Books in short

Famous books in short

Each classic in a few minutes: the whole story in easy English, the main characters, themes, key lessons, who should read it, and real quotes copied from the original text.

Title page of the first edition of Pride and Prejudice, volume one, London, 1813Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen, 1813Frontispiece of the 1831 edition of Frankenstein by Theodor von Holst: Victor Frankenstein fleeing from the creature he has madeFrankensteinMary Shelley, 1818Title page of the first American edition of Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, Harper and Brothers, 1851Moby-DickHerman Melville, 1851Original 1925 dust jacket of The Great Gatsby by Francis Cugat: a face with eyes above a glowing city at nightThe Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925Title page of the first edition of Jane Eyre, edited by Currer Bell, 1847Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë, 1847An illustration from the first edition of Little Women, Roberts Brothers, 1868Little WomenLouisa May Alcott, 1868John Leech's 1843 illustration Marley's Ghost: Scrooge by the fire meets the chained ghost of Jacob MarleyA Christmas CarolCharles Dickens, 1843Title page of the first edition of Great Expectations, volume one, Chapman and Hall, 1861Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens, 1861John Tenniel's illustration of Alice holding a flamingo under her arm, from Alice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice’s Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll, 1865Title page of the first edition of Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell (Emily Bronte), 1847Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë, 1847

Frequently asked questions

Which books are summarised here?

Ten public-domain classics: Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, Moby-Dick, The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre, Little Women, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Wuthering Heights.

Do the summaries include spoilers?

Yes. Each story in short tells the whole plot, including the ending, so you can follow a class discussion or decide whether to read the book.

Will you add more books?

Yes, slowly. We add a few carefully checked books at a time rather than hundreds at once.

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Published 2026-10-27. Last checked 2026-10-27.