The Canon of Western Literature (Part 1: Pre-20th Century)
Discover the essential canon of Western literature before 1900, featuring timeless classics like Balzac's *A Harlot High and Low* and Chaucer's *Canterbury Tales*. Dive into the foundational fiction that shaped centuries of storytelling—a curated reading list for lovers of literary history, classic novels, and pre-20th-century masterpieces.
Book
A Harlot High and Low
by Honore de Balzac
Finance, fashionable society, and the intrigues of the underworld and the police system form the heart of this powerful novel, which introduces the satanic genius Vautrin, one of the greatest villains in world literature. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.