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34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 240 of 714.

Cover of The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV

The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV

Charles Greville

Behind the closed doors of early nineteenth-century British power, statecraft is shaped as much by personal grudges, midnight notes, and drawing-room gossip as by formal parliamentary debate.

Biographies8 min read
Cover of The Last Shot

The Last Shot

Frederick Palmer

When two neighboring nations collide in total warfare, a woman of peace, an ambitious field marshal, and an idealist officer find their destinies bound to the fate of a border province.

Adventure8 min read
Cover of The Matador of the Five Towns and Other Stories

The Matador of the Five Towns and Other Stories

Arnold Bennett

In the smoke-hued, industrial heartland of Staffordshire, local heroes, scheming husbands, and stubborn domestic servants navigate the absurd, high-stakes dramas of everyday provincial life. <Image alt="Book cover of The Matador of the Five Towns showing an industrial landscape with chimneys and smoke" caption="The…

British Literature8 min read
Cover of The Natural History of Cage Birds: Their Management, Habits, Food, Diseases, Treatment, Breeding, and the Methods of Catching Them

The Natural History of Cage Birds: Their Management, Habits, Food, Diseases, Treatment, Breeding, and the Methods of Catching Them

Johann Matthäus Bechstein

This comprehensive nineteenth-century manual provides detailed instructions on the capture, housing, diet, and medical treatment of European and exotic birds, combining natural history with practical domestic advice.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The Oxford Degree Ceremony

The Oxford Degree Ceremony

J. (Joseph) Wells

Centuries of academic ritual, forgotten statutes, and colourful traditions come alive in this meticulously detailed exploration of how the University of Oxford confers its ancient honors upon graduating scholars.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Railroad Builders: A Chronicle of the Welding of the States

The Railroad Builders: A Chronicle of the Welding of the States

John Moody

The American story is a tapestry woven of steel rails, tracing the transformation of a sprawling, loosely connected frontier into a unified industrial titan. This chronicle captures the audacity and ruthlessness required to span a continent.

History - American7 min read
Cover of The Story of Perugia

The Story of Perugia

Lina Duff Gordon

A fortress city carved into the Umbrian hills, Perugia lives by the sword, the brush, and an unyielding instinct for self-rule.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Thoroughbreds

Thoroughbreds

William Alexander Fraser

Thoroughbreds is a story of faith, family, and the resilient spirit of the horse. It explores the tension between honest passion and the cold calculations of those who view life through a ledger.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of Voyages of Samuel De Champlain

Voyages of Samuel De Champlain

Samuel de Champlain

A direct observer’s map of an untamed coastline, where survival, diplomacy, and the search for passage collide.

History - European6 min read
Cover of Weir of Hermiston: An Unfinished Romance

Weir of Hermiston: An Unfinished Romance

Robert Louis Stevenson

Two mismatched Scots—a brutal hanging judge and his sensitive, principled son—clash across a bitter divide of morals and temperament, driving the boy into a lonely exile where a dangerous secret romance awaits.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Wings of the Wind

Wings of the Wind

Credo Fitch Harris

A returned soldier's restless hunt across the Caribbean unleashes an island rescue, stolen identity, and a choice between a throne and love.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Witchcraft and Devil Lore in the Channel Islands: Transcripts from the Official Records of the Guernsey Royal Court, with an English Translation and Historical Introduction

Witchcraft and Devil Lore in the Channel Islands: Transcripts from the Official Records of the Guernsey Royal Court, with an English Translation and Historical Introduction

John Linwood Pitts

Centuries of island paranoia, forced confessions, and dark folklore converge in this unsparing look at how early modern bailiffs and neighbors condemned local women to the stake.

History - Medieval/Middle Ages6 min read
Cover of A Pocket Dictionary: Welsh-English

A Pocket Dictionary: Welsh-English

William Richards

A utilitarian dual-language lexicon bridges two cultures, giving readers a precise and accessible doorway into the Welsh language.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of An Irish precursor of Dante

An Irish precursor of Dante

Charles Stuart Boswell

Long before Dante guided readers through the circles of the afterlife, medieval Irish writers were mapping the geography of Heaven, Hell, and the intermediate realms.

History - Medieval/Middle Ages6 min read
Cover of Born in Exile

Born in Exile

George Gissing

An exceptionally gifted lower-class intellectual attempts to enter Victorian high society by pretending to embrace the Anglican priesthood, only to find that deceiving those he loves destroys his own soul.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Carnival

Carnival

Compton MacKenzie

A sharp London girl dances her way from Islington back alleys to the footlights of the West End, only to find that the price of freedom is higher than any stage ticket.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Chicot the Jester

Chicot the Jester

Alexandre Dumas

Power and passion collide in the shadow of the Valois throne, where court jesters rule the battle of wits and noble fencers pay for love with their lives.

French Literature7 min read
Cover of Claudian, volume 1 (of 2): With an English translation by Maurice Platnauer

Claudian, volume 1 (of 2): With an English translation by Maurice Platnauer

Claudius Claudianus

A world on the brink of collapse finds its last defense not in ancient gods, but in the fierce political poetry of a court insider.

Classics of Literature5 min read
Cover of Collections and Recollections

Collections and Recollections

George William Erskine Russell

An observant insider leads a lighthearted journey through nineteenth-century British society, trading solemn historical commentary for the lively wit, absurd eccentricities, and memorable voices of a bygone era.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Highways of Canadian Literature

Highways of Canadian Literature

J. D. (John Daniel) Logan

An ambitious history tracks how a young Dominion forged a distinct cultural identity through the pens of its original poets, satirists, and storytellers.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 09 (of 15), Scandinavian

Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 09 (of 15), Scandinavian

Charles Morris

A clash of steel, a rush of frozen waters, and the thunder of ancient sea-kings echo through this vivid sweeping chronicle of northern rule.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of How to Become Rich: A Treatise on Phrenology, Choice of Professions and Matrimony

How to Become Rich: A Treatise on Phrenology, Choice of Professions and Matrimony

William Windsor

The key to wealth and lifelong stability lies directly on the human skull, mapped by the physical faculties of the mind.

How To ...5 min read
Cover of Hymns for Christian Devotion: Especially Adapted to the Universalist Denomination

Hymns for Christian Devotion: Especially Adapted to the Universalist Denomination

E. H. (Edwin Hubbell) Chapin

A comprehensive collection of devotional poetry designed to expand worship into every sphere of daily life, public reform, and social duty.

Poetry6 min read
Cover of Illustrative Anecdotes of the Animal Kingdom

Illustrative Anecdotes of the Animal Kingdom

Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold) Goodrich

Through hundreds of lively vignettes spanning mammals, birds, and marine life, animals are revealed as creatures of deep emotion, startling intelligence, and unmistakable moral character.

Nature/Gardening/Animals5 min read
Cover of Imperfectly Proper

Imperfectly Proper

Peter Donovan

A witty Canadian essayist skewers the pretensions of the early 20th century.

Humour6 min read
Cover of Italy

Italy

William Beckford

An aristocratic traveler wanders across the grand roads of late-eighteenth-century Europe, chronicling the shimmering landscapes, lavish courts, and dying rituals of an old world on the precipice of ruin.

Travel Writing6 min read
Cover of Legends of Old Honolulu (Mythology): Collected and Translated from the Hawaiian

Legends of Old Honolulu (Mythology): Collected and Translated from the Hawaiian

W. D. (William Drake) Westervelt

Centuries of traditional memory, natural wonder, and supernatural conflict converge to shape the sacred landscapes, valleys, and coastal shores of old Oahu.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of Mrs. Thompson: A Novel

Mrs. Thompson: A Novel

W. B. (William Babington) Maxwell

A formidable widow surrenders her thriving business and her heart to a charismatic younger employee, only to face financial ruined and betrayal before reclaiming her independence with ruthless commercial brilliance.

Novels7 min read
Cover of New Poems

New Poems

D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

A soul trapped between the soot of industrial England and the vivid fire of human passion weighs love against the cold, encroaching machinery of the modern world.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Nisida: Celebrated Crimes

Nisida: Celebrated Crimes

Alexandre Dumas

A Neapolitan island beauty becomes the target of a ruthless nobleman, forcing a proud fishing family into an agonizing clash with power, honor, and justice.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of Old Times in Dixie Land: A Southern Matron's Memories

Old Times in Dixie Land: A Southern Matron's Memories

Caroline E. (Caroline Elizabeth) Merrick

A Southern woman’s lifelong journey carries her from plantation childhood through wartime upheaval into the vanguard of Louisiana’s suffrage movement.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Once on a Time

Once on a Time

A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne

When a monarch's morning flight over his neighbor's kingdom leads to an unexpected shower of arrows, a war breaks out that is fought less with cold steel than with magical misdirections, vanity, and bureaucratic cunning.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Our Old Nursery Rhymes

Our Old Nursery Rhymes

Unknown

A charming collection of traditional verses sets timeless nursery stories to melody, capturing the whimsy, dark humor, and gentle instructional lessons of classic English childhood songs.

Children & Young Adult Reading5 min read
Cover of Parisians in the Country

Parisians in the Country

Honoré de Balzac

Parisian ambition and country life clash in a biting satirical pairing about vanity, social climbing, and romantic disillusionment.

French Literature7 min read
Cover of Rides on Railways

Rides on Railways

Samuel Sidney

Boarding early Victorian steam engines, passengers speed toward distant landscapes while witnessing the dramatic transformation of English industry, architecture, and daily life.

History - British5 min read
Cover of Sinhalese Folklore Notes, Ceylon

Sinhalese Folklore Notes, Ceylon

Arthur A. Perera

The natural world vibrates with omen, sacred duty, and lingering magic across the mountains, paddy fields, and ancient shrines of Sri Lanka.

Archaeology & Anthropology5 min read
Cover of Solitude: With the Life of the Author. In Two Parts

Solitude: With the Life of the Author. In Two Parts

Johann Georg Zimmermann

A quiet mind finds in retreat the clarity, virtue, and moral strength that the clamor of public life relentlessly erodes.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of The Adventure of the Red Circle

The Adventure of the Red Circle

Arthur Conan Doyle

A desperate landlady seeks help when her secretive new lodger vanishes into a locked room, leaving only printed notes and mysterious signals across a darkened London street.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of The Author's Craft

The Author's Craft

Arnold Bennett

Observation requires active engagement, yet most people pass through the world in a haze, noticing nothing of the life unfolding around them.

Essays, Letters & Speeches5 min read
Cover of The Charm of Gardens

The Charm of Gardens

Dion Clayton Calthrop

A meditative trek across the green expanse of the English countryside reveals how gardens, history, and quiet human connections cultivate the soul.

Nature/Gardening/Animals6 min read
Cover of The Children of the Poor

The Children of the Poor

Jacob A. (Jacob August) Riis

Desperate lives unfold in the shadowed, overcrowded tenement districts of late nineteenth-century Manhattan, where children struggle to survive amid extreme poverty and neglect.

History - American5 min read
Cover of The Duchess of Padua

The Duchess of Padua

Oscar Wilde

A son swears blood revenge against his father’s murderer, only to discover that love renders his dagger useless and dooms everyone involved.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Hungry Heart: A Novel

The Hungry Heart: A Novel

David Graham Phillips

A woman’s urgent need for intellectual equal partnership meets the cold reality of a conventional marriage, sparking a quiet domestic rebellion in turn-of-the-century Indiana.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of The Joyful Heart

The Joyful Heart

Robert Haven Schauffler

A vibrant supply of energy lies waiting inside every human soul, ready to transform ordinary days into deliberate acts of creation.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 4, January 23, 1915

The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 4, January 23, 1915

Various

Courage, terror, and bureaucratic precision collide as eyewitnesses and official dispatches chronicle the chaotic, bloody opening months of the First World War.

History - British6 min read
Cover of The Number "e"

The Number "e"

Unknown

A monumental display of sheer computation, this text presents the fundamental mathematical constant $e$ expanded to roughly 100,000 decimal places.

Mathematics8 min read
Cover of The Standard Operas: Their Plots, Their Music, and Their Composers: (12th edition)

The Standard Operas: Their Plots, Their Music, and Their Composers: (12th edition)

George P. (George Putnam) Upton

A structured guide unlocks the dramatic stories, famous musical numbers, and historical origins behind classical opera's most enduring stage masterpieces.

Art5 min read
Cover of The Tapestried Chamber, and Death of the Laird's Jock

The Tapestried Chamber, and Death of the Laird's Jock

Walter Scott

A ghostly encounter in a secured chamber and a dying Border chieftain’s final, roaring heartbreak reveal how swiftly human pride crumbles before supernatural terror and national dishonor.

British Literature6 min read
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