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 #43 · Saturday, 12 September 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 had a small estate in Nottinghamshire; I was the third of five sons.”

Pride and PrejudiceJane AustenA Passage to IndiaE. M. ForsterA Tale of Two CitiesCharles DickensGulliver's TravelsJonathan Swift

Line 2

“Call me Ishmael.”

The AwakeningKate ChopinStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeRobert Louis StevensonA Tale of Two CitiesCharles DickensMoby-DickHerman Melville

Line 3

“The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest.”

Heart of DarknessJoseph ConradTess of the d'UrbervillesThomas HardyAlice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis CarrollMoby-DickHerman Melville

Line 4

“It was seven o’clock of a very warm evening in the Seeonee hills when Father Wolf woke up from his day’s rest,”

The Adventures of Tom SawyerMark TwainTess of the d'UrbervillesThomas HardyThe Jungle BookRudyard KiplingThe Secret GardenFrances Hodgson Burnett

Line 5

“A throng of bearded men, in sad-coloured garments and grey steeled hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice,”

The Wind in the WillowsKenneth GrahameBleak HouseCharles DickensLes MisérablesVictor HugoThe Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne

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.