre: A history of the class struggle in the lumber industry
Walker C. Smith
The tragedy at Everett serves as a searing indictment of industrial warfare, where the collision between organized labor and entrenched corporate power erupted into a violent, fatal confrontation on the Washington coast.

The Last Galley
Arthur Conan Doyle
The sweep of history and the shadows of the unknown converge in these varied accounts of human experience. From the fall of ancient empires to the quiet terrors of the modern world, these narratives examine what remains when civilizations crumble and individuals face the inexplicable.

The Literature and History of New Testament Times
J. Gresham (John Gresham) Machen
This study invites readers to step inside the world of the first-century Mediterranean, bridging the gap between ancient history and the modern experience of faith. It serves as a rigorous, accessible handbook for understanding the origins of the Christian church.

The origins of art
Y. (Yrjö) Hirn
Artistic creation is not a luxury of the refined few, but a fundamental biological and social necessity rooted in the universal human impulse to transmit feeling. This inquiry traces the evolution of art from primitive social utilities to the complex, self-contained expressions of the modern era.

The Poet Li Po, A.D. 701-762
Arthur Waley
HOOK This exploration of a legendary Tang Dynasty figure separates the man from the myth, challenging his long-held status as China’s greatest poet.

The Underground City
Jules Verne
A retired mining engineer discovers a long-lost coal seam beneath the Scottish highlands, only to find that he and his companions are not the only inhabitants of the vast, hollowed-out world within.

A concise history and directory of the city of Norwich for 1811
Christopher Berry
This meticulous register captures the pulse of a bustling English city on the brink of the nineteenth century, offering an intimate census of its people, trade, and institutions.

A View of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy
Henry Pemberton
Henry Pemberton’s 1728 work serves as an elegant, accessible bridge between the daunting mathematical density of the Principia and the curious minds of the eighteenth-century public. It transforms complex gravitational laws and optical theories into a coherent, reasoned argument for the mechanical nature of the…

A Wanderer in Venice
E. V. (Edward Verrall) Lucas
This travel narrative is a graceful, impressionistic companion for the armchair traveler, capturing the fading majesty of Venice through a lens of deep affection and scholarly curiosity.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume 01: The Old Pagan Civilizations
John Lord
The story of human progress unfolds not merely through dates and maps, but through the enduring thoughts and moral struggles of the great figures who shaped the foundations of civilization.

Concerning the bi-literal cypher of Francis Bacon discovered in his works
Elizabeth Wells Gallup
A bold investigation claims that the Shakespearean canon hides a secret, encoded history, suggesting that Francis Bacon used a sophisticated typographical puzzle to reveal his true identity as a royal heir.

Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales
R. Nisbet (Robert Nisbet) Bain
A collection of vibrant, centuries-old Ukrainian folk narratives, these stories capture the struggle between cunning humans and supernatural forces. They offer a vivid window into the heart of Cossack oral tradition.

Dick Sands, the Boy Captain
Jules Verne
Fifteen-year-old Dick Sands is forced to take command of a whaling schooner after a tragic accident at sea, only to find his leadership tested by a treacherous saboteur and an unexpected landing in the heart of Africa. This classic tale explores the burden of sudden responsibility and the endurance of the human…

Girls and Women
Harriet E. (Harriet Eliza) Paine
This guide for young women balances the pursuit of individual ambition with the demands of domestic duty, offering a steady, thoughtful compass for navigating the transitions of nineteenth-century life.

H. G. Wells
J. D. (John Davys) Beresford
A perceptive exploration of an author’s evolving consciousness, this work examines how a singular mind uses literature to challenge the rigid boundaries of early 20th-century life.

Jerusalem Explored, Volume 2—Plates: Being a Description of the Ancient and Modern City, with Numerous Illustrations Consisting of Views, Ground Plans and Sections
Ermete Pierotti
A meticulous visual inventory of a city layered in history, this collection offers a rare, ground-level window into the architecture and topography of 19th-century Jerusalem. Through precise mapping and detailed rendering, the work invites readers to explore the physical foundations of a sacred landscape.

John Knox and the Reformation
Andrew Lang
This biography strips away the hagiography surrounding Scotland’s most famous reformer, presenting a man driven by fierce conviction and political pragmatism. It offers a rigorous, skeptical look at the volatile birth of the Scottish Kirk.

Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 5
Charles Herbert Sylvester
This volume serves as a curated gateway to the vast landscapes of classic literature, blending high adventure, historical chronicle, and the moral weight of legend into an accessible, educational mosaic. It invites readers to explore the variety of human experience through the eyes of poets, novelists, and explorers.

Our Friend John Burroughs
Clara Barrus
A devoted portrait of a celebrated naturalist, this biographical work captures the quiet rhythms of a life spent in close communion with the American landscape and the wild creatures that inhabit it.

Political and Literary essays, 1908-1913
Cromer, Evelyn Baring, Earl of
This collection of essays offers an intimate look at the administrative philosophy and literary tastes of a prominent British imperial statesman. It bridges the gap between the practical demands of governance and the enduring questions of historical critique.

Recollections of the Civil War: With the Leaders at Washington and in the Field in the Sixties
Charles A. (Charles Anderson) Dana
These recollections serve as a clear-eyed lens into the high-stakes machinery of the American Civil War, viewed from the shoulder of a man who moved between the front lines and the Cabinet room.

'Round the Year in Myth and Song
Florence Holbrook
The cycle of the seasons serves as a mirror for the human experience, guiding the reader through the natural world’s rhythms and the enduring wisdom of classical mythology.

Tales and Novels
Maria Edgeworth
These tales explore the friction between personal integrity and social performance, where the quiet weight of character ultimately outweighs the clamor of the fashionable world.

The Bridal Wreath
Sigrid Undset
A young woman in medieval Norway struggles to reconcile her fierce, independent desire with the rigid expectations of her family, her faith, and her own heart.

The Church of Grasmere: A History
Mary L. (Mary Louisa) Armitt
A meticulous archival reconstruction of an ancient Cumbrian landmark, tracing the survival of faith and community through the centuries.**

The Contest in America
John Stuart Mill
A rigorous defense of the American Northern cause, this work argues that the Civil War is a moral struggle against the expansion of slavery, rather than a mere political dispute over tariffs or territory.

The French Revolution: A Short History
R. M. (Robert Matteson) Johnston
This compact history strips away the clutter of historical minutiae to reveal the essential mechanisms of the French Revolution. It traces the collapse of Bourbon authority and the rise of a new, volatile political order.

The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet: Stored with all manner of rare receipts for preserving, candying and cookery. Very pleasant and beneficial to all ingenious persons of the female sex
Woolley, Hannah, active 1670
This manual offers an intimate glimpse into the seventeenth-century household, providing a sophisticated collection of culinary and medicinal "receipts" designed for the industrious woman. It serves as both a practical guide and a social map for the genteel home.

The up-to-date sandwich book
Eva Greene Fuller
The sandwich, once a utilitarian staple, is here elevated to an art form, offering 400 variations that transform simple bread and fillings into sophisticated fare for the Edwardian table.

The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary: A Curious Fable of the Cotton Plant.: To Which Is Added a Sketch of the History of Cotton and the Cotton Trade
Henry Lee
HOOK This investigation traces the bizarre evolution of a medieval myth, revealing how the simple cotton plant was transformed by travelers and scholars into a flesh-and-blood creature known as the "Vegetable Lamb of Tartary.

The Virginia Company Of London, 1606-1624
Wesley Frank Craven
The Virginia Company remains a singular testament to how a group of determined, if often divided, investors laid the early foundations for an English presence in North America. By charting the company’s life from its 1606 inception to its dissolution in 1624, this account reveals the complex interplay of…

A Book of Scoundrels
Charles Whibley
Criminals are often measured by their impact on the law, but they deserve a more nuanced appraisal as masters of their own peculiar, dark arts. This collection elevates the rogue to the status of an artist.

A catechism of Christian doctrine, no. 2
J. (Januarius) De Concilio
This definitive instructional text provides the foundational framework for American Catholic religious education, distilling complex theological mysteries into a structured, accessible guide for the faithful.

A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales
Jonathan Nield
This curated index serves as a thoughtful companion for readers seeking to anchor their literary explorations in the specific rhythms and settings of the past. It offers a structured, annotated path through centuries of historical fiction, acting as both a bridge between eras and a practical map for the curious.

Arius the Libyan: A Romance of the Primitive Church
Nathan C. (Nathan Chapman) Kouns
This narrative chronicles the life of an ascetic theologian caught in the collision between the primitive, communal spirit of early Christianity and the burgeoning political machinery of the Roman Empire. It is a portrait of ideological endurance set against the backdrop of a changing world.

Astounding Stories, July, 1931
Various
This vintage collection gathers the speculative pulses of early 1930s imagination, blending high-stakes adventure with the nascent dreams of space travel and technological catastrophe.

Boat sailing in fair weather and foul
A. J. (Ahmed John) Kenealy
For any aspiring mariner, this practical guide offers a deep, salt-crusted dive into the craft of small-boat sailing, blending technical instruction with the hard-earned wisdom of a lifetime at sea.

Bob Dexter and the Storm Mountain Mystery
Willard F. Baker
HOOK A young amateur detective finds himself caught in a web of deceit, strange ciphers, and a long-hidden treasure after befriending an injured hermit in a lonely mountain cabin.

Books and their makers during the Middle Ages
George Haven Putnam
This historical study traces the evolution of the book from the fall of Rome through the seventeenth century, examining the rise of printing, the development of publishing, and the persistent struggle for intellectual liberty.