Honore de Balzac — Pere Goriot

New York; Toronto, Rinehart & Co. [1950]. Leather. A beautiful copy of Honore de Balzac's famous French novel, in a Maurin signed binding. US edition. Originally published in the original French in 1853, included in the 'Scenes de la vie privée' of Honore de Balzac's famous novel sequence La Comedie Humaine. Set in Paris during the Bourbon Restoration, the story follows that of the intertwined lives of the three characters of Goriot, Vautrin, and Eugene de Rastignac. The novel was praised by some for its complex characters and condemned by others for its many representations of corruption and greed. 'Rastignac' refers to a corrupted social climber in the French language. Rebound in half crushed morocco over marbled boards signed Maurin. Externally lovely with minor shelf wear, faded to spine. Previous ownership ink inscription to front free endpaper dated 1964. Internally, firmly bound. Pages bright and clean. Near Fine . Ill.: None. Near Fine .