Free summaries
Adventure — page 31
4,189 public-domain adventure books, summarised. Page 31 of 88.
Faro Nell and Her Friends: Wolfville Stories
Alfred Henry Lewis
This collection of stories captures the rowdy, vernacular spirit of an Arizona frontier town through the eyes of its most colorful residents. It is a portrait of a place where social customs are as rigid as the law is loose.
Frank Merriwell's Chums
Burt L. Standish
The young cadet at Fardale Military Academy finds himself caught in a web of gambling schemes, dangerous feuds, and mysterious riddles. He must prove his integrity while navigating the treacherous social landscape of boarding school life.
Queen Sheba's Ring
H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard
HOOK Three explorers stumble into a forgotten North African kingdom where ancient, buried civilizations and modern political intrigue collide, forcing them to fight for survival against a fanatical enemy.
Round the Wonderful World
G. E. (Geraldine Edith) Mitton
A bustling global odyssey, this narrative captures the wonder of a world connected by steamship and rail, framed through the eyes of curious travelers discovering far-flung lands.
Tanar of Pellucidar
Edgar Rice Burroughs
In a world hollowed out at the center of the Earth, a captive warrior fights across prehistoric jungles and pirate-infested seas to protect the woman he loves. This breathless quest pits human spirit against the primal brutality of a land where the sun never sets.
The Adventures of a Boy Reporter
Harry Steele Morrison
Archie Dunn’s relentless pursuit of success takes him from a quiet village to the bustling streets of New York, and eventually to the front lines of the Philippines, proving that ambition and perseverance can open any door.
The New Gulliver, and Other Stories
Barry Pain
In a world where the lines between the whimsical and the cynical are blurred, these tales capture the quiet desperation and strange humor of lives lived just a little bit out of sync with reality.
The Siege and Conquest of the North Pole
George Bryce
The struggle to reach the North Pole remains one of the most harrowing chapters of human exploration, defined by cold, isolation, and an unrelenting drive to conquer the unknown.
Thirty-Seven Days of Peril: from Scribner's Monthly Vol III Nov. 1871
Truman Everts
After becoming separated from his exploration party, a man struggles to survive thirty-seven days of starvation and exposure in the untamed wilderness of what is now Yellowstone National Park.
Unexplored!
Allen Chaffee
A pack-burro journey into the high Sierras transforms a group of curious teenagers into wilderness explorers, bridging the gap between rugged survival and the deep time of geology.
A Memory of the Southern Seas: 1904
Louis Becke
The islands of the Pacific are not merely geographical features but stage sets for human extremity, where the line between civilization and raw survival is as thin as a ship’s hull. Through these accounts, the reader discovers a world governed by the whims of the sea, the weight of old grudges, and the fragile…
A narrative of the mutiny, on board His Majesty's ship Bounty
William Bligh
Abandoned in a small boat after a violent mutiny, a captain and his loyal crew navigate thousands of miles across uncharted, perilous seas to survive.
Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
Hugh Lofting
A brilliant naturalist turns his gift for animal communication toward the logistics of global mail, transforming a small kingdom’s fortunes through the unlikely cooperation of birds, beasts, and a very persistent sparrow.
Frank Mildmay
Frederick Marryat
A volatile young officer navigates the brutal, high-stakes world of the 19th-century Royal Navy, his journey marked by reckless ambition, moral turbulence, and a hard-won search for redemption.
Lord Montagu's Page: An Historical Romance
G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James
A young man’s perilous journey across the turbulent landscape of 17th-century France becomes a test of loyalty, survival, and the enduring power of devotion.
Lost on Venus
Edgar Rice Burroughs
HOOK An American astronaut crash-lands on Venus and must navigate a world of lethal traps and strange civilizations to rescue the princess he loves.
Northland Heroes
Florence Holbrook
This collection of Northern legends gathers the epic tales of Frithiof and Beowulf, transforming ancient sagas into accessible stories of courage, loyalty, and the inevitable passage of time.
Pathfinders of the West: Being the Thrilling Story of the Adventures of the Men Who
Agnes C. Laut
This narrative chronicles the harrowing journeys of the men who braved the vast, untamed Canadian interior to reach the Pacific and the frozen reaches of the North.
Queen Zixi of Ix
L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum
A magical garment grants its wearer a single wish, triggering a cascading series of misunderstandings and adventures between two neighboring kingdoms. It is a whimsical, character-driven fable about the unintended consequences of power.
Ralph of the Roundhouse
Allen Chapman
A determined young man navigates the cutthroat world of early railroading, fighting to clear his family's name and secure a future amidst corporate intrigue and local rivals.
Roger Willoughby: A Story of the Times of Benbow
William Henry Giles Kingston
The horizon of the late 17th century serves as the backdrop for this final seafaring tale, which tracks a young gentleman’s transition from a quiet life in rural England to the brutal realities of the Royal Navy.
The Camp Fire Girls by the Blue Lagoon
Margaret Vandercook
The pursuit of independence and creative ambition tests the bonds of a lifelong friendship as a group of young women navigates the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
The Claim Jumpers: A Romance
Stewart Edward White
The wide-eyed Easterner finds his romantic notions of the frontier tested by a landscape that demands grit, wit, and the abandonment of his carefully curated illusions.
The Duke's Motto: A Melodrama
Justin H. (Justin Huntly) McCarthy
A master swordsman adopts the cause of a murdered duke, safeguarding his orphaned daughter through years of shadow until the day of reckoning arrives. This is a story of vengeance, disguise, and the enduring power of a sworn promise.
The Moving Picture Girls at Sea
Laura Lee Hope
Two sisters venture onto the open ocean for a film production, only to find themselves caught in a terrifying, real-life shipwreck caused by a duplicitous captain.
The Secret of Casa Grande: Mexican Mystery Stories #1
Helen Randolph
The mystery of a forgotten window in an ancient house pulls two American girls into a dangerous, underground investigation of local history. This 1936 adventure balances a classic treasure-hunt plot with the curiosity of young travelers discovering a foreign culture.
Uncle Wiggily's Auto Sled
Howard Roger Garis
Uncle Wiggily Longears is a kind-hearted, elderly rabbit gentleman who navigates the challenges of a snowy woodland with charm, resilience, and a touch of mischief. Through three interconnected adventures, he outwits his persistent foes and creates joyful moments for his neighbors.
With Buller in Natal, Or, a Born Leader
G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
This story follows a group of young, resourceful colonists who find themselves caught in the machinery of the Second Boer War, proving that courage and quick thinking can turn the tide of history.
All the World Over: Interesting Stories of Travel, Thrilling Adventure and Home Life
Ella Farman Pratt
The world is a tapestry of small wonders and sudden, sharp lessons, waiting to be discovered by those who carry a sense of adventure in their pockets. Through simple acts and earnest journeys, the smallest lives reveal the vastness of the human heart.
Bears I Have Met—and Others
Allen Kelly
The grizzly bear is a creature of immense power and cunning, and those who hunt him often learn that they are the ones being outmaneuvered. These accounts capture the raw, perilous intersection of man and beast in the American West.
Camp and Trail: A Story of the Maine Woods
Isabel Hornibrook
HOOK This story traces an immersive expedition into the Maine wilderness, emphasizing the thrill of observing wildlife over the urge to hunt it.
Gascoyne, The Sandal-Wood Trader: A Tale of the Pacific
R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne
A sea-faring captain haunted by his past leads a double life as a sandalwood trader and a pirate, ultimately seeking redemption through the protection of a remote missionary settlement in the Pacific.
Knightly Legends of Wales
Sidney Lanier
This collection gathers the oldest Welsh tales of King Arthur and his knights, preserving the vibrant, magical, and often surreal atmosphere of the Mabinogion for a new generation of readers.
Martin Hyde, the Duke's Messenger
John Masefield
A young boy is swept from his quiet Suffolk home into the dangerous political intrigues of the Duke of Monmouth’s doomed rebellion. He must navigate a world of spies, smugglers, and shifting loyalties to survive.
The Forest Exiles: The Perils of a Peruvian Family in the Wilds of the Amazon
Mayne Reid
Adventure awaits in the deepest, most dangerous stretches of the Amazon, where a family must abandon everything they know to survive.
The Shoes of Fortune
Neil Munro
The hand of chance often ruins the best-laid plans, turning a simple errand or a minor household mishap into a lifelong journey of flight, danger, and unexpected grace.
The Young Explorer
Alger, Horatio, Jr.
A young orphan leaves his country home to seek his fortune in the Gold Rush, only to find that the journey to adulthood requires more integrity than gold.
Diane of the Green Van
Leona Dalrymple
The open road offers no sanctuary when a woman inherits a dangerous, centuries-old secret along with a house on wheels. A spirited heiress leaves society behind, only to find that her path leads directly into a web of international intrigue.
Diary And Notes Of Horace Templeton, Esq. Volume II (of II)
Charles Lever
A traveler reflects on his fading life while wandering through the majestic landscapes of the Tyrol and the courts of Europe. It is an introspective farewell to the world, captured in the final, wandering notes of a weary man.
Forest Scenes in Norway and Sweden: Being Extracts from the Journal of a Fisherman
Henry Newland
A clergyman and his companions seek refuge from the routine of professional life in the wild, rugged landscapes of Scandinavia, trading parish duties for the unpredictable thrill of the rod and rifle. This is a journey defined not by grand ambition, but by the quiet, enduring camaraderie of men who prefer the…
Masterman Ready
Frederick Marryat
The Pacific, a sturdy vessel carrying the Seagrave family toward a new life in Sydney, encounters a catastrophic gale that leaves it dismasted and foundering in the vast Atlantic. With the ship lost, the survivors—Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave, their four children, their servant Juno, and the faithful, grizzled seaman…
The Bush Boys: History and Adventures of a Cape Farmer and his Family
Mayne Reid
A family of frontier farmers survives the harsh wilderness of South Africa through ingenuity, marksmanship, and a deep, encyclopedic knowledge of the natural world.
The Busy Life of Eighty-Five Years of Ezra Meeker: Ventures and adventures
Ezra Meeker
A restless spirit recounts a lifetime of pioneering, from the arduous 1852 trek across the American plains to the icy rush of the Klondike gold fields.
The Diva's Ruby
F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford
A search for a legendary gemstone leads from the hidden caves of Central Asia to the sophisticated social circles of London and the Mediterranean, entangling the lives of an opera star, a wealthy financier, and an enigmatic traveler.
The Observations of Sir Richard Hawkins, Knt, in his Voyage into the South Sea in the Year 1593: Reprinted from the Edition of 1622
Hawkins, Richard, Sir
An Elizabeth sea captain sails into the South Sea on a mission of exploration and plunder, only to face bitter battle, captivity, and the long task of recording his naval wisdom.
The Orphan
Clarence Edward Mulford
A man of singular reputation survives a gauntlet of betrayal and violence to find his own path. This is a classic portrait of a Western drifter forging a new life through iron-willed resolve.
The Outdoor Chums on a Houseboat
Quincy Allen
HOOK Four college friends trade their textbooks for a summer on the Mississippi, navigating a river full of fires, storms, and runaway houseboats in a classic test of character and camaraderie.
The Unspeakable Perk
Samuel Hopkins Adams
A stubborn American entomologist hiding from society in the tropics meets a spirited heiress, sparking a collision between scientific detachment and romantic idealism in a land rife with political volatility.