Rhapsody: A Dream Novel, also known as Dream Story (German: Traumnovelle), is a 1926 novella by the Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler. The book deals with the thoughts and psychological transformations of Doctor Fridolin over a two-day period after his wife confesses having had sexual fantasies involving another man. In this short time, he meets many people who give clues to the world Schnitzler creates. This culminates in the masquerade ball, an event of masked identity, sex, and danger for Doctor Fridolin, the outsider. It was first published in installments in the magazine Die Dame between December 1925 and March 1926. The first book edition appeared in 1926 in S. Fischer Verlag. The best known of the film adaptations is the 1999 film Eyes Wide Shut by director-screenwriter Stanley Kubrick and co-screenwriter Frederic Raphael, although it makes significant alterations to the setting. Prior to this film, it had been adapted for Austrian television in 1969; as an Italian film entitled Il cavaliere, la morte e il diavolo in 1983; and as a low-budget Italian film entitled Nightmare in Venice in 1989. The book belongs to the period of the Decadent movement in Vienna after the turn of the 20th century. (This summary is from Wikipedia.)

“De man, die veertig draken doodde” is a pulp adventure serial written in the early 20th century. Set in Peking, it follows the gentleman‑adventurer John Raffles (the “Great Unknown”) as he becomes entangled in violent court intrigues, temple conspiracies, and a perilous rescue involving the young beauty Anitai. Expect a fast, melodramatic mix of abduction, corruption, and East–West tension, with a ruthless police chief and rival palace factions as chief antagonists. The opening of the story plunges into a noisy festival for the spring god Tsai‑Soi, where the poor youth Win‑Seng and his sister Anitai are spotted by the powerful, corrupt mandarin Kwo‑Saing. Win‑Seng is knocked out and handed to temple priests, while Anitai is nearly abducted—until Raffles, traveling incognito, forces entry with help from French legation guards and carries her to safety. As Raffles shelters the girl, we meet Prince Thun and his wife Wandé, whose enemies use the Tsai‑Soi priests to drug Wandé and force Win‑Seng—later mutilated and made a tongueless slave—into a plot that disgraces the prince; Raffles intervenes and wins Thun’s alliance. Kwo‑Saing then has the witch Bali lure and kidnap Anitai for the rival Prince Tuan, prompting Raffles to seek aid from the priesthood of the Sun Temple, which promises to return the girl the following evening. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"Everest" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the December 1953 issue of Universe Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories. Asimov wrote the story in one sitting while visiting the Chicago, Illinois editorial offices of Universe on 7 April 1953. In the summary of Buy Jupiter and Other Stories, Asimov claims he frequently used this story to show how poor he was at predicting the future: Everest was successfully climbed in May 1953, and the story (although written in April 1953) did not appear in print until December of that year, meaning Asimov predicted Everest would never be conquered seven months after it was. (This summary is from Wikipedia.)

Futility by William Gerhardi is a novel written in the early 20th century. It blends comedy and melancholy in a Chekhov-like portrait of pre-revolutionary Russian society, seen through an Anglo-Russian narrator who becomes entangled with the turbulent Bursanov family. The likely focus is the clash of love, vanity, money, and obligation across a sprawling circle of relatives, dependents, and suitors, where every solution breeds new complications and a pervasive sense of futility. The opening of the book frames the narrator in Vladivostok, awaiting a ship home and deciding to set down his tale, then flashing back to a seaside dacha near Petersburg where he meets the three sisters—Sonia, Nina, and Vera—and glimpses the family’s fractures while watching Chekhov’s Three Sisters. At their city flat he learns that the commanding Fanny Ivanovna is not legally married to their father, Nikolai Vasilievich; constant quarrels, money troubles, and divorce tangles dominate. Nina and Vera depart for Moscow to their mother, and at the station the narrator impulsively proposes to Nina. Fanny then pours out her history: a proud German past, eleven years as Nikolai’s partner without divorce, his wife Magda’s disruptions, the illusion of Siberian gold mines, a mortgaged house, and a trail of dependents (including the silent “Kniaz”). A dinner interrupted by letters and visitors brings Eisenstein’s tearful plea and the shock that Vera is his daughter; later, Magda waits on the landing and confides her wish to remarry and her belief that Nikolai long avoided divorce to evade marrying Fanny. The narrator soon encounters Nikolai exultant with teenaged Zina and meets her ravenous family; a theatre sighting by Fanny and the girls deepens the rift. Emboldened, the narrator drafts a grand “intervention” chart to fix everyone’s lives, only to be mocked, his plan torn up, and his coach horse’s comic retreat sealing his humiliation; a sleepless white night on the balcony with Fanny closes this beginning in rueful, talk-filled stillness. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"The romance of the Oxford colleges" by Francis Henry Gribble is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It likely surveys the origins, architecture, customs, and legends of Oxford’s colleges, blending anecdote with history to evoke their scholarly life and traditions. The opening of the provided work presents a Finnish three-act comedy set at Rouhu farm, where the sturdy patriarch Matti clings to control and delays handing the farm to his son Erkki, dampening the spirits of Erkki and his capable wife Tuovi. Elli, Matti’s lively daughter, chafes at boredom and rebuffs suitors while two neighboring agronomists, Mauno and Olli, spar and compete for her attention. After Elli’s outburst and a frank, kind talk with Tuovi, Matti softens, agrees to transfer the farm (keeping a modest syytinki of two cows and a calf), and plans to finalize papers on Matinpäivä. The mood turns festive as preparations begin, Mauno and Olli arrive bantering, Mauno attempts a private courtship, and on Matinpäivä Olli hurries in ahead of his rival; amid a comic spill that sends Mauno into a snowbank, Olli finally blurts out his love as the excerpt closes. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The Brimming Cup is a novel by Dorothy Canfield Fisher that was the second best-selling novel in the United States in 1921. The novel was first serialized in McCall's from October 1920 through March 1921 and then published in book form on March 10, 1921. The novel was Fisher's most commercially successful novel. Its positive setting of life in small town America (Ashley, Vermont) was marketed as a contrast to the successful Main Street (1920) by Sinclair Lewis, which the best selling novel in the United States in 1921, just ahead of Fisher. A passage of the novel discusses unfair treatment of blacks in Georgia, and has been called "the first modern best-seller to present criticism of racial prejudice." (This summary is from Wikipedia.)

"The romance of the Oxford colleges" by Francis Henry Gribble is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It likely traces the origins, traditions, architecture, and notable personalities of Oxford’s colleges, blending anecdote and history to evoke the enduring charm and culture of the university. The opening of this work presents an anonymous medico-philosophical treatise that defends discussing a delicate subject—flagellation as a stimulus to sexual desire—on the grounds of public utility. After a preliminary discourse and an outline of chapters, it argues that whipping has long been used to provoke arousal, citing classical authorities and personal observation, and then offers a physiological explanation linking stimulation of the loins to genital response. The author condemns penitential flagellation in religious houses and corporal punishment in schools as harmful practices that inflame the very impulses they aim to suppress, calling for reform. A brief conclusion reiterates that the whip is a crude and degrading expedient, after which a “dissertation” supplies gentler aphrodisiac regimens for weakness, exhaustion, and old age, complete with recipes and a catalog of botanical and aromatic stimulants. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"The romance of the Oxford colleges" by Francis Henry Gribble is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It likely offers a lively survey of Oxford’s colleges—their origins, customs, architecture, and memorable personalities—blending anecdote with history to capture the charm of England’s academic heritage. Readers curious about university lore and English cultural history will find it especially appealing. The opening of the provided narrative follows Ben Fairfax, a sharp but unruly stable boy who charms his way into haymaking work on a Midlands farm, steals fruit and small goods, and then bolts when a guilty tug of love for his frail sister Fan sends him back home. He finds his father arrested for poaching, his mother and baby brother dead of fever, and Fan dangerously weak and targeted by police as a witness; he carries her off to London. Forced out by a fearful landlady, they flee again, briefly riding a produce waggon until the driver, sensing Ben’s lies and Fan’s illness, turns them away. Hungry and desperate, Ben nearly steals food but relents at Fan’s urgent plea. At last, he leaves the sleeping child in a tiny woodland cottage on a wealthy estate, where we meet the kind Harewoods—especially their cherished daughter, Pearl—setting the stage for the two worlds to meet. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Lost Nellie by Pansy is a collection of short stories and verses for children written in the late 19th century. The book gently teaches moral and Christian lessons through everyday situations—emphasizing prayer, honesty, obedience, cheerful patience, and kindness. The pieces follow young children in small but telling predicaments. In Lost Nellie, a little girl prays under an oak until her father is guided to her. An Old Story retells Noah’s Ark in simple language. Our Jessie shows a child praying to find her mother. Trying to Amuse Willie depicts a convalescent boy so determined to be unhappy that he misses a friend’s visit, then owns his fault. Trouble clears an accused boy when his established character speaks for him. Being Good finds Gracie “obediently” staying in her chair while cutting a curtain to mop spilled cologne. Lulie’s Troubles portrays a girl envying her grandfather’s removable white hair and learning hers won’t come off. Who’ll Settle It turns a quarrel over a game’s score into laughter sparked by a dog’s antics. Across these scenes, the book highlights trust in God, good habits, humility, and the power of gentle humor to resolve conflicts. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"The romance of the Oxford colleges" by Francis Henry Gribble is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It likely surveys the origins, traditions, architecture, and notable personalities of Oxford’s colleges, blending anecdote with accessible history to convey the distinctive spirit of each institution. The opening of the provided text lays out a practical safety program for foundries: a preface urging cooperative “beehive” discipline to cut accidents, and an introduction noting that most injuries are burns that better clothing could prevent. It then specifies personal protective equipment—stout, hard‑finished garments, snug congress shoes with proper leggings, side‑shielded goggles with appropriate lenses, gloves and sleeves for heat, and leather or rubber aprons and boots for pickling. Equipment guidance stresses rigorous inspection and guarding of ladles (enclosed gears, safe balancing and locking, splash shields), correct pouring posture and training, thorough drying and storage, and the use of iron/steel flasks with adequate floor clearance to prevent run‑outs. It details the composition, seasoning, annealing, and gentle handling of graphite crucibles to avoid cracks and catastrophic spills, and safer cupola practice (clean “botting” technique, blast-gate control, guarded elevators and charging doors). The section also signals broader safeguards—traveling‑crane protocols, proper slings and hooks, dust control on tumbling barrels and sand‑blasting, machine guarding, adequate illumination, and an orderly yard—as low‑cost, high‑impact measures to reduce accidents. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"The romance of the Oxford colleges" by Francis Henry Gribble is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It likely explores the origins, architecture, customs, and notable personalities of Oxford’s colleges, blending anecdote and accessible scholarship to capture their enduring allure. The opening of the provided work instead sketches a vivid portrait of the French Catholic priest, beginning with distinctive dress and customs (soutane, tonsure, evolving collars) and the profession’s disciplined bearing, even as it adapts to modernities like bicycles and motorbikes. It then explains how priests are formed: vocation discerned early, education in petits et grands séminaires, rigorous spiritual training, and a balanced curriculum shaped by centuries of practice, with debates about university study versus seminary life. The text shows the priest’s social roots—largely rural—and his close identification with the countryside, parish life, and even gardening, while noting financial changes after church–state separation and the importance of the denier du culte. It contrasts the country curé’s steady, formative role in village conscience with the urban curé’s organizational burdens, fundraising, parish-building, and reliance on vicaires and youth patronages. A modern “priest of works” emerges, using bulletins, household files, lay groups, social services, and a patient, personal approach to rebuild parish life, before the discussion turns to preaching—its training, pitfalls, styles, and the constraints and expectations imposed by church settings and tradition. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"The romance of the Oxford colleges" by Francis Henry Gribble is a historical and anecdotal survey written in the early 20th century. It likely explores the origins, traditions, personalities, and architectural character of Oxford’s colleges, blending history with legend and campus lore. Readers can expect lively sketches of notable figures and episodes that shaped collegiate life, aimed at conveying the charm and continuity of Oxford. The opening of the provided text presents a prefatory defense of criticism and a call for intellectual independence, followed by an essay arguing that disinterested criticism—seeing things as they truly are—must precede and nourish great creative work. It rebukes the English tendency to subordinate ideas to immediate practical ends, contrasts this with the Continental critical spirit, and insists that criticism should avoid party battles while creating a current of fresh, true ideas. Vivid set pieces include a humorous apology to a translator, praise of Oxford’s inspiring idealism, a satirical dig at national “Philistinism,” and the stark “Wragg is in custody” juxtaposition to puncture self-satisfied rhetoric. The text distinguishes epochs of “expansion” from “concentration,” invokes Burke as a thinker who saturated politics with ideas, and critiques sensational or misconceived religious controversies while acknowledging serious attempts to reframe Gospel narratives. It then turns to the next essay’s subject: the French Academy—its Richelieu-era origins, mission to refine language, and role as a high literary tribunal setting standards—contrasted with England’s lack of such an institution and the resulting unevenness in prose, scholarship, and linguistic discipline. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"The romance of the Oxford colleges" by Francis Henry Gribble is a historical account written in the late 19th century. It likely tours Oxford’s constituent colleges, tracing their origins, traditions, notable figures, and architectural charms while weaving in anecdote and legend for general readers. The opening of the narrative provided here instead introduces Dorcas Dene, a former actress turned private detective, through a dramatist-narrator who reconnects with her after years apart. We learn her backstory, her blind husband Paul, their wry “council of four” (including her mother and a bulldog), and then see two early cases: first, the disappearance of young Lord Helsham, which Dorcas cracks by going undercover at a theatre, deducing his suicidal intent, and uncovering a birth-swapping secret that she resolves discreetly by staging a false death and restoring the rightful succession. Next, posing as a nurse, she unravels the “man with the wild eyes” mystery at Orley Park: Maud Hargreaves has secretly married Victor Dubois, who, now mentally ill, attacks her by a lake and then drowns; Dorcas proves the marriage, traces him via footprints, a hat, and a photograph, and secures a quiet inquest verdict of temporary insanity. The section closes with Dorcas, in yet another disguise, surveilling a trio at Richmond—signaling a fresh case to come. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The Way the World Is Going is a 1928 nonfiction book written by British author H. G. Wells. The book is a compilation of 26 articles and a lecture published in the United Kingdom and the United States throughout 1927. The topics range from politics to science and from social affairs to economics. Originally published in the Sunday Express in the UK, and the New York Times in the US, the articles provided Wells with the best medium to air his social and political agendas. In his opening notes to the book Wells expressed his frustration at the “editorial interference” that resulted in his work appearing only after, “suffering a certain amount of mutilation.” Although this introduction appeared in both the UK and US editions, Wells subsequently had to clarify that his complaints applied to the Sunday Express only, and not the New York Times, which published the articles essentially intact. The articles are a mixture of predictions and commentary based on the science and politics of the time. The book is similar to Wells' earlier 1925 work A Year of Prophesying. Unlike this earlier work, The Way the World Is Going is marked by both a dark disillusionment and decaying optimism over the state of the world at the time. (This summary is from Wikipedia.)

The romance of the Oxford colleges by Francis Henry Gribble is a historical account written in the early 20th century. However, the text provided reads like a lively, contemporary romance-comedy that follows a chivalrous young motorist, Archie Laverock, whose impulsive rescue of a seemingly distressed girl pulls him into the orbit of Lucy Joy, a rising film star, hinting at a witty tale of celebrity, class, and courtship. The opening of the narrative shows Archie, newly weary of romance, driving through Surrey when he witnesses a man on a motorcycle roughly eject a girl from a sidecar; Archie intervenes, only to learn the “assault” was a scene being filmed. The girl reveals herself as Lucy Joy, a much-hyped beauty-contest winner turned film ingénue, and takes Archie home to her exuberant family—devoted mother, stylish aunt, irrepressible teen brother, and a menagerie—where her charmed, chaotic life and steady stream of powerful older admirers are on full display. Archie is both captivated and put off as a quartet of well-placed gentlemen whisk Lucy away, prompting his prickly reflections on privilege and age. Soon after, Lucy’s brother invites Archie to a woodland picnic that proves awkward: an ill-tempered admiral dampens the mood while Lucy and Archie circle each other warily, their mutual curiosity complicated by fame, family, and social dynamics. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"The romance of the Oxford colleges" by Francis Henry Gribble is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It offers lively, anecdote-rich sketches of Oxford’s colleges, foregrounding human-interest stories, famous alumni, and traditions rather than dates or architectural detail. Aimed at curious visitors and general readers, it tours each college through memorable episodes that link university life to wider English history. The opening of the book sets out its aim to be neither history nor guidebook but a collection of the stories outsiders most want to hear, then launches into brisk, illustrated chapters. University College begins by dismissing the Alfred the Great legend in favor of William of Durham and moves quickly to Percy Shelley’s notoriety: his “Stinks Man” experiments, alliance with Hogg, impish baby-on-Magdalen-Bridge episode, the provocative pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism, the shop-window scandal, and his expulsion for refusing to answer the dons—framed more as defiant prank than firm atheism. Balliol follows from its penitential founding to Adam Smith’s scathing verdict on slothful eighteenth‑century teaching, Southey’s Pantisocracy dream with Coleridge, rough “rags,” reforms under Parsons and Jenkyns (amid comic anecdotes), and the long central portrait of Jowett—formidable tutor, reformer, talker, and enigmatic churchman whose influence radiated across public life. Merton is shown as the first true corporate college, heroic in the 1354 St Scholastica’s Day riot, gleaming in Elizabethan days under Savile and Bodley, then glittering through the Civil War as the Queen’s residence before sliding into later frivolity and garden scandals, with vignettes of Mandell Creighton and the youthful Lord Randolph Churchill. Exeter appears as the West Country and Whig-leaning college, producing “Parson Jack” Russell the pugilistic parson, Colonel Peard “Garibaldi’s Englishman,” the Protestant-spirited Froude whose Nemesis of Faith was theatrically burnt by Sewell, and, later, Morris and Burne-Jones nurturing pre‑Raphaelite tastes in Oxford (including Morris’s blue‑paint mishap before a Christ Church dinner). The Oriel chapter opens with Adam de Brome’s foundation and the St Mary’s connection, foreshadowing its nineteenth‑century eminence, before the excerpt breaks off. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"Tabby's travels" by Lucy Ellen Guernsey is a travel narrative written in the mid-19th century. It presents a first-person journey by an intrepid woman determined to circumnavigate the globe, emphasizing shipboard life, hard-earned practical advice, and clear-eyed observations of the places she reaches, especially Brazil. The opening of the work begins with a biographical notice of the famed traveler Ida Pfeiffer, praising her courage, persistence, and plain, truthful style, and sketching her wide-ranging expeditions, capped by a letter of endorsement from Alexander von Humboldt. An author’s preface follows, rejecting the label “tourist” and promising an unadorned account. Chapter I then recounts departure from Vienna for Hamburg, waiting for a companion, and embarking on a Danish brig to Brazil; the narrator contrasts steamers with sailing ships, lists the provisions and gear a long voyage demands, and depicts the slow run down the Elbe, rough days in the English Channel, bioluminescent seas, flying fish, “Portuguese man-of-war,” the equator crossing, sudden “vamperos,” and, after storms, the dramatic entry into Rio’s bay—ending with a poignant note about a fellow passenger abandoned by her husband. The start of Chapter II turns to Rio de Janeiro itself: its streets, aqueduct, markets, opera, and museum; the dominance of Black labor, the realities of slavery and policing, and festival scenes, all described in a sober, observant tone. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"Tabby's travels" by Lucy Ellen Guernsey is a historical-literary study written in the early 20th century. The work examines the Nobel Prize in Literature by outlining Alfred Nobel’s life and will, explaining how the prizes are structured and awarded, and presenting biographical portraits and critical assessments of notable early laureates such as Sully-Prudhomme, Frédéric Mistral, Theodor Mommsen, Rudolf Eucken, Björnstjerne Björnson, and Giosuè Carducci. It blends accessible criticism with background context to guide readers through the ideals and international scope of the prize. The opening of the work sets the stage with a preface describing years of research and lectures, positioning the book as a concise roadmap accompanied by selective bibliographies and acknowledgments to many libraries, scholars, and publishers. It then narrates Alfred Nobel’s background, his invention of dynamite, his correspondence with Bertha von Suttner, and the ideals behind his will, followed by a clear summary of the prize statutes: categories, committees, nomination rules, non-national favoritism, the lecture expectation, and practical corrections to the “preceding year” clause; it also notes criticisms about retrospective awards and the prize’s broadening effect on world literature. Subsequent chapters profile the first laureates: Sully-Prudhomme as a philosophical lyric poet (La Justice, Le Bonheur) with commentary from figures like Anatole France; Mistral as the Provençal revivalist of Mireio and leader of the Félibrige, who shared the 1904 award; Mommsen as the vivid historian of Rome and exemplary scholar; and Eucken as an idealist philosopher whose Nobel lecture contrasts Naturalism and Idealism. It then treats Björnson’s peasant tales and social dramas, his patriotism, and his contrast with Ibsen, before beginning the chapter on Carducci. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The Electress Sophia and the Hanoverian Succession by Adolphus William Ward is a historical biography written in the early 20th century. It follows the life and political significance of the Electress Sophia of Hanover, emphasizing her pivotal place in securing the Protestant (Hanoverian) path to the British throne amid the religious and dynastic struggles of early modern Europe. The work situates her within the Palatine and Brunswick-Lüneburg houses and draws on rich correspondence and archival sources to blend political narrative with an intellectual portrait. The opening of the book explains that the author will foreground Sophia’s role in the British Succession while setting necessary context: the decline of the Palatine fortunes, the rise of the Hanoverian line, and the broader Protestant-Catholic conflicts. The preface details the sources—Sophia’s memoirs and voluminous letters, her exchanges with Leibniz, the Queen of Bohemia’s correspondence, diplomatic dispatches—and notes controversial Hanoverian episodes, including material on Sophia Dorothea and Königsmarck. The introductory chapter frames Sophia as “heiress of Great Britain,” highlighting her prudence and self-control and presenting the Succession as the realized form of the Protestant cause. The narrative then begins with Sophia’s birth to Frederick V and Elizabeth Stuart, recounts Elizabeth’s upbringing at Combe Abbey (including the Gunpowder Plot scare), her marriage into the Palatinate, the political gamble of accepting the Bohemian crown, the defeat at White Mountain, and the family’s exile and search for support in the Netherlands and among Protestant allies, before moving toward the later Swedish intervention and Frederick’s death—establishing the stakes and setting the stage for Sophia’s eventual prominence. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"Tabby's travels" by Lucy Ellen Guernsey is a children's novel written in the mid- to late-19th century. It likely offers a moral, gently didactic tale following a young protagonist nicknamed Tabby through a series of journeys and lessons that shape her character. Readers can expect domestic scenes, travel episodes, and clear ethical guidance typical of Victorian juvenile fiction. The opening of the text provided is a nonfiction critique of English law that begins with a satirical portrait of barristers, then launches into a forceful call to reform divorce practice: separating specialized jurisdictions, abolishing judicial separation and the waiting period between preliminary and final decrees, broadening grounds to include separation and mutual misconduct, and enabling affordable access in local courts. It next examines death certification and inquests, proposing clearer qualifications and pay for coroners, routine use of medical investigators, firmer record‑keeping, better certification of the fact and cause of death, limits on delays before burial, and registration of stillbirths, while criticizing undertaker customs and some foreign burial practices. The narrative then turns to wills, stressing strict witnessing and signature formalities, showing how minor defects can defeat clear intention, and illustrating disputes (including a notorious murderer’s estate) to expose inequities in intestacy and probate. A concise overview of libel and slander follows—definitions, when spoken words are actionable, defenses, and the hazards of publicity—illustrated by a high‑profile royal libel case, before briefly touching on the anomaly of imprisonment for debt. (This is an automatically generated summary.)