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 #46 · Tuesday, 15 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

“On an exceptionally hot evening early in July a young man came out of the garret in which he lodged in S. Place and walked slowly, as though in hesitation, towards K. bridge.”

War and PeaceLeo TolstoyCrime and PunishmentFyodor DostoevskyDavid CopperfieldCharles DickensThe Jungle BookRudyard Kipling

Line 2

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

A Christmas CarolCharles DickensThe Thirty-Nine StepsJohn BuchanGulliver's TravelsJonathan SwiftPride and PrejudiceJane Austen

Line 3

“‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.”

The Time MachineH. G. WellsBleak HouseCharles DickensGulliver's TravelsJonathan SwiftLittle WomenLouisa May Alcott

Line 4

“On a January evening of the early seventies, Christine Nilsson was singing in Faust at the Academy of Music in New York.”

Howards EndE. M. ForsterThe Age of InnocenceEdith WhartonThe War of the WorldsH. G. WellsNorthanger AbbeyJane Austen

Line 5

“London.”

Bleak HouseCharles DickensDavid CopperfieldCharles DickensNorthanger AbbeyJane AustenThe Jungle BookRudyard Kipling

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.