Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| 65 Great Tales Of Horror |
1981 |
Buy |
| 50 Classic Novellas |
2011 |
Buy |
| The Dover Anthology of Cat Stories |
2015 |
Buy |
| Writers: Their Lives and Works |
2018 |
Buy |
| Classic Cat Stories |
2020 |
Buy |
Human Comedy Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Gobseck |
1830 |
Buy |
| A Second Home |
1830 |
Buy |
| Sarrasine |
1830 |
Buy |
| An Episode Under The Terror |
1830 |
Buy |
| The Elixir of Life |
1830 |
Buy |
| Study of a Woman |
1830 |
Buy |
| A Passion in the Desert |
1830 |
Buy |
| The Red Inn |
1831 |
Buy |
| The Recruit |
1831 |
Buy |
| Maitre Cornelius |
1831 |
Buy |
| The Hidden Masterpiece |
1831 |
Buy |
| The Magic Skin |
1831 |
Buy |
| Colonel Chabert |
1832 |
Buy |
| The Vicar Of Tours |
1832 |
Buy |
| History of the Thirteen |
1833 |
Buy |
| The Old Maid, [and] the Cabinet of Antiquities |
1836 |
Buy |
| The Girl with the Golden Eyes |
1835 |
Buy |
| The Illustrious Gaudissart |
1833 |
Buy |
| The Country Doctor |
1833 |
Buy |
| A Drama on the Seashore |
1834 |
Buy |
| Father Goriot |
1835 |
Buy |
| The Commission In Lunacy |
1836 |
Buy |
| A Daughter Of Eve |
1839 |
Buy |
| Beatrix |
1839 |
Buy |
| Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life / A Harlot High and Low |
1838 |
Buy |
| The Village Rector |
1839 |
Buy |
| The Celibates |
1832 |
Buy |
| The Physiology of Marriage |
1829 |
Buy |
| Catherine De Medici |
1842 |
Buy |
| A Start In Life |
1842 |
Buy |
| The Two Brothers |
1842 |
Buy |
| A Man of Business |
1846 |
Buy |
| Modeste Mignon |
1844 |
Buy |
| Unconscious Comedians |
1846 |
Buy |
| The Chouans |
1829 |
Buy |
Les Illusions Perdues#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Two Poets. Lost illusions part 1 |
1837 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Treatise on Elegant Living |
1830 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| My Journey from Paris to Java |
1832 |
Buy |
Short Story Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| After Dinner Stories from Balzac |
2008 |
Buy |
| The King’s Sweetheart, The Maid of Thilouse, and The Reproach |
2008 |
Buy |
| Juana, and the Red Inn |
2006 |
Buy |
| The Napolean of the People and El Verdugo |
2006 |
Buy |
| Massimilla Doni and Le Chef D’Oeuvre Inconnu |
1995 |
Buy |
| Tales of the Napoleonic Era |
2010 |
Buy |
| A Tragedy by the Sea and Other Stories |
2008 |
Buy |
| A Marriage Settlement, And, Modeste Mignon: And Other Stories |
2016 |
Buy |
| The Member For Arcis, The Seamy Side Of History, And Other Stories Part 2 |
2007 |
Buy |
| The Atheist’s Mass, and Other Stories |
1986 |
Buy |
| Ten Droll Tales |
1987 |
Buy |
| Domestic Peace |
1989 |
Buy |
| The Commission in Lunacy, and Pierre Grassou |
2006 |
Buy |
| The Exiles, and Other Short Stories |
2006 |
Buy |
| The Celibates And Other Stories |
2008 |
Buy |
| At The Sign Of The Cat And Racket / The Ball At Sceaux / The Purse / Madame Firmiani / Pierrette |
2009 |
Buy |
| Honore de Balzac, Vol. 8: Provincial Life |
2015 |
Buy |
| The Magic Skin. the Hidden Masterpiece |
2015 |
Buy |
| The Country Parsonand Albert Savaron |
2015 |
Buy |
| The Chouans; The Gondreville Mystery, and Other Stories |
2018 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Last Fay |
1823 |
Buy |
| The Quest Of The Absolute |
1834 |
Buy |
| Seraphita |
1834 |
Buy |
| Melmoth réconcilié |
1835 |
Buy |
| Father Goriot and M. Gobseck |
1835 |
Buy |
| La Rabouilleuse |
1842 |
Buy |
| Illusions perdues |
1843 |
Buy |
| Le Cousin Pons |
1847 |
Buy |
| The Country Parson |
1839 |
Buy |
| About Catherine de Medici |
1900 |
Buy |
| Eugénie Grandet |
1914 |
Buy |
| Père Goriot |
1950 |
Buy |
| Cousin Bette |
1965 |
Buy |
| The Black Sheep |
1976 |
Buy |
| Lost Illusions |
1976 |
Buy |
| The Wild Ass’s Skin |
1977 |
Buy |
| The Unknown Masterpiece |
1983 |
Buy |
| Old Goriot |
1987 |
Buy |
| Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau |
1989 |
Buy |
| The Lily of the Valley |
1989 |
Buy |
| A Woman Of Thirty |
2000 |
Buy |
Honore de Balzac was born in Tours, France, in 1799 and became one of the founders of literary realism. After abandoning a career in law, he spent years writing under pseudonyms and accumulating debts before finding success with Les Chouans (1829) and other novels that would become part of his massive project, La Comedie humaine.
La Comedie humaine (The Human Comedy) is Balzac’s great achievement: over 90 novels, novellas, and stories that together depict nearly every layer of French society during the Restoration and July Monarchy periods. Characters recur across books, and the scope ranges from Parisian high society to rural provincial life. Key works include Pere Goriot, Eugenie Grandet, Lost Illusions, and Cousin Bette. Balzac wrote with extraordinary speed and volume, often working through the night fueled by coffee. He died in 1850, just months after marrying his longtime correspondent Ewelina Hanska.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Honore de Balzac written?
Honore de Balzac has written 84 books across seven series.
What was Honore de Balzac's first book?
Honore de Balzac’s first book is About Catherine de Medici, published in 1900.
What is La Comedie humaine?
La Comedie humaine (The Human Comedy) is Balzac’s lifework, a collection of over 90 interconnected novels and stories that together form a panoramic portrait of French society from 1815 to 1848. Characters recur across different books, and the works are organized into categories covering manners, philosophy, and analysis.