Balzac’s paired provincial tales are printed together with George Saintsbury’s introduction. In An Old Maid, the wealthy Mademoiselle Cormon of Alençon is besieged by rival suitors; in The Collection of Antiquities, the proud, impoverished d’Esgrignon family pins its hopes on a reckless young heir.
Two sharp studies of snobbery and ambition from The Human Comedy, in their original pairing. Download the free EPUB.