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 #28 · Friday, 28 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

“Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island,”

PersuasionJane AustenThe Wind in the WillowsKenneth GrahameCrime and PunishmentFyodor DostoevskyTreasure IslandRobert Louis Stevenson

Line 2

“Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table.”

Moby-DickHerman MelvilleThe Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan DoyleGreat ExpectationsCharles DickensThe Adventures of Tom SawyerMark Twain

Line 3

“April is the cruellest month, breeding”

The Waste LandT. S. EliotMoby-DickHerman MelvilleSense and SensibilityJane AustenHeart of DarknessJoseph Conrad

Line 4

“‘Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the Buonapartes.’”

War and PeaceLeo TolstoyTess of the d'UrbervillesThomas HardyThe Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan DoyleThe Jungle BookRudyard Kipling

Line 5

“Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, from Puget Sound to San Diego.”

Anne of Green GablesL. M. MontgomeryThe Count of Monte CristoAlexandre DumasA Room with a ViewE. M. ForsterThe Call of the WildJack London

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.