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34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 484 of 714.

Cover of Holinshed's Chronicles, vol. 2 of 6, slice 09 of 12: England, 1272-1307, Edward I

Holinshed's Chronicles, vol. 2 of 6, slice 09 of 12: England, 1272-1307, Edward I

Raphael Holinshed

This sweeping history chronicles the reign of Edward I, a monarch defined by unrelenting territorial ambition, institutional reform, and the brutal consolidation of the English state. It provides a foundational account of late thirteenth-century power, law, and conquest.

History - British6 min read
Cover of In Korea with Marquis Ito

In Korea with Marquis Ito

George Trumbull Ladd

A seasoned academic offers a firsthand account of the Japanese administration in Korea during a pivotal moment of transition. This work documents the early years of the Japanese Protectorate through the eyes of a sympathetic observer.

History - Modern (1750+)7 min read
Cover of International Weekly Miscellany of Literature, Art and Science

International Weekly Miscellany of Literature, Art and Science

Various

This miscellany offers a curated window into the mid-19th-century intellectual landscape, blending literary criticism, scientific curiosities, and a serialized tale of artistic ambition and betrayal. It serves as a fascinating, multi-faceted portrait of Victorian-era sensibilities.

Art6 min read
Cover of Last Words on Evolution: A Popular Retrospect and Summary

Last Words on Evolution: A Popular Retrospect and Summary

Ernst Haeckel

The biological history of human origins is a hard-won scientific truth, not a matter of faith, and its acceptance signals the triumph of reason over institutional dogma.

History - Modern (1750+)6 min read
Cover of Letters to Sir William Windham and Mr. Pope

Letters to Sir William Windham and Mr. Pope

Bolingbroke, Henry St. John, Viscount

These collected epistles offer a sharp, polemical defense of a disgraced statesman’s reputation and a series of philosophical meditations on the limits of human knowledge.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Little Folks of North America: Stories about children living in the different parts of North America

Little Folks of North America: Stories about children living in the different parts of North America

Mary Hazelton Blanchard Wade

This wide-ranging survey captures the diverse environments and daily habits of children across North America, from the frozen shores of the Arctic to the sun-drenched plantations of the Caribbean. It serves as a gentle, observational guide to the continent at the turn of the twentieth century.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Maezli: A Story of the Swiss Valleys

Maezli: A Story of the Swiss Valleys

Johanna Spyri

In a quiet Swiss valley, a widowed mother and her five spirited children find their lives intertwined with the long-shadowed secrets of a desolate, historic castle.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Manual of Taxidermy: A Complete Guide in Collecting and Preserving Birds and Mammals

Manual of Taxidermy: A Complete Guide in Collecting and Preserving Birds and Mammals

C. J. (Charles Johnson) Maynard

This manual serves as a meticulous, hands-on guide for the nineteenth-century collector, detailing the precise techniques required to turn wild birds and mammals into preserved scientific specimens or decorative mounts.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of Mary Cary: "Frequently Martha"

Mary Cary: "Frequently Martha"

Kate Langley Bosher

A spirited, orphaned girl navigates the rigid confines of an asylum by balancing her cynical, observant "Martha" side with a growing, hopeful "Mary" spirit after a kind stranger changes her world.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Mike Fletcher: A Novel

Mike Fletcher: A Novel

George Moore

A charismatic drifter navigates the decadence of late-nineteenth-century London, chasing fleeting beauty and intense experience until the weight of his own detachment finally demands a reckoning.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose

Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose

Mrs. (Anna Letitia) Barbauld

True intellectual curiosity requires both the rigor to pursue abstract truths and the sensitivity to appreciate the nuances of human experience. This collection offers a bracing, thoughtful companion for those who value clarity of thought.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Miss Esperance and Mr Wycherly

Miss Esperance and Mr Wycherly

L. Allen (Lizzie Allen) Harker

The quiet rhythms of a Scottish village find new life when two orphaned brothers arrive on the doorstep of a spinster and her reclusive, scholarly boarder.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of More Conjuring: Simple Tricks for Social Gatherings

More Conjuring: Simple Tricks for Social Gatherings

Hercat

This guide offers a collection of accessible illusions designed to enliven quiet evenings with friends and family. It focuses on performance without the need for specialized equipment or complex sleight-of-hand.

How To ...5 min read
Cover of On Adventure Island

On Adventure Island

Bess Moyer

HOOK Two adventurous twin sisters, both skilled pilots, navigate the skies of the Americas to save their family’s livelihood from a greedy, treacherous rival.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Practical Talks by an Astronomer

Practical Talks by an Astronomer

Harold Jacoby

This collection of essays offers a clear, accessible window into the mechanics of the heavens, written for the curious layperson who prefers genuine science over technical jargon.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, August 11, 1920

Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, August 11, 1920

Various

This collection captures the sharp, satirical pulse of British life in the summer of 1920, blending political bite with the whimsy of domestic absurdity.

British Literature5 min read
Cover of Quotes and Images From the Works of John Galsworthy

Quotes and Images From the Works of John Galsworthy

John Galsworthy

The quiet struggles of the human heart are rarely fought on battlefields; they are fought in drawing rooms, behind closed doors, and within the suffocating embrace of rigid social expectations. This collection of observations serves as a map to a world where affection is frequently mistaken for ownership.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Reflections on the Rise and Fall of the Ancient Republicks: Adapted to the Present State of Great Britain

Reflections on the Rise and Fall of the Ancient Republicks: Adapted to the Present State of Great Britain

Edward Wortley Montagu

History offers a mirror to the present, revealing how the virtues that build a nation are often the very ones discarded as it drifts toward ruin.

History - Ancient6 min read
Cover of Rogues and Vagabonds

Rogues and Vagabonds

George R. (George Robert) Sims

A man haunted by a shadowy past finds that the secrets of his former life are never truly buried, even as he attempts to build a respectable future. This is a story of narrow escapes, hidden identities, and the persistent reach of one’s history.

British Literature7 min read
Cover of Rosemary and Rue, by Amber

Rosemary and Rue, by Amber

Martha Everts Holden

The world is a tapestry of small, bright mercies and heavy, hidden sorrows, best navigated with a gentle heart and an eye for the quiet grace of a robin’s song or a child’s trust.

Novels7 min read
Cover of Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It

Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It

Alger, Horatio, Jr.

A former street urchin navigates the pitfalls of city life and the difficult work of personal reform, finding that steady habits and unexpected mentorship offer the only reliable path to a better future.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of San Cristóbal de la Habana

San Cristóbal de la Habana

Joseph Hergesheimer

A traveler finds in Havana a mirror to his own soul, discovering a city that feels more like home than the place of his birth.

Novels6 min read
Cover of Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886

Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886

Various

This archival collection captures the Victorian obsession with industrial progress, providing a window into a world where engineering, botany, and physics converged to map the frontiers of human ingenuity.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Sebastian Bach

Sebastian Bach

Reginald Lane Poole

This biography offers a scholarly yet accessible portrait of one of music's greatest masters, tracing his journey from a modest Thuringian organist to the architect of universal sacred art. It is a work of historical reclamation, grounding the life of a legend in the rigorous archival research of the nineteenth…

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Sex and Common-Sense

Sex and Common-Sense

A. Maude (Agnes Maude) Royden

This work invites readers to strip away the veils of Victorian prudery and fear, arguing that sex is a noble, creative force of nature. It serves as a compassionate, rational bridge between traditional Christian morality and the emerging psychological understandings of the early 20th century.

Gender & Sexuality Studies6 min read
Cover of She and I, Volume 1: A Love Story. A Life History

She and I, Volume 1: A Love Story. A Life History

John C. (John Conroy) Hutcheson

A quiet, sentimental record of mid-Victorian courtship, this narrative captures the fragile, earnest intensity of a young man’s first love in a sleepy London suburb.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Sonia Married

Sonia Married

Stephen McKenna

The weight of the Great War presses upon the private lives of a fractured generation, as a young couple discovers that romantic impulse is a poor foundation for the endurance required by a crumbling world.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Speed the plough : A comedy, in five acts

Speed the plough : A comedy, in five acts

Thomas Morton

A lively comedy of manners and mistaken identity, this play navigates the social hierarchies and hidden secrets of a rural English estate with warmth, wit, and a touch of dramatic intensity.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Tales of the Sea, and of Our Jack Tars

Tales of the Sea, and of Our Jack Tars

William Henry Giles Kingston

A young man’s desire for the sea leads him through harrowing shipwrecks, treacherous encounters, and the quiet moral tests of a life spent on the waves.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The Arnold Bennett Calendar

The Arnold Bennett Calendar

Arnold Bennett

A daily companion for the mind, this collection offers a year of sharp, pragmatic reflections on literature, human nature, and the rigorous discipline required to truly live.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Bobbin Boy

The Bobbin Boy

William Makepeace Thayer

A humble factory worker rises through sheer force of will and self-education to lead his state. This narrative traces the transformation of an ordinary boy into a statesman through the mastery of odd moments.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Boy Broker

The Boy Broker

Frank Andrew Munsey

A courageous Vermont farm boy navigates the cutthroat world of Wall Street, overcoming deception and false imprisonment to prove his worth in the unforgiving machinery of a great city.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Boy Scouts of Lakeville High

The Boy Scouts of Lakeville High

Leslie W. Quirk

A group of high school students navigates the challenges of teenage life, local rivalries, and athletic competition while upholding the principles of the Boy Scout movement.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Boy Settlers: A Story of Early Times in Kansas

The Boy Settlers: A Story of Early Times in Kansas

Noah Brooks

Driven by the idealism of the abolitionist movement, three teenage boys leave their Illinois home to claim land in the volatile, untamed territory of mid-1850s Kansas.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Carter Girls

The Carter Girls

Nell Speed

When their father falls ill and family finances collapse, five sisters trade their carefree city life for a mountain summer, learning that independence is best earned through hard work and responsibility.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Cavalier

The Cavalier

George Washington Cable

A young Confederate soldier finds his loyalties and his heart tested when he encounters a daring, mysterious woman during the height of the American Civil War.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Ceremonies of the Holy-Week at Rome

The Ceremonies of the Holy-Week at Rome

Charles Michael Baggs

The streets of nineteenth-century Rome transform each spring, as the city’s ancient basilicas open their doors to reveal the complex, layered pageantry of the Church’s most solemn week. This guide serves as a bridge for the visitor, translating the silent visual language of ritual into a coherent narrative of faith…

History - Religious6 min read
Cover of The Claims of Labour: An essay on the duties of the employers to the employed

The Claims of Labour: An essay on the duties of the employers to the employed

Helps, Arthur, Sir

Great change is never achieved through abstract theories or grand political gestures alone, but rather through the quiet, persistent practice of duty by those who hold power over the lives of others.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Cockaynes in Paris

The Cockaynes in Paris

Blanchard Jerrold

A sprawling, cynical portrait of mid-Victorian tourists abroad, this narrative captures the collision between British middle-class affectation and the shifting, often darker realities of Parisian life.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Cruise of the Midge (Vol. 2 of 2)

The Cruise of the Midge (Vol. 2 of 2)

Michael Scott

A spirited, salt-sprayed chronicle of Caribbean adventure, shifting between the lighthearted camaraderie of naval life and the stark, moral reckonings of the high seas.

Adventure7 min read
Cover of The Demi-gods

The Demi-gods

James Stephens

A band of angels, having fallen from grace, finds itself wandering the Irish countryside in the company of a wily, impoverished tramp and his daughter, discovering the strange comforts and harsh realities of human existence.

Mythology, Legends & Folklore6 min read
Cover of The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Purgatory, Volume 1

The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Purgatory, Volume 1

Dante Alighieri

A weary traveler emerges from the shadows of hell to undertake a rigorous, hopeful ascent toward spiritual restoration. This journey serves as a profound meditation on human frailty, the necessity of patience, and the possibility of redemption.

Classics of Literature7 min read
Cover of The Doré Bible Gallery, Volume 3

The Doré Bible Gallery, Volume 3

Unknown

These accounts capture the sweeping drama of ancient Israel, weaving together the lives of judges, prophets, and kings through moments of profound sacrifice, fierce battle, and the complex weight of divine promise.

Art7 min read
Cover of The Eagle's Nest: Ten Lectures on the Relation of Natural Science to Art, Given Before the University of Oxford, in Lent Term, 1872

The Eagle's Nest: Ten Lectures on the Relation of Natural Science to Art, Given Before the University of Oxford, in Lent Term, 1872

John Ruskin

The boundary between looking at the world and truly seeing it forms the heart of this inquiry into the purpose of art and the limits of scientific pursuit.

Art6 min read
Cover of The Female Soldier

The Female Soldier

Anonymous

HOOK Driven by the disappearance of her husband, a determined woman disguises herself as a man to traverse the world, enduring the brutality of war and the hazards of the sea while protecting her secret.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Forest King: Wild Hunter of the Adaca

The Forest King: Wild Hunter of the Adaca

Hervey Keyes

A rugged frontiersman and his resilient bride carve a life of quiet defiance out of the untamed Mohawk Valley, forever haunted by the shadow of the wilderness and the echoes of colonial conflict.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Game Fish, of the Northern States and British Provinces: With an account of the salmon and sea-trout fishing of Canada and New Brunswick, together with simple directions for tying artificial flies, etc., etc

The Game Fish, of the Northern States and British Provinces: With an account of the salmon and sea-trout fishing of Canada and New Brunswick, together with simple directions for tying artificial flies, etc., etc

Robert Barnwell Roosevelt

A passionate angler leads a expedition through Northern wildernesses, insisting that true health and character are forged along fast-flowing salmon streams.

Environmental Issues5 min read
Cover of The Girl from the Big Horn Country

The Girl from the Big Horn Country

Mary Ellen Chase

A spirited ranch girl leaves her Wyoming home to navigate the rigid social expectations of an elite New England boarding school.

American Literature6 min read
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