myebooksbuy
My Books

The whole shelf

All free summaries — page 487

34,239 public-domain books, summarised. Page 487 of 714.

Cover of Morristown National Historical Park, a Military Capital of the American Revolution

Morristown National Historical Park, a Military Capital of the American Revolution

Melvin J. Weig

Morristown served as the vital military capital of the American Revolution, providing a strategic stronghold for George Washington’s Continental Army during two of the war's most punishing and pivotal winters.

History - American7 min read
Cover of Oh! Susannah!: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts

Oh! Susannah!: A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts

Mark Ambient

A young doctor’s attempt to launch his practice descends into a frantic, dizzying series of misunderstandings when his secret bride and a meddlesome aunt arrive on the same afternoon.

Humour6 min read
Cover of One Man's Poison

One Man's Poison

Robert Sheckley

Two starving space travelers land on a desolate, spined planet and stumble into an alien warehouse, only to discover that their survival depends on deciphering the lethal—and often absurd—labels of an extinct civilization.

Humour6 min read
Cover of One of My Sons

One of My Sons

Anna Katharine Green

A chance encounter on a city street pulls a stranger into the heart of a wealthy family’s darkest tragedy, where poison hides in plain sight and silence carries the weight of guilt.

Crime, Thrillers and Mystery6 min read
Cover of Origin of modern calculating machines

Origin of modern calculating machines

J. A. V. Turck

Mechanical ingenuity defines the progress of human calculation, tracing a path from ancient, hand-cranked curiosities to the rapid, key-driven machines of the early twentieth century. This chronicle details the technical breakthroughs that transformed the labor of bookkeeping into a precise, automated science.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Oscar

Oscar

Walter Aimwell

A headstrong boy learns that the path of least resistance is often the most dangerous. This story explores the friction between a child’s desire for independence and the necessary boundaries of family and society.

Children & Young Adult Reading6 min read
Cover of Patroon van Volkenberg

Patroon van Volkenberg

Henry Thew Stephenson

A young Frenchman arrives in colonial New York only to discover his sister has died under the shadow of a local tyrant. This is a story of vengeance, political intrigue, and an unlikely romance.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Part 5

Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Part 5

Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson) Grant

A relentless, firsthand account of the Civil War’s final, grueling campaigns, written with the clear-eyed, unvarnished pragmatism of the general who directed them.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Poems

Poems

John Hay

A collection of nineteenth-century verse that captures both the rugged, vernacular frontier of the American West and the sophisticated, melancholy yearnings of a global traveler.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Practical Italian recipes for American kitchens

Practical Italian recipes for American kitchens

Julia Lovejoy Cuniberti

This collection of home-style recipes provides an authentic window into the Italian kitchen of the early twentieth century, designed to bring traditional, nourishing meals to the tables of American homes. It serves both as a practical culinary guide and a poignant historical record of a time when the simple act of…

Cooking & Drinking6 min read
Cover of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, February 18, 1914

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, February 18, 1914

Various

This collection of wit, satire, and social observation captures the anxieties and absurdities of Edwardian England on the brink of the Great War. It functions as a sharp-tongued mirror held up to a society preoccupied with politics, class, and the march of modernity.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Repton and its neighbourhood

Repton and its neighbourhood

F. C. (Frederick Charles) Hipkins

An exploration of a historic English village, this guide traces twelve hundred years of shifting fortunes, from the rise of Mercian kings to the enduring legacy of a celebrated school.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of S.O.S. Stand to!

S.O.S. Stand to!

Reginald Grant

The roar of the artillery defines the soldier’s existence in the Great War, a reality where survival depends on precision, nerves, and the relentless, mechanical demands of the front line.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of Scientific American Supplement, No. 803, May 23, 1891

Scientific American Supplement, No. 803, May 23, 1891

Various

This collection serves as a vibrant, panoramic snapshot of late nineteenth-century ingenuity, capturing the era’s restless drive to quantify, master, and industrialize the natural world. It acts as an essential record of how technology and science were communicated to the public at the height of the Victorian age.

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference6 min read
Cover of Scientific American Supplement, No. 810, July 11, 1891

Scientific American Supplement, No. 810, July 11, 1891

Various

This collection captures the restless, expansive spirit of 1891, offering a detailed snapshot of a world rapidly transforming through civil engineering, electric innovation, and rigorous chemical inquiry.

Engineering & Technology6 min read
Cover of Sir Edwin Landseer

Sir Edwin Landseer

Frederic George Stephens

A celebrated nineteenth-century animal painter rises from a precocious, sketch-happy childhood to become a master of his craft, capturing the soulful inner lives of beasts.

Art6 min read
Cover of Smoky, the cow horse

Smoky, the cow horse

Will James

This account of an extraordinary horse follows a life that spans the wild range, the grueling work of a cow camp, and the inevitable decline of age. It remains a classic because it treats its subject not as a prop, but as a living creature with a complex, sentient inner world.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of Sounding the Ocean of Air: Being Six Lectures Delivered Before the Lowell Institute of Boston, in December 1898

Sounding the Ocean of Air: Being Six Lectures Delivered Before the Lowell Institute of Boston, in December 1898

Abbott Lawrence Rotch

A pioneering look into the invisible layers of the sky, this account chronicles the late 19th-century transition from mere speculation about the upper atmosphere to rigorous, instrument-led exploration.

Science - Earth/Agricultural/Farming5 min read
Cover of Sticks and Stones: A Study of American Architecture and Civilization

Sticks and Stones: A Study of American Architecture and Civilization

Lewis Mumford

Architecture is not merely a collection of buildings, but the visible record of a civilization’s values and social health. This examination traces the evolution of the American landscape from colonial craftsmanship to the mechanical era.

Architecture7 min read
Cover of Stories and Tales of the Irish: A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Editions

Stories and Tales of the Irish: A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Editions

William Carleton

A sweeping chronicle of nineteenth-century Ireland, these narratives capture the desperate struggles, fervent beliefs, and rugged resilience of a society caught between ancient tradition and the crushing weight of systemic upheaval.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of Studies in Old Testament History

Studies in Old Testament History

Jesse Lyman Hurlbut

This volume serves as a structured, pedagogical guide for Sunday-school teachers and students seeking to map the sweep of Old Testament history. It offers a systematic approach to reading the Bible, connecting events from the Deluge through the Roman occupation of Judea to illustrate a cohesive divine purpose.

History - Religious7 min read
Cover of Taken Alive

Taken Alive

Edward Payson Roe

HOOK This collection captures the moral gravity and romantic idealism of late 19th-century American life, blending domestic vignettes with the enduring echoes of the Civil War.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of Tales from Spenser, Chosen from the Faerie Queene

Tales from Spenser, Chosen from the Faerie Queene

Edmund Spenser

This collection distills the sprawling, complex world of sixteenth-century verse into a series of accessible, adventurous tales of chivalry. It invites readers into an idealized landscape where knights and fair maidens move through a realm governed by magic, allegory, and the clear distinction between noble virtue…

Adventure6 min read
Cover of Tales of Aztlan

Tales of Aztlan

George Hartmann

A journey across the American West serves as the backdrop for a collection of tales that blend personal memoir, local folklore, and the myth-making of a young nation. These narratives offer a distinct look at the transition from frontier wilderness to organized territory.

Adventure6 min read
Cover of The Bath Tatting Book

The Bath Tatting Book

Anonymous

A manual of Victorian needlework, this volume serves as a technical bridge for the aspiring lacemaker, translating the intricate, rhythmic tension of the shuttle into precise, geometric patterns for ornamental adornment.

How To ...6 min read
Cover of The book of the American Indian

The book of the American Indian

Hamlin Garland

A collection of narratives that captures the fading traditions and deepening desperation of Native American tribes as they encounter the relentless expansion of the American frontier.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Chinese Nightingale, and Other Poems

The Chinese Nightingale, and Other Poems

Vachel Lindsay

This collection of verse captures the rhythmic, visionary spirit of early twentieth-century American life, blending folk-inspired storytelling with an urgent, mystical plea for global peace.

Poetry7 min read
Cover of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 12: In Motley

The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 12: In Motley

Ambrose Bierce

The world is a stage of absurdities, and if you are willing to laugh at the farce of human vanity, you have arrived at the right collection of sketches.

American Literature5 min read
Cover of The Crown of Thorns: A Token for the Sorrowing

The Crown of Thorns: A Token for the Sorrowing

E. H. (Edwin Hubbell) Chapin

Finding comfort in the face of life’s most difficult transitions requires a shift in perspective. This collection of discourses offers a framework for navigating loss and disappointment through the lens of Christian hope.

Essays, Letters & Speeches6 min read
Cover of The Cruise of the Dry Dock

The Cruise of the Dry Dock

T. S. (Thomas Sigismund) Stribling

This high-seas adventure follows a ragtag crew trapped in the Sargasso Sea, where they must navigate a surreal, hostile landscape while caught in the dangerous crossfire of the First World War. It is a tale of personal transformation, pitting aristocratic privilege against raw, desperate survival.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Hell, Volume 09

The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Hell, Volume 09

Dante Alighieri

A journey through the deepest circles of the afterlife reveals the horrific physical and moral consequences of human betrayal, guided by a poet’s unyielding pursuit of divine justice.

Classics of Literature6 min read
Cover of The Diwan of Abu'l-Ala

The Diwan of Abu'l-Ala

Abu al-Ala al-Maarri

The stars themselves bow to the inevitable cycle of growth and decay, leaving us to navigate the fleeting brilliance of existence with nothing but our own wits and a healthy dose of skepticism.

Philosophy & Ethics6 min read
Cover of The Forest of Vazon: A Guernsey Legend of the Eighth Century

The Forest of Vazon: A Guernsey Legend of the Eighth Century

Anonymous

A sudden, cataclysmic tidal wave reshapes a Guernsey coastline in 709, burying a forest and a civilization under the sea to resolve a desperate conflict between pagan tradition and the rising tide of Christianity.

Historical Novels6 min read
Cover of The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise

The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise

Margaret Burnham

The early days of aviation bring together a pair of resourceful siblings, their mechanical expertise, and a series of high-stakes sky races against unscrupulous industrial rivals.

Adventure5 min read
Cover of The Happy Foreigner

The Happy Foreigner

Enid Bagnold

At the close of the Great War, a young Englishwoman navigates the strange, suspended reality of postwar France, finding an unexpected, transient life behind the wheel of an army car. She learns that the most profound adventures are those discovered within oneself.

British Literature6 min read
Cover of The Heroic Record of the British Navy: A Short History of the Naval War, 1914-1918

The Heroic Record of the British Navy: A Short History of the Naval War, 1914-1918

Bashford, H. H. (Henry Howarth), Sir

The British Navy emerges from the crucible of the Great War as the essential guardian of world progress, its resilience and evolving technology proving decisive in the preservation of the democratic order.

History - British7 min read
Cover of The high school course in English

The high school course in English

Willard Grosvenor Bleyer

Effective secondary education relies upon a seamless integration of literary appreciation and the rigorous, logical development of a student’s own voice. This manual outlines a comprehensive four-year curriculum designed to transform high school English from a collection of rote exercises into a coherent study of…

Teaching & Education6 min read
Cover of The House of the Misty Star: A Romance of Youth and Hope and Love in Old Japan

The House of the Misty Star: A Romance of Youth and Hope and Love in Old Japan

Frances Little

Perched on a Japanese hillside, an aging, solitary teacher finds her quiet life upended when an eccentric missionary and a defiant, rebellious girl shatter her carefully ordered world.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Life and Writings of Henry Fuseli, Volume 2 (of 3)

The Life and Writings of Henry Fuseli, Volume 2 (of 3)

Henry Fuseli

This collection of lectures offers a rigorous, uncompromising masterclass on the theory of painting, written by an artist who viewed art history as a high-stakes battlefield of intellect, expression, and moral purpose.

Art6 min read
Cover of The life of Poggio Bracciolini

The life of Poggio Bracciolini

William Shepherd

The life of a scholar who traversed the turbulent corridors of 15th-century Europe, this account unearths the intellectual rebirth of the Renaissance through the eyes of a central, if often combative, witness. It charts the intersection of private ambition and public upheaval.

Biographies7 min read
Cover of The Little Review, June-July 1915 (Vol. 2, No. 4)

The Little Review, June-July 1915 (Vol. 2, No. 4)

Various

This mid-1915 issue of a pioneering Chicago literary magazine captures the nervous, intellectual energy of the early twentieth century. It serves as a volatile snapshot of a world teetering on the edge of global conflict, where art, politics, and individual philosophy collide in a search for new expression.

Art6 min read
Cover of The Lost Warship

The Lost Warship

Robert Moore Williams

The crew of a modern battleship finds itself stranded in a prehistoric era after a freak collision with a space-time fault, forcing them to wage a desperate war against a technologically advanced, alien civilization.

Novels6 min read
Cover of The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 12: Return to Paris

The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 12: Return to Paris

Giacomo Casanova

A restless traveler navigates the shifting currents of 18th-century European high society, balancing grand financial schemes against the intimate, often precarious, entanglements of his own heart.

Biographies6 min read
Cover of The Mysteries of Paris, illustrated with etchings, Vol. 4

The Mysteries of Paris, illustrated with etchings, Vol. 4

Eugène Sue

Beneath the glittering surface of nineteenth-century Paris lies a dark, intricate labyrinth where the destitute and the powerful collide in a desperate struggle for justice.

French Literature6 min read
Cover of The Nation in a Nutshell

The Nation in a Nutshell

George M. (George Makepeace) Towle

This concise history traces the American narrative from its prehistoric origins and early European contacts through the transformative struggles of the nineteenth century. It provides a structured, thematic overview of a nation’s rapid political, material, and social evolution.

Archaeology & Anthropology6 min read
Cover of The New McGuffey Fourth Reader

The New McGuffey Fourth Reader

Unknown

This collection serves as a moral and literary compass, guiding young readers through the foundational virtues of character and the rich heritage of English prose and poetry. It stands as a bridge between childhood innocence and the responsibilities of the adult world.

American Literature7 min read
Cover of The Old Soldier's Story: Poems and Prose Sketches

The Old Soldier's Story: Poems and Prose Sketches

James Whitcomb Riley

HOOK This collection gathers the rhythmic vernacular of the American heartland and the poignant, polished verse of a poet who found profound dignity in the quiet lives of ordinary people.

American Literature6 min read
Cover of The Pennycomequicks, Volume 1 (of 3)

The Pennycomequicks, Volume 1 (of 3)

S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

The greedy heirs of a wealthy manufacturer wait for him to drop from the tree of life, only to find that his sudden, watery disappearance leaves them with a tangled inheritance of suspicion and ghosts.

British Literature6 min read
Advertisement