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.

"Have you ever been embarassed by the bons mots that some people toss casually into conversation, or wished that you had a clever retort?" "Faux Pas offers insight into hundreds of these phrases that readers will (or might not) want to use in writing or conversation once they know their correct meanings and usage. Entries include both familiar terms and phrases that are new, curious, or even just amusing. Each expression is "translated" and denotes the language of origin, pronunciation, and usefulness. A Pretentiousness Index is included for many expressions to assist you in avoiding inappropriate usage." Whether you are a linguaphile or a professional wordsmith, or just want to impress your friends with a few well-chosen apercus, Philip Gooden's guide can rescue you from potential language land mines and help you to maintain your sangfroid. Full of examples drawn from everyday contexts, Faux Pas will make sure that you don't upset any honchos with your chutzpah.

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.