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 #54 · Wednesday, 23 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

“When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.”

The Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan DoyleAlice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis CarrollThe Secret GardenFrances Hodgson BurnettTreasure IslandRobert Louis Stevenson

Line 2

“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,”

Les MisérablesVictor HugoThe Scarlet LetterNathaniel HawthorneUlyssesJames JoyceThe Sun Also RisesErnest Hemingway

Line 3

“My father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire; I was the third of five sons.”

Gulliver's TravelsJonathan SwiftHowards EndE. M. ForsterSense and SensibilityJane AustenA Christmas CarolCharles 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 StevensonThe Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan DoyleJane EyreCharlotte BrontëDraculaBram Stoker

Line 5

“3 May. Bistritz.—Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late.”

A Tale of Two CitiesCharles DickensThe Age of InnocenceEdith WhartonDon QuixoteMiguel de CervantesDraculaBram Stoker

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.