13 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if sound could power an engine—and a loyal supporter could make you feel the force of that promise?
In Keely and His Discoveries, Clara Jessup Moore presents the case for John Worrell Keely, a self-taught Philadelphia inventor. He claims that vibration can release energy stored in matter, promising engines that need neither coal nor steam. Moore stands beside him as he faces critics who doubt his devices and question his promises.
The book moves from demonstrations in Keely's workshop to ideas about sympathetic vibration, ether, and hidden laws linking mind and matter. Moore writes as a believer, not a neutral observer. Keely's claims do not survive testing, but her defence offers a close view of the hopes surrounding them—and the language that gives those hopes shape.
What you’ll discover
- An inventor without standing Meet a self-taught man who claims a path to power outside the scientific societies of his day.
- Inside the Philadelphia workshop Follow accounts of demonstrations where visitors encounter Keely's devices and the promises attached to them.
- The promise of vibration Explore how an effect of sound becomes the foundation for Keely's much broader claims.
- Mind meets matter Trace the shift from proposed engines to a vision of hidden connections throughout the universe.
- A supporter's conviction Hear Moore answer doubters and discover how loyalty shapes her portrait of an embattled inventor.
Who will love it
Readers who like the history of strange science, nineteenth century inventors, and the human drama of money, belief and doubt around a man who claimed to have found nature's hidden force.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A patron defends an inventor
- Sound could unlock hidden energy
- Investors want an engine now
- Astonishment does not settle the evidence
- Ether connects matter and spirit
- Matching vibrations govern every substance
- The brain becomes a tuned instrument
- Cheap power promises a different future
- Harmony joins science and faith
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Keely and His Discoveries in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Keely and His Discoveries
by Clara Jessup Moore · 1893
A Philadelphia inventor says a tuning fork can split water into a force that lifts a cannon's shot and an airship.
Challenging5–10 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“Discovery is not invention.”
In short
What if a tuning fork could split a few drops of water into a force strong enough to lift a heavy lever, fire a cannon and, one day, float an airship? That is the claim at the center of Keely and His Discoveries.
Keely and His Discoveries at a glance
- Reading time
- About 8 h 55 min7 h 5 min fast, 10 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 127,500 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1893by Clara Jessup Moore
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A patron writes to defend her inventor
The book is above all an act of loyalty. Mrs. Moore believes Keely has found something real, and she fears the world is about to lose it. Lawsuits, newspaper attacks and angry investors threaten to end his work.
She tells her own part plainly. In the early 1880s she found Keely close to despair, with his honor under attack. She had set aside ten thousand dollars for a small public library in memory of her father. Convinced he had made a great discovery, she gave that money to keep his research alive.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1893
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Moore, Clara Jessup. Keely and His Discoveries. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/keely-and-his-discoveries.
Moore, C. J. (2026). Keely and his discoveries. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/keely-and-his-discoveries (Original work published 1893)
Moore, Clara Jessup. Keely and His Discoveries. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/keely-and-his-discoveries.
@book{moore2026keely,
author = {Moore, Clara Jessup},
title = {Keely and His Discoveries},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/keely-and-his-discoveries},
note = {First published 1893}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Keely and His Discoveries
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Keely and His Discoveries about?
It presents the inventor John Worrell Keely and his claim to have found an unknown force released by sound vibration. It gathers newspaper reports, testimony, letters and a philosophy of ether meant to explain his machines.
Who was John Keely and what was the Keely motor?
Keely was an inventor in Philadelphia who said that vibration could free energy stored in water and matter. The Keely motor was the engine he promised investors to use that force; demonstrations occurred, but reliable speed regulation and reversal remained unfinished.
Is Keely and His Discoveries a true story?
Keely and the events are real, and the book was written in the early 1890s by his patron. It is a defense of him, so it gives his side. Later investigators concluded his motor was a hoax.
The author
Clara Jessup Moore
American poet and philanthropist
Mrs. Bloomfield H. Moore was Clara Sophia Jessup Moore, an American author born in Westfield, Massachusetts, in 1824. She lived in Philadelphia and later in London, where she died in 1899. She wrote poetry and novels and published Keely and His Discoveries in 1893 under her married name.
“Discovery is not invention.”
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
