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 #66 · Monday, 5 October 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

“‘Oh, damn!’ said Lord Peter Wimsey at Piccadilly Circus.”

Whose Body?Dorothy L. SayersThe Turn of the ScrewHenry JamesOn the Origin of SpeciesCharles DarwinGulliver's TravelsJonathan Swift

Line 2

“I am a rather elderly man.”

Oliver TwistCharles DickensGulliver's TravelsJonathan SwiftThe Secret AgentJoseph ConradBartleby, the ScrivenerHerman Melville

Line 3

“Midway upon the journey of our life / I found myself within a forest dark, / For the straightforward pathway had been lost.”

Sons and LoversD. H. LawrenceAgnes GreyAnne BrontëA Room with a ViewE. M. ForsterThe Divine ComedyDante Alighieri

Line 4

“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.”

FlatlandEdwin A. AbbottJane EyreCharlotte BrontëParadise LostJohn MiltonBartleby, the ScrivenerHerman Melville

Line 5

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.”

PersuasionJane AustenWinnie-the-PoohA. A. MilneMoby-DickHerman MelvilleThe Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald

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.