How do you play Opening Lines?

Read the opening sentence and choose the novel it belongs to. Look for the narrator, setting and tone as clues. A remembered first sentence can help, but a line can also be a starting point for finding a new book to read.

When do the daily book games change?

New puzzles arrive at midnight UTC. That may be morning, afternoon or evening in your time zone. The date on the game identifies the puzzle everyone is playing.

Can I play without an account?

You can play the daily games as a guest. Sign in if you want to keep your streaks across devices, and use the archive links when you want an earlier puzzle. Avoid posting an answer where people who have not played will see it.

Secondhand · Well-read · Much loved

Creasy Spines

“Every crease is a story.”

Vol. I · No. 292Monday, 19 October 2026Today’s edition

Opening Lines #7 · Friday, 7 August 2026

Opening Lines

Five first sentences from public-domain classics. Which book does each one open?

Replaying an archived puzzle. Play today’s

Line 1

“We were in class when the head-master came in, followed by a ‘new fellow,’ not wearing the school uniform, and a school servant carrying a large desk.”

The War of the WorldsH. G. WellsTess of the d'UrbervillesThomas HardyMadame BovaryGustave FlaubertThe Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde

Line 2

“I returned from the City about three o’clock on that May afternoon pretty well disgusted with life.”

The Thirty-Nine StepsJohn BuchanA Passage to IndiaE. M. ForsterMiddlemarchGeorge EliotThe Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne

Line 3

“The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home.”

Mrs DallowayVirginia WoolfStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeRobert Louis StevensonBleak HouseCharles DickensThe Wind in the WillowsKenneth Grahame

Line 4

“Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do:”

Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis CarrollAnne of Green GablesL. M. MontgomeryA Room of One's OwnVirginia WoolfA Room with a ViewE. M. Forster

Line 5

“Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress.”

Gulliver's TravelsJonathan SwiftGreat ExpectationsCharles DickensA Christmas CarolCharles DickensMiddlemarchGeorge Eliot

Archive · Your stats · First lines are from works published before 1930.

A few playing notes

How do you play Opening Lines?: Read the opening sentence and choose the novel it belongs to. Look for the narrator, setting and tone as clues. A remembered first sentence can help, but a line can also be a starting point for finding a new book to read.
When do the daily book games change?: New puzzles arrive at midnight UTC. That may be morning, afternoon or evening in your time zone. The date on the game identifies the puzzle everyone is playing.
Can I play without an account?: You can play the daily games as a guest. Sign in if you want to keep your streaks across devices, and use the archive links when you want an earlier puzzle. Avoid posting an answer where people who have not played will see it.