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 #23 · Sunday, 23 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

“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.”

The Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan DoyleThe Great GatsbyF. Scott FitzgeraldThe Scarlet LetterNathaniel HawthorneGreat ExpectationsCharles Dickens

Line 2

“In a village of La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire to call to mind, there lived not long since one of those gentlemen that keep a lance in the lance-rack, an old buckler, a lean hack, and a greyhound for coursing.”

Heart of DarknessJoseph ConradUlyssesJames JoyceDon QuixoteMiguel de CervantesThe War of the WorldsH. G. Wells

Line 3

“Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”

The Portrait of a LadyHenry JamesBleak HouseCharles DickensThe Time MachineH. G. WellsGreat ExpectationsCharles Dickens

Line 4

“Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile;”

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeRobert Louis StevensonPersuasionJane AustenThe Great GatsbyF. Scott FitzgeraldThe Wonderful Wizard of OzL. Frank Baum

Line 5

“A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over:”

The Portrait of a LadyHenry JamesThe AwakeningKate ChopinWar and PeaceLeo TolstoyDavid CopperfieldCharles Dickens

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.