Books Should Be Free Loyal Books Free Public Domain Audiobooks & eBook Downloads |
|
Adventure Books |
---|
Book type:
Sort by:
View by:
|
By: L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) | |
---|---|
![]() A headstrong female detective strives to clear a good man's name in this children's mystery by Oz author L. Frank Baum. Summary by Miriam Esther Goldman |
By: Charles Robert Maturin (1782-1824) | |
---|---|
![]() One of the first horror novels, it tells the story of Melmoth, who sells his soul so he could have an extended life. Throughout the novel, he wanders around the world in search of someone who would replace him and lift his curse. It is known for its many sub-plots, the true horror it makes one feel, and its criticism of the Catholic church. This is certainly one of the most important books of all times, quoted in countless other works, and praised by authors and critics alike. - Summary by Wikipedia and Stav Nisser. |
By: Jessie Graham Flower (1883-1931) | |
---|---|
![]() Grace continues her war adventures over seas in France, continuing her work for the Red Cross. Set during World War I, Loyal Heart finds herself in much peril as she helps with the fight against the Germans. Summary by ashleighjane | |
By: Russell Thorndike (1885-1972) | |
---|---|
![]() Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh is the first in the series of Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike and inspired a Disney movie called the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh starring Patrick Patrick McGoohan. In this story we are introduced to the complex Christopher Syn, the kindly vicar of the little town of Dymchurch. Dr Syn seems pleasant, but is he much more than he seems? Although published first, this book is the last of the series chronologically. The town is located near the Romney Marsh, an ideal location for smuggling operations... |
By: Roy J. Snell (1878-1959) | |
---|---|
![]() Rosemary Sample, an airplane stewardess, meets a mysterious dark lady on a flight to Salt Lake City. The plane is forced down overnight by a snowstorm. The passengers spend the night in a Hunting Lodge. In the morning, the dark lady finds her bag missing. It contains important papers that may mean the life or death of thousands of people in the small town of Happy Vale. - Summary by Dawn Larsen |
By: Roy Rockwood | |
---|---|
![]() Never was there a more clever young aviator than Dave Dashaway, and all up-to-date lads will wish to make his acquaintance.Weldon J. Cobb was a staff writer for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book packaging company that specialized in juvenile fiction. Under the pseudonym Roy Rockwood, Cobb authored the Dave Dashaway series of books that appeared between the years 1913 and 1915.In this fourth volume of the series, Dave Dashaway Around the World; Or, A Young Yankee Aviator Among Many Nations, Cobb enthralls his audience with the absorbing tale of a great air flight around the world, of adventures in Alaska, Siberia and elsewhere... |
By: Jules Eckert Goodman (1876-1962) | |
---|---|
![]() Arrgh and Shiver Me Timbers! Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver! This is Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale as made into a play for The Punch and Judy Theatre Company in 1915. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Jim Hawkins: Rachel Mrs Hawkins: Jennifer Fournier Dr Livesey: Kristin Gjerløw Squire Trelawney: ToddHW Captain Smollett : Maria Kasper Hunter: David Lawrence Joyce: Elizabeth Travers Gray: Andrew Travers Bill Bones The Captain: Beth Thomas Black Dog: MaryAnnS Pew: Ray Kasper Long John Silver: Adele de Pignerolles Captain Flint : Beth Thomas Morgan: Esther ben Simonides Anderson: Aaron M... |
By: John Robert Hutchinson (1858-1921) | |
---|---|
![]() A classic boys' adventure story, with two intrepid boys pursuing a jewel thief despite deadly perils and a haunted temple on a desolate island. The book has been made into an online game for modern-day treasure hunters. - Summary by Lynne Thompson |
By: Various | |
---|---|
![]() Science fiction is a genre encompassing imaginative works that take place in this world or that of the author’s creation where anything is possible. The only rules are those set forth by the author. The speculative nature of the genre inspires thought and plants seeds that have led to advances in science. The genre can spark an interest in the sciences and is cited as the impetus for the career choice of many scientists. It is a playing field to explore social perspectives, predictions of the future, and engage in adventures unbound into the richness of the human mind. |
By: George W. M. Reynolds (1814-1879) | |
---|---|
![]() The Mysteries of London was a best-selling novel in mid-Victorian England, published in four volumes. This is the second volume. Initially serialized in weekly installments, they were the forerunners of today's soap operas. Known as "Penny Dreadfuls", they had no claim to literary brilliance but offered readers entertainment and excitement in the form of vice, poverty, wealth, virtue, mystery and scandal in every combination and reached a mass audience. - Summary by Lynne Thompson |
By: Seymour Eaton (1859-1916) | |
---|---|
![]() "The Roosevelt Bears - Their Travels and Adventures" is full of fun as we follow the journeys and mishaps of two big, delightful bears. Tired of life in the West of America and eager to see places of which they had only heard, Teddy-B and Teddy-G head east. All ages will laugh and enjoy the antics told in lively rhyme - whether riding a train, donkey, balloon or boat, running a farm, attending school, or ... sitting in jail. - Summary by HannahMary |
By: George Gibbs (1870-1942) | |
---|---|
![]() Quote: "To the quiet Titine her mistress created an impression of bringing not only herself into the room, but also the violent horse and the whole of the out-of-doors besides." --Chapter 1 of Madcap. --In the same chapter, Hermia Challoner, this force of nature pitted against the nature of her social milieu, laughingly tells her maid, "Better die living--than be living dead." --And thus starts the beginning of an early 20th century quest for something beyond the bored and politely veiled cynicism of class and wealth; beyond oneself. --Add to that a little mischief, a bit of Puckish misdirection. And a bit of romance. |
By: Rolf Boldrewood (1826-1915) | |
---|---|
![]() Seemingly down-on-his-luck Australian sheep rancher and orchard grower kindly teaches his loving family the value of money through 'plain living'. Fellow fans of Jon Cleary's "The Sundowners", set a generation later, may enjoy this. - Summary by Matt Pierard |
By: Anthony Hope (1863-1933) | |
---|---|
![]() It's 1914 London, and it's Waldo and Lucinda's wedding day. Unfortunately, Lucinda is nowhere to be found. A messenger boy brings Lucinda's note to her mother - ‘I can’t do it, Mother. So I’ve gone.’ There seems to be some suspicion that an Italian gentleman was somehow involved. The search for Lucinda is interrupted by the First World War, and it's not until the end of the war that she is finally located and her story unfolds. - Summary by Nick Bulka |
By: Bruce Campbell | |
---|---|
![]() When Ken Holt's father, the famous newspaper writer, comes home for a Christmas visit, one of the gifts he brings is an antique iron box. Soon after he arrives a serious of unexplained events occur, including an attempted burglary. A hunch that the iron box is at the center of these occurrences sends Ken Holt and his friend Sandy Allen on an exciting adventure to solve the mystery! Ken Holt was the central characters in a series of 18 mystery stories for boys written by Sam and Beryl Epstein under the pseudonym Bruce Campbell. |
By: William Oliver Turner (1914-1980) | |
---|---|
![]() Tesno was a troubleshooter. That's why the railroad construction company had hired him. His job was to make sure that nobody interfered with the tunnel that they were digging through that frontier region mountain. Tesno knew one thing for sure--if they had called him in, there must have been plenty interference--and the kind that didn't stop at murder. Frontier towns and frontier wilderness didn't pay much attention to city-made laws. Tesno carried his own law with him and he knew he'd have to make it respected... |
By: Thornton W. Burgess (1874-1965) | |
---|---|
![]() Author and editor of numerous children's books, Thornton W. Burgess was also a noted conservationist. In writing for youngsters he combined a gift for storytelling with his love of the outdoors, creating an entertaining menagerie of animals whose adventures he skillfully recounted in a series of charming fables. In them, he taught young readers about nature and encouraged them to love the "lesser folk in fur and feathers." In this delightfully told tale, Burgess chronicles the escapades of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, who's known throughout the Green Forest as a mischief maker... |
By: Frederik Pohl (1919-2013) | |
---|---|
![]() In a post-apocalyptic world where every government in the world has been overrun by its own military machinery, only to see that military machinery self-destruct, people are randomly being affected by a plague that seemingly takes over their brains and forces them to commit heinous crimes. Chandler is one of these unfortunate victims, the perpetrator of rape and murder. He is driven out of his community as a Hoaxer , branded on his forehead with the letter H. But he is not feigning. In his travels, he finds the source of the plague, and it's not what people think. It's up to him to deal with it, and he does. But to what end? - Summary by Nick Bulka |
By: Marie of Romania Alexandra Victoria (1875-1938) | |
---|---|
![]() Eric, artist for the king, has created a marvelous painting of a royal wedding. It is finished except for the face of the queen, which appeared to him in a dream. When he awoke, he had forgotten the form of the features. Obsessed with recapturing this vision, he goes on a quest to find the woman because he cannot paint another stroke until he sees those eyes again. During his journey, he discovers much more, perhaps even the true meaning of his dream and of his life. - Summary by Amy Gramour |
By: L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) | |
---|---|
![]() Fairy Queen Lulea and her merry band, in a quest to relieve themselves of boredom, decide to create a new magical amusement. They weave a beautiful magic cloak that grants its wearer a single wish. The Queen tells a fellow fairy to give the cloak to the most unhappy mortal she happens to meet. She hands it over to the sister of Noland's new king, recently coronated and still trying to figure out how to rule. The witch-queen of Ix, taking notice of the cloak and Noland's power struggles, hatches a... |
By: George Gibbs (1870-1942) | |
---|---|
![]() A charming rogue, a stolen birthright, unrequited love, mutiny on the high seas, with a backdrop of 17th century England and the Spanish Main, make for another historical romance from George Gibbs. - Summary by Donald Cummings |
By: Elijah Kellogg (1813-1901) | |
---|---|
![]() An adventure story for boys, in which the author aims to "impart pleasure, and, at the same time, inspire respect for labor, integrity and every noble sentiment". There is a sense of nostalgia, as Kellogg sets his story in bygone days, when the grandfathers of his readers were mere boys, facing the challenges and perils of frontier life and developing the character needed to transform the wilderness in to the land of freedom and plenty. - Summary by Lynne Thompson |
By: Howard R. Garis (1873-1962) | |
---|---|
![]() The seventeenth book in the popular "Motor Boys" series sees our heroes as college freshman. Written under the house pseudonym of Clarence Young. - Summary by Lynne Thompson |
By: Charles Boardman Hawes (1889-1923) | |
---|---|
![]() The frigate Rose of Devon rescues from a wreck in mid-ocean twelve men who show their gratitude by seizing the Rose, killing her captain and sailing toward the Caribbean where they hope to plunder Spanish towns and galleons. Mistaking an English man-of-war for a merchantman, they are captured and brought back to England for trial. Only one, an English lad, Philip Marsham, a member of the original crew of the Rose, is acquitted; and he, after adventures in the forces of King Charles, tires of Cromwell's England and sails for Barbados once more on the Rose of Devon... |
By: Tudor Jenks (1857-1922) | |
---|---|
![]() These are the fantastic adventures of Galopoff, the talking pony, and his friends. Galopoff experiences some amazing adventures in Russia, meeting some famous people of his time, and joining a circus, until his story finally culminates in a great happy end. - Summary by Carolin |
By: Robert Barr (1849-1912) | |
---|---|
![]() After working several years in foreign affairs, and after winning and then losing a fortune, Rupert Tremorne is stranded in Nagasaki, at the end of his wits and in some debt. His only chance is to take the post as private secretary to the Millionaire Mr Hemster, and to sail on with him on his yacht. Sailing around Asia is big adventure for anyone, but it is a special one for Tremorne, because besides Mr Hemster and his staff, there are the beautiful Miss Gertrude Hemster and her companion Hilda Stretton on board. And suddenly, Tremorne has his hands full with those two ladies... - Summary by Carolin |
By: Alain René Lesage (1668-1747) | |
---|---|
![]() Gil Blas is born in misery to a stablehand and a chambermaid of Santillana in Cantabria, and is educated by his uncle. He leaves Oviedo at the age of seventeen to attend the University of Salamanca. His bright future is suddenly interrupted when he is forced to help robbers along the route and is faced with jail. He becomes a valet and, over the course of several years, is able to observe many different classes of society, both lay and clerical. Because of his occupation, he meets many disreputable people and is able to adjust to many situations, thanks to his adaptability and quick wit... |
By: Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941) | |
---|---|
![]() The story of an exciting test of wits between world-class thief Arsène Lupin and master detective Herlock Sholmes. Translated from the French. - Summary by Andy Harrington |
By: Ian Bernard Stoughton Holborn (1872-1935) | |
---|---|
![]() Ian Holborn was on board the RMS Lusitania when it was torpedoed, and as it sank he rescued a 12 year old girl named Avis Dolphin. She later complained that books for girls were not very interesting, so he decided to write one for her "as thrilling as any book written for boys!" This book is dedicated to her. From the Preface: This story is not written for grown-ups, and if they want to know why it begins with such a gruesome first chapter, let them ask the children. Children like the horrors first and the end all bright. Many grown-ups like the tragedy at the end. But perhaps the children are right and the grown-ups are standing on their heads. - Summary by Beth Thomas |
By: Mildred A. Wirt Benson (1905-2002) | |
---|---|
![]() Penny Parker is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter with an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series . Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to "tone down" Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring... |
By: G. A. Henty (1832-1902) | |
---|---|
![]() George Alfred Henty was an English newspaper correspondent who became a prolific author of, predominantly, adventure stories for boys. Most were based on true historical events. In this volume, published posthumously, we are presented with thirteen signature stories taken from within his novels. We are taken to India, to Canada, aboard a plague ship and back to Hannibal's army. We confront the Chinese, the Black Death and numerous brushes with death in these gripping tales, which give us a taste of Henty's storytelling mastery. - Summary by Lynne Thompson |
By: John Neihardt (1881-1973) | |
---|---|
![]() Quote: "In the following pages I have told the story of that body of adventurers who, from 1822 to 1829, opened the way for the expansion of our nation beyond the Missouri. I have made Jedediah Smith the central figure of my story, for of all explorers of the Great West he was in many ways the most remarkable, though, heretofore, our school children have not even heard his name. In order to give the student a sense of the continuity of history, I have begun my narrative with a brief account of the... |
By: Margaret Vandercook (1877-1958) | |
---|---|
![]() Four young American women have joined the Allied forces under WWI. In this volume of the series they are in Belgium, and they are dealing with the mysterious past of one of the girls, the possible romance between a French Count and another of the girls , Belgian children, and other civilians. Summary by kathrinee |
By: Johnston McCulley (1883-1958) | |
---|---|
![]() The Curse of Capistrano is the first work to feature the fictional character Zorro . The story was later republished under the name The Mark of Zorro. The outlaw Zorro is Public Enemy #1 in southern California during the period of Mexican rule. But he's not a bad guy, really - he fights for justice for the oppressed. And when he meets the lovely Lolita, daughter of Don Pedro, who is on the governor's bad side, he has even more reason to fight. But she's being wooed by the rich and influential but wimpy Don Diego... |
By: Thomas Wallace Knox (1835-1896) | |
---|---|
![]() This is a collection of 22 stories of action and adventure. We follow the narrators as they escape pirates and cannibals, overcome natural disasters, and are attacked by wild animals. Cunning plans are executed and daring escapes are accomplished, all in the particular style of the 19th century adventure story. Thomas Knox was an author who had travelled around the world by the time he wrote the stories in this volume, and who was no stranger to any of the geographic areas in which he set his stories. - Summary by Carolin |
By: L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) | |
---|---|
![]() Frank L. Baum, author of the Oz books, delivers an engaging story for all ages. Orissa Kane works in order to provide for her family. Her mother is blind, while her brother devotes his time to his invention, a flying machine. Everything changes when he brakes his leg and Orissa decides to continue developing the machine. This fascinating and relatable book explores the early days of aviation, and the changing role of women. Frank L. Baum chose to publish this book under the name Edith Van Dime. - Summary by Stav Nisser. |
By: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) | |
---|---|
![]() In the present [1908] collection those [stories] have been brought together which are concerned with the grotesque and with the terrible—such tales as might well be read “round the fire” upon a winter’s night. This would be my ideal atmosphere for such stories, if an author might choose his time and place as an artist does the light and hanging of his picture. However, if they have the good fortune to give pleasure to any one, at any time or place, their author will be very satisfied. Summary by Book Preface |
By: St. George Henry Rathborne (1854-1938) | |
---|---|
![]() The Silver Fox Patrol is up in the Maine Woods, hiking and hunting for big game. The boys find out that guns, and other explosives, can be fun, and dangerous, too! But all the fun comes to an end when some fugitives enter the woods nearby. Herbert Carter is one of many pseudonyms used by St George Rathborne. |
By: E.D.E.N. Southworth (1819-1899) | |
---|---|
![]() A sequel to "Her Mothers Secret" and "Love's Bitterest Cup" |
By: Andy Adams | |
---|---|
![]() The Mystery of the Chinese Ring is an exotic adventure story and is set in locations such as Burma and China, with the historical and political ramifications which applied to the mid Twentieth Century and still ring true in the early 21st Century. What is the purpose of the ring? What is the significance of the letter “K”? Why the interest in a sixteen year old boy going to visit a relative in Burma? Why are family dynasties so important, and why the secrecy concerning their survival? This is an audiobook that will find eager listeners from the ages of about ten to octogenarians, male and female, and also those enjoying adventure stories with many twists and turns... |
By: Fred M. White (1859-1935) | |
---|---|
![]() The Ravenspurs have for generations resided quietly in prosperity and comfort at their seaside castle. But the clan is suddenly besieged with strange happenings which are dwindling the population of the family to only a few which remain, and those few find themselves in fear of becoming the very last of the powerful family if the cause of their untimely deaths and disappearances is not uncovered soon. It will take a great deal of detective work and a touch of travel to help unravel the mystery of the Ravenspurs. |
By: George Payne Rainsford James (1799-1860) | |
---|---|
![]() As young Lord Hadley and his companion Edward Dudley travel along a dark, coastal road, they encounter a young girl pinioned by a fallen wall. They rescue her and alert her father, stationed on the cliff-top, apparently watching for something or someone, before continuing their journey to the home of Sir Arthur Adelon. What was the girl doing out alone at night? What was her father's business on the cliff? Who is the sinister-looking stranger that young Edgar Adelon spots at the home of his beloved?... |
By: Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) | |
---|---|
![]() Edward Henry Machin, whose rise from humble beginnings to prosperity was told in 'The Card', leads a comfortable life in the English Midlands 'Five Towns'. Yet when he unexpectedly gains three hundred and forty-one pounds in a speculation on rubber shares, he realises that he doesn't 'feel so jolly, after all'. After a visit to the local music hall, he decides that a change is in order. He takes the morning train to London, where adventures in the theatrical world await. 'The Old Adam' was also published under the title, 'The Regent'. |
By: Andy Adams | |
---|---|
![]() Mystery adventure, fiction . This is a very exciting and gripping story set in the jungles of Brazil and Venezuela, and the quest for the famous El Dorado gold. Incidents with dangerous wild animals, not to mention encounters with head hunters and other native tribes, plus some black magic hocus-pocus all add to the suspense. Double dealing and threats as well as actual confrontations all make life difficult for our brave heroes, and often cause the expedition problems which slows down the quest for the yellow gold. This is a good geography lesson also, and readers will learn about all those huge rivers that flow through these regions, including the huge River Amazon. |
By: Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) | |
---|---|
![]() A shortened version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland . . . adapted by the author himself for children "from nought to five". . . . It is written as though the story is being read aloud by someone who is also talking to the child listener, with many interpolations by the author, pointing out details in the pictures and asking questions, such as "Which would you have liked the best, do you think, to be a little tiny Alice, no larger than a kitten, or a great tall Alice, with your head always knocking against the ceiling?" There are also additions, such as an anecdote about a puppy called Dash, and an explanation of the word "foxglove". - Summary by Wikipedia |
By: Alfred John Church (1829-1912) | |
---|---|
![]() A retelling of the adventures of Ulysses, including his adventures both the Cyclops and Circe, as he journeys home to his home of Ithaca. The story then continues to include his quest to rejoin his wife and family of whom he has been separated from for twenty years. This is Homer's Odyssey for the younger set. |
By: Margaret Vandercook (1877-1958) | |
---|---|
![]() This novel set in the time of WWI, is the 8th in a series of 10. The lives and adventures of these heroic young women change rapidly as they follow the American Army of Occupation out of Luxembourg and into the city of Coblenz after the defeat of the German Empire. Summary by Debbie R. Baker Robinson. |
By: George W. M. Reynolds (1814-1879) | |
---|---|
![]() The Mysteries of London was a best-selling novel in mid-Victorian England, published in four volumes. This is the third volume. Initially serialized in weekly installments, they were the forerunners of today's soap operas. Known as "Penny Dreadfuls", they had no claim to literary brilliance but offered readers entertainment and excitement in the form of vice, poverty, wealth, virtue, mystery, romance and scandal in every combination and reached a mass audience. - Summary by Lynne Thompson |
By: Margaret Vandercook (1877-1958) | |
---|---|
![]() The adventures of the Red Cross girls continue! These courageous women of the First World War now visit the Italian Front and face all challenges with determination and goodwill. They discover intrigue and, for at least one of them, love. |
By: Guy Boothby (1867-1905) | |
---|---|
![]() Guy Boothby's fourth novel of five about the svelte mysterious anti-hero Dr Nikola sees him progress further on his search for immortality. Here we find him deep in the wilds of Northumbria conducting an experiment of longevity and restoration of youth with another somewhat naive assistant. He is pursued by his Chinese enemies who will stop at nothing to achieve his demise. In this novel he displays a slight hint of emotion regarding his assistant's love affair with a beautiful Spaniard. Once again you are left wondering whether you like him or detest him, his relentless pursuit of arcane knowledge at all cost continues. |
By: Edith Lavell (1892-1957) | |
---|---|
![]() Mary Louise and her friend Jane take on a mystery. The first in a series featuring these charming young detectives. |
By: Frank L. Packard (1877-1942) | |
---|---|
![]() Frank L. Packard worked as a civil engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He brings this experience to the fictional Hill Division -- those those twisting, climbing, dangerous and glorious miles of track that lead from the Division Point at Big Cloud over the magnificent but treacherous Rockies to the straight and level Pacific Division. Here are fifteen stories of exciting times on the Hill Division and of the remarkable men—Regan, Carlton, Spence and all the others—whose determination, ability, even heroism, tamed the fabulous Hill Division. |
By: Laura Lee Hope | |
---|---|
![]() "The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake; Or Stirring Cruise of the Motor Boat Gem" is the second volume is a series of adventure books for girls. In this book, one of the girls becomes the proud possessor of a motor boat and invites her club members to take a trip down the river to Rainbow Lake a beautiful sheet of water lying between the mountains. These are the tales of the various adventures participated in by a group of bright, fun-loving, up-to-date girls who have a common bond in their fondness for outdoor life, camping, travel, and adventure. They are clean and wholesome and free from sensationalism. |
By: Victor G. Durham (1862?-1925?) | |
---|---|
![]() Three American naval officers are assigned to a newly commissioned submarine, the Grant. The US navy wants commander Jack, ensigns Hal and Eph to break up a big smuggling operation along the New Jersey coast that is costing the government millions. Along the way, they race to a doomed steam ship, The Cynthia, carrying over a thousand souls who will all surely perish without the Submarine Boys. It is a great mystery adventure. The Submarine Boys will make your day! |
By: Edith Lavell (1892-1957) | |
---|---|
![]() In the second book of the Mary Louise Gay mysteries, Mary Lou and her best friend Jane are thrilled to be spending a whole month of their summer together at Shady Nook. But when suspicious fires threaten their relaxing holiday, they jump into their sleuthing ways to find the culprit. With so many interesting residents in this small town, they have their work cut out for them! - Summary by Cari Shorrock |
By: William Morris (1834-1896) | |
---|---|
![]() In The Well at the World's End, Ralph of Upmeads, youngest son of the King of Upmeads, leaves home without permission and sets out looking for adventure. When he hears rumors of a well that exudes water with magical properties, he is intrigued and begins his quest. Along the way, he travels through various towns and wildernesses and meets -- and is sometimes led astray by -- a host of interesting people including a mysterious knight, a beautiful woman who may be a goddess, a treacherous servant, a brave tavern wench, a barbarian warrior, a solitary sage, and a sadistic king. Book 4 finishes his adventure. - Summary by Kristingj |
By: Laura Lee Hope | |
---|---|
![]() In this 9th book in the "Outdoor Girls Series", the girls had befriend an old woman who had been knocked down by an unscrupulous motorcyclist. They later learned the secret tragedy in the life of their little old lady. |
By: Ottwell Binns (1872-1935) | |
---|---|
![]() A mysterious death. A wealthy beautiful young lady. Three men after her heart. Place this mixture in the snow bound northwest and you have the ingredients of a first rate mystery. |
By: Egerton Castle (1858-1920) | |
---|---|
![]() "The death of a patriarch, unexpected inheritance of a second son, dark and stormy castle, faithful retainers, scary governess who never speaks, star-crossed lovers -- I could go on, but that would involve spoilers! All you'd want and expect from a Gothic romance. One more thing -- real men do cry!" |
By: Andy Adams (1859-1935) | |
---|---|
![]() As a boy Andy Adams helped with the cattle and horses on the family farm. During the early 1880s he went to Texas, where he stayed for 10 years, spending much of that time driving cattle on the western trails. A Texas Matchmaker is a narrative that describes the work of a cowboy on a large southTexas ranch during the late 1800’s. Adams is considered to be one of foremost writers of the life of the real American cowboy. |
By: James Macdonald Oxley (1855-1907) | |
---|---|
![]() An anthology of short stories, anecdotes and observations of sport and adventure in Canada. Tobogganing, snowshoeing , ice skating and hockey all feature, along with other cold-weather pursuits. |
By: Harry Hazelton (1848-1909) | |
---|---|
![]() Subtitled "Captain Hayward's Body Guard”. An adventure story for boys. |
By: Mildred A. Wirt Benson (1905-2002) | |
---|---|
![]() Jimmy 'Flash' Evans, 17, ace photographer for The Brandale Ledger, tries his hand at the newsreel game in this upbeat, pre-war adventure. The listed author, Frank Bell, was actually the prolific Mildred Wirt Benson, most famous for writing the early Nancy Drew novels under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. - Summary by Matt Pierard |
By: L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) | |
---|---|
![]() The Wizard of Oz has built two beautiful "Ozoplanes" to explore Oz. But the official launch party goes wrong when the Soldier with the Green Whiskers accidentally launches the Oztober into the cloud country of Stratovania! The ruler, Strut of the Strat, makes Jellia Jamb his "Starina" and then sets off to conquer the fascinating country of Oz! Meanwhile the Wizard, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow pile into the Ozpril and chase after the Oztober, but end up having an adventure of their own... |
By: St. George Henry Rathborne (1854-1938) | |
---|---|
![]() The Silver Fox Patrol is out in the Rocky Mountains, camping in the Big Timber. Many adventures await these boys, including a dunking in the river, an adventure involving a grizzly bear, and the appearance of some timber cruisers up to no good. Herbert Carter is one of the many pseudonyms of St. George Rathborne. |
By: Noel E. Sainsbury, Jr. (1884-1955) | |
---|---|
![]() Third entry in series of mystery-adventures about Midshipman Bill Bolton, a 17-year-old US Navy pilot. - Summary by Matt Pierard |
By: Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899) | |
---|---|
![]() In this third installment from the “Ragged Dick” series by Horatio Algers, Jr., the reader is reacquainted with some old friends and meets young Mark Manton. Mark is a match boy plagued by bad luck and an even worse guardian. But, with new friends, hard work, and smart choices, Mark may just find his luck taking a turn for the better. summary by tfaulder |
By: Seymour Eaton (1859-1916) | |
---|---|
![]() An entertaining sequel to the beloved Roosevelt Bears - Their Travels and Adventures. The Bears are once again full of hijinks and merriment as they make their way down the Eastern half of the United States. Enjoying baseball, publishing a newspaper, visiting the zoo and playing firemen Teddy-B and Teddy-G entertain the children and cause chaos for the city leaders. Book one in the series can be found here. Book three in the series can be found here. |
By: William Martin | |
---|---|
![]() This seafaring adventure story was adapted from the German. It is also known as The Disobedient Son and tells the story of a boy who runs away to sea. - Summary by Lynne Thompson |
By: Frank Benton (1853-1921) | |
---|---|
![]() Frank Benton, himself a wealthy rancher, provides a series of first-hand sketches of cowboy life of the late 19th and early 20th century from stories gathered from the "sidetrack." These were working cowpunchers with a subculture of their own who did the day-to-day work of the ranches. This is an important part of American history preserved for us in these stories. - Summary by Larry Wilson |
By: Guy Boothby (1867-1905) | |
---|---|
![]() Farewell Nikola is the fifth and last novel of the Dr Nikola series. We are reacquainted with Richard "Dick" Hatteras, former South Seas adventurer and Roustabout who clashed with Dr Nicola in “A Bid for Fortune". He is now Sir Richard Hatteras and firmly married. He is taking a long sojourn with his wife and companions in Venice, where quite by chance he bumps into Dr Nikola, who despite their stormy past, is the height of affability. He is still suave, cosmopolitan, cultivated and just as unscrupulous as he ever was... |
By: J. W. Duffield (1859-1946) | |
---|---|
![]() First volume of an adventure series for young adults - Summary by kathrinee |
By: Sir Charles G. D. Roberts (1860-1943) | |
---|---|
![]() Action and adventure short stories of men and animals in the wild. - Summary by David Wales |
By: Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) | |
---|---|
![]() "The Regeneration of Lord Ernie is a story about a young man with no passion for life, he was very capable and the heir to a large family fortune but just not interested in life. His father employs a teacher, John Hendricks, to take him on a world tour and try to inspire him. In the final stage of the tour in desperation he takes him to the Jura mountains, where he went as a young man, to visit a pastor he stayed with. During the stay they get involved with pagan worship that involves the transforming power of wind and fire, up in the mountains... |
By: May Folwell Hoisington (1874-1955) | |
---|---|
![]() An adventure story for boys, it was included in the Every Boys' Library, a collection of works deemed the most popular among boys. Set on an island off the coast of Maine, Woodcraft Boys at Sunset Island is an account of several school-age children and their parents as they explore nature and learn survival skills. They go on adventures, encounter thieves, find a pig on a raft, and through it all, learn the value of self-reliance. |
By: William Henry Shelton (1840-1932) | |
---|---|
![]() What if the Confederacy had won the American Civil War? It’s July 1864 and three oh-so-young Union troopers are assigned to a mountaintop in Tennessee to be a link in a chain of flag signalers across a ridge of mountains. They encounter a dizzying gorge with a rickety bridge, bears, aching heartache, freezing cold, avalanche, bats, skeletons, deserted cabins, puzzling mysteries, starvation, and more. |
By: Hannah Hudson Moore (1857-1927) | |
---|---|
![]() Do not think, dear girls, that because you are girls you may not have as much courage as your brothers. I believe that quite as stout hearts beat beneath muslin frocks as under stuff jackets. When you have finished reading this book about your sisters, perhaps – if you do not already – you will agree with me, and think that it needs only occasion to call out the necessary courage. I have been asked which one of these heroines I think the most daring, but – oh dear – it would never do to have a favourite, would it? So I leave them to you, and that you will enjoy learning of their trials and triumphs is the wish of your friend, the author. - Summary by preface |
By: Winona Caroline Martin (1882-1918) | |
---|---|
![]() Of all the legends of bygone ages which we in the foremost ranks of time may call our own perhaps none have come to us so fraught with the spirit of lofty idealism as those which cluster about the figure of King Arthur of Britain and the mystic Quest of the Holy Grail. In their devious wanderings down the centuries they have gradually been purified of all original coarseness while still retaining that wonderful charm and simplicity which belongs to the tales of the childhood of the race. Furthermore,... |
By: Oliver Optic (1822-1897) | |
---|---|
![]() The sixth and last volume of the Woodville stories contains the record of a mechanical, rather than a moral triumph, though the virtues of patience and perseverance are incidentally illustrated, and the "little captain" of the Woodville is always a good son, a forbearing brother, and a kind friend. Lawry Wilford, the young pilot, is a boy of spirit and energy, who overcomes difficulties by a strong faith in himself, and redeems his family from poverty, in spite of the bad example and the bad conduct of his father and his older brother... |
By: Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) | |
---|---|
![]() Blueblooded mama's boy Waldo Emerson Smith-Jones is swept overboard during a south seas voyage for his lifelong ill health. He finds himself on a jungle island. His bookish education has not prepared him to cope with these surroundings, and he is a coward. He is terrified when he encounters primitive, violent men, ape-like throwbacks in mankind's evolutionary history. He runs from them, but when he reaches a dead end, he successfully makes a stand, astonishing himself. While keeping the hairy brutes at bay, he meets a beautiful girl, Nadara, also on the run. In an uncharacteristic gesture, he saves her from the grasp of one ape-man during their escape. - Summary by Wikipedia |
By: Émile Zola (1840-1902) | |
---|---|
![]() The elopement of Philippe Cayol, an aspiring liberal, poor and untitled with Blanche De Cazalis, niece of a powerful millionaire and politician sets the stage in this novel full of twists and turns with villains a plenty. Philippe's brother Marius strives to protect the two lovers from the De Cazalis' uncontrolled fury. Although written in his youth Zola's signature style, his indignation about injustice and his vivid characterization of the noble, the wealthy and common man is very evident in this non stop adventure. - Summary by Celine Major |
By: Van Powell (1886-1958) | |
---|---|
![]() Second entry in series of teen aviation stories, filled with lots of scientific jargon, a jewel heist, and adventure. Van Powell is a pseudonym of early Hollywood screenwriter, Ardon Van Buren Powell . |
By: Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson (1858-1942) | |
---|---|
![]() Said to be the first-ever gay youth novel, this 1891 story follows the adventures of 12-year-old Gerald Saxton embarking on a trip from New York, to meet his father in Nova Scotia. He is chaperoned by 17-year-old Philip Touchtone. During the trip, their steamer sinks, they are shipwrecked, and marooned on an island. In addition, a shady antagonist is stalking the two. And while all this is happening, a friendship of mutual affection develops between the boys . - Summary by Donald Cummings |
By: Guy Boothby (1867-1905) | |
---|---|
![]() This is the third Dr Nikola book in a series of five written by Guy Boothby. The main character is Gilbert Pennethorne a man whom "Lady luck" has deserted. A number of commercial failures, estrangement from his family, Unsuccessful gold prospecting in Australia and finally having the location of one of the richest undiscovered gold mines in the world stolen from him by a man whom he classifies as his worst enemy. This tips him over the edge of normal reason, such that his desire for revenge is all consuming... |
By: Andy Adams | |
---|---|
![]() Another Biff Brewster adventure story set this time in exotic and mystical India with much of the action around and near the Himalayas. This story brings together all of the friends that Biff Brewster has made in his previous adventures plus a couple of new friends, and involves his father and Uncle Charles once again, and the other members of his family. Some of the events are spectacular, and tension is held by the involvement of an international spy and other situations including riots in Calcutta, poisonous snakes, a mad tiger, and wild bears, as well as a strange religious cult. |
By: R. M. Ballantyne (1825-1894) | |
---|---|
![]() In this first story in Freaks on the Fells, Mr Sudberry, a successful London merchant takes his family on a Scottish highlands vacation. Over the course of the summer the family has lots of exciting adventures near and around the farm and adjoining fishing stream. - Summary by Linny |
By: Roy J. Snell (1878-1959) | |
---|---|
![]() It is early in the days of radio, and amateurs are using it more and more, and using it illegally. Enter Curlie Carson, who has the job of tracking down the miscreants. Sounds boring. You wouldn't expect high speed car chases, kidnapping, double dealing, and maybe even murder. |
By: Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899) | |
---|---|
![]() Join Rough and Ready for his adventure on the streets of New York City. Working as a newsboy, Rough and Ready tries to support himself and his sister on his meager earnings. Unfortunately, their stepfather is seeking to kidnap little Rose, getting an education is hard work, swindlers are trying to trick him out of his money, and thieves are planning nefarious deeds. Luckily for Rough and Ready, he makes some good friends along the way. Summary by Tori Faulder |
By: Mildred A. Wirt Benson (1905-2002) | |
---|---|
![]() Orphan Anne Fairaday faces a life of poverty upon the death of her father. The only thing that can prevent it is finding his latest experiment. She enlisted her new found friend, Madge Sterling, an outdoors girl who has a knack for finding missing things. But they must race against time as there are also several people who will stop at nothing to get it first. |
By: Fred M. White (1859-1935) | |
---|---|
![]() Here are six stories, each one describing a disaster afflicting London, that were popularly serialized during 1903-1904 in Pearson’s Magazine. The tales depict a deep freeze and unprecedented snowfall; a heavy, blinding, paralyzing blanket of fog; a widespread killer virus; a fraudulent scheme causing financial panic; a minor electrical accident in a tunnel that spirals into catastrophe; and most of the city’s water supply, reportedly contaminated with deadly bubonic bacillus, puts the population in great fear of plague. Is the word “doom” in the book's title accurate, or is it just hyperbole? |
By: Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
---|---|
![]() Mark Twain wrote this fairytale style story about 3 boys who meet Satan's cousin and they experience many things during this time. The story is narrated by one of the boys many years later. Mark Twain ends the story expressing the idea that will blow you away. Ideas that can be traced back thousands of years in many religions. What is existence really ... to quote that well known song by Eliphalet Oram Lyte ... Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream, Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream .... so dream on. - Summary by Patrick79 |
By: Arthur Morrison (1863-1945) | |
---|---|
![]() Written to complement Tales of Mean Streets and A Child of the Jago, and the final book in the trilogy, To London Town examines the mean streets and tough lives of the inhabitants of the East End of London. The novel described in graphic detail living conditions in the East End, including the permeation of violence into everyday life. |
By: Helen Randolph | |
---|---|
![]() While visiting their friend, Florence, at her home in Mexico, Jo Ann and Peggy noticed a barred window which has no opening into any of the rooms of an ancient adobe house. Curious to find out what it is, the girls tried to investigate but no one seems eager to help them. Undaunted, the girls made plans to get there only to encounter dangers and find a thrilling discovery. - Summary by Mary Escano |
By: Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) | |
---|---|
![]() Tarzan's amazing ability to establish kinship with some of the most dangerous animals in the jungle serves him well in this exciting story of his adventures with the Golden Lion, Jad-bal-ja, when the great and lordly animal becomes his ally and protector. Tarzan learns from the High Priestess, La, of a country north of Opar which is held in dread by the Oparians. It is peopled by a strange race of gorilla-men with the intelligence of humans and the strength of gorillas. From time to time they attack Opar, carrying off prisoners for use as slaves in the jewel-studded Temple where they worship a great black-maned lion... |
By: Laura Lee Hope | |
---|---|
![]() This is the 11th in the original series of books about the Bobbseys -- two sets of twins in one family, solving mysteries and having adventures. Bert and Nan are 12, Flossie and Freddie are six. There is a father who works, a mother who stays home, a cook, a handyman, and an assortment of animals. - Summary by Nan Dodge |
By: Joseph A. Altsheler (1862-1919) | |
---|---|
![]() Arthur West has been taken as a prisoner of war by Colonel Hetherhill of the Confederate States of America, and imprisoned at Fort Defiance, where an oddly small number of soldiers are stationed. More odd than the size of the fort's company, however, is the fact that the Civil War ended thirty years prior to West's capture. This is the story of West's attempts to regain his freedom. - Summary by David Gore |
By: Margaret Vandercook (1877-1958) | |
---|---|
![]() Betty and Esther are having another camping adventure in the New Hampshire hills, but this time it is the dead of winter. They are stuck with an overturned sleigh in the middle of a snowstorm! That is just the beginning of the problems that need to be overcome by these two smart girls! |
By: Archibald Clavering Gunter (1847-1907) | |
---|---|
![]() The Exciting adventures of a beautiful Texan debutante. She was raised in New York City high society and attended the best schools. When her mother died she felt the urge to go out west to join her father, whom she never knew, on their massive ranch. What followed were river boat journeys, steamboat gamblers, desperadoes, con artists, Mexican military and Indian attacks. She rode out west under the protection of the Texan Rangers and US military only to discover the ultimate deception when she reached the ranch! |
By: Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) | |
---|---|
![]() The story of an inventor's son, who tries to prevent him and a couple other characters from being taken into poverty by the man of the house who is drinking away the money, while trying to inherit their grandmother's money. - Summary by ej400 |
By: Anonymous | |
---|---|
![]() This is the prequel of the Nibelungenlied. It tells the tale of Siegfried as a young man when he sets forth to earn a name for himself so he will be able to stand proudly with his ancestors. - Summary by Fritz |