Reproduction of the original.

The tourniquet Saint-Jean, the narrow passage entered through a turnstile, a description of which was said to be so wearisome in the study entitled "A Double Life" (Scenes from Private Life), that naive relic of old Paris, has at the present moment no existence except in our said typography. The building of the Hotel-de-Ville, such as we now see it, swept away a whole section of the city. In 1830, passers along the street could still see the turnstile painted on the sign of a wine-merchant, but even that house, its last asylum, has been demolished. Alas! old Paris is disappearing with frightful rapidity. Here and there, in the course of this history of Parisian life, will be found preserved, sometimes the type of the dwellings of the middle ages, like that described in "Fame and Sorrow" (Scenes from Private Life), one or two specimens of which exist to the present day; sometimes a house like that of Judge Popinot, rue du Fouarre, a specimen of the former bourgeoisie; here, the remains of Fulbert's house; there, the old dock of the Seine as it was under Charles IX. Why should not the historian of French society, a new Old Mortality, endeavor to save these curious expressions of the past, as Walter Scott's old man rubbed up the tombstones? Certainly, for the last ten years the outcries of literature in this direction have not been superfluous; art is beginning to disguise beneath its floriated ornaments those ignoble facades of what are called in Paris "houses of product," which one of our poets has jocosely compared to chests of drawers.

The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honor� de Balzac is a rare manuscript, the original residing in some of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, typed out and formatted to perfection, allowing new generations to enjoy the work. Publishers of the Valley's mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life.

Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

An overview of the social, economic, cultural and political development of the petite bourgeoisie in modern Europe is provided here. This study brings together both primary research and secondary literature to assess the group's role in European social history.

The Lesser Bourgeoisie - By K. Wormeley - 1896 - HERE, madame, is one of those books which come into the mind, whence no one knows, giving pleasure to the author before he can foresee what reception the public, our great present judge, will accord to it. Feeling almost certain of your sympathy in my pleasure, I dedicate the book to you. Ought it not to belong to you as the tithe formerly belonged to the Church in memory of God, who makes all things bud and fruit in the fields and in the intellect A few lumps of clay, left by Molikre at the feet of his colossal statue of Tartuffe, have here been kneaded by a hand more daring than able but, at whatever distance I may be from the greatest of comic writers, I shall still be glad to have used these crumbs in showing the modern hypocrite in action. The chief encouragement that I have had in this difficult undertaking was in finding it apart from all religious questions, -questions which ought to be kept out of it for the sake of one so pious as your- self and also because of what a great writer has lately called our present indifference in matters of religion. May the double signification of your names be for my book a prophecy I Deign to find here the respectful gratitude of him who ventures to call himself the most devoted of your servants. -- CONTENTS --. PART FIRST . THE LESSER BOURGEOIS OF PARIS . CHAPTER I . DEPARTING PARIS . ......... 1 11 . THE HISTORY OF A TYRANNY ...... 10 111 . COLLEVILLE ............ 26 IV . THE CIRCLE OF 31 . AND MME . TRUILLIER . 35 V . A PRINCIPAL PERSONAGE ....... 53 V1 . A KEYNOTE ............ 75 V11 . THE WORTHY PHELLIONS ....... 88 v111 . AD MAJOREM THEODOSIS GLORIAM . 104 IX . THE BANKER OF THE POOR . 129 X . How BRIGITTE WAS WON . 141 XI . THE REIGN OF THIODOSE ....... 152 XI1 . DEVILS AGAINST DEVILS . 160 XI11 . THE PERVERSITY OF DOVES . l81 XIV . ONE OF CIRIZETS FEMALE CLIENTS . 193 xv . THE DIFFICULTIES THAT CROP UP IN THE XVI . XVII . XITlII . EASIEST OF THEFTS . 206 Du PORTAIL ............ 227 IN WIIICIF THE LAMB DEVOURS THE WOLF . 238 SET A SAINT TO CATCH A SAINT . 256 PART SECOND. TIIE IAKVENUS. CEIAYTBH PAGE I. PIIELLION UNDER A NEIV ASPECT . ., . . 2GO 11. TIE PROVENALS PRESEST POSITION . . . 281 111. GOOD BLOOD CANNOT LIE . . . . . . . 297 IV. HUNGARY VERSUS PROVENCE V. SIIOIVING 1x0 NEAR TIIE TAIPEIAN . . . . . . 330 ROCK IS TO THE CAPITOL . . . . . . ., . . 332 VI. TTVAS TIIUS TIIEY BADE ADIEU . . . . . 349 VII. How TO SHUT THE DOOR IN PEOPLES FACES 359 VIII. A RUN OF ILL-LUCK . . . . . . . . . 370 XI. XIV. xv. EXPLANATIOXS AND WIIAT CAME OF THEM . 430 k A STAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . .,454 THE BAN WIIO TIIINKS THE STAR TOO BRIGHT 473 A STORMY DAY . . . . . . . . . . . 487 . . . . . . . 540 XVI. CHECKMATE TO.THUILLIER XVII. IN TIIE EXERCISE OF 111s FUNCTIONS . . . . 554

Excerpt from The Middle Classes (Les Petits Bourgeois) The book, when in his letters Balzac spoke of it as first nearly finished and then actually 'set up, ' bore the title of Les Petits Bourgeois de Paris, but nobody seems to have seen the ms. Or the proofs. It actually appeared in the Pay: during the autumn of 1854, and was afterwards issued as a book by the publisher de Potter in eight vol umes - four bearing the present title in 1856, and the other four as Les Parvenus in 1857. The first part had twenty-seven, and the second twenty-five chapter divi sions with headings. M. De Lovenjoul does not mention whether there was any special authority for the suppres sion of these when the book was at last, a few years ago, made part of the Comedte, or whether it was done in accordance with Balzac' s usual practice. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.