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 #16 · Sunday, 16 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

“My father’s family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip.”

EmmaJane AustenThe Portrait of a LadyHenry JamesGreat ExpectationsCharles DickensThe Wonderful Wizard of OzL. Frank Baum

Line 2

“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.”

DraculaBram StokerLittle WomenLouisa May AlcottWar and PeaceLeo TolstoyJane EyreCharlotte Brontë

Line 3

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,”

War and PeaceLeo TolstoyA Tale of Two CitiesCharles DickensThe Secret GardenFrances Hodgson BurnettGreat ExpectationsCharles Dickens

Line 4

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

The Thirty-Nine StepsJohn BuchanEmmaJane AustenJane EyreCharlotte BrontëThe Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald

Line 5

“1801.—I have just returned from a visit to my landlord—the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with.”

Wuthering HeightsEmily BrontëThe Picture of Dorian GrayOscar WildeThe War of the WorldsH. G. WellsThe Wind in the WillowsKenneth Grahame

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.