Cousin Pons

Issued in 1847 as part of Balzac's Human Comedy cycle, this novel follows Sylvain Pons, a poor musician and gourmet in July-Monarchy Paris, whose only wealth is a collection of paintings and bric-a-brac. His well-to-do relations endure him for the dinners he can still arrange, then close in when they discover the collection's value. His friend Schmucke, a German pianist, shares his lodgings and his helplessness. Dealers, a concierge, and a grasping cousin circle the sick man. The novel is a Parisian study of greed around an old bachelor's rooms, not a romance.

Bound in grey cloth with an illustration. Pale grey endleaves. Dark blue slipcase.