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 #55 · Thursday, 24 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

“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.”

Sense and SensibilityJane AustenThe Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan DoyleMoby-DickHerman MelvilleThe Age of InnocenceEdith Wharton

Line 2

“‘Yes, of course, if it’s fine tomorrow,’ said Mrs. Ramsay.”

The Portrait of a LadyHenry JamesPeter and WendyJ. M. BarrieTo the LighthouseVirginia WoolfA Christmas CarolCharles Dickens

Line 3

“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”

Mrs DallowayVirginia WoolfSense and SensibilityJane AustenThe Age of InnocenceEdith WhartonJane EyreCharlotte Brontë

Line 4

“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 Scarlet LetterNathaniel HawthorneA Room with a ViewE. M. ForsterThe Count of Monte CristoAlexandre DumasThe Call of the WildJack London

Line 5

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

A Room with a ViewE. M. ForsterNorthanger AbbeyJane AustenHeart of DarknessJoseph ConradWar and PeaceLeo Tolstoy

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.