Human Comedy Books in Order
Human Comedy by Honore de Balzac contains 36 books, published between 1830 and 1929. The first book is Gobseck (1830) and the newest is The Chouans (1929). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 36
- Published
- 1830–1929
- Pages on record
- 1,333 in 4 of 36 books
Human Comedy is Honore de Balzac's series of French fiction, 36 titles in this catalogue dated 1830 to 1929. Gobseck, A Second Home, Sarrasine, An Episode Under The Terror, The Elixir of Life, Study of a Woman and A Passion in the Desert all carry 1830, with The Red Inn, The Recruit and Maitre Cornelius following in 1831. The Chouans is the last entry on record, dated 1929. Marriage, French social life and customs, and humour make up the subject list, at a median of 372 pages.
Source: composed
How many Human Comedy books are there?
Human Comedy has 36 books, released between 1830 and 1929.
Human Comedy Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 36 Human Comedy books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.
- 1Gobseck1830 · confirmed 1/41830–1/4
- 2A Second Home1830 · confirmed 1/41830–1/4
- 3Sarrasine1830 · confirmed 1/41830–1/4
- 4An Episode Under The Terror1830 · confirmed 1/41830–1/4
- 5The Elixir of Life1830 · confirmed 1/41830–1/4
- 6Study of a Woman1830 · confirmed 1/41830–1/4
- 7A Passion in the Desert1830 · confirmed 1/41830–1/4
- 8The Red Inn1831 · confirmed 1/41831–1/4
- 9The Recruit1831 · confirmed 1/41831–1/4
- 10Maitre Cornelius1831 · confirmed 1/41831–1/4
- 12The Magic Skin1831 · confirmed 1/41831–1/4
- 13Colonel Chabert1832 · confirmed 1/41832–1/4
- 14The Vicar Of Tours1832 · confirmed 1/41832–1/4
- 15History of the Thirteen1833 · 390 pages · confirmed 1/418333901/4
- 16The Old Maid, [and] the Cabinet of Antiquities1833 · confirmed 1/41833–1/4
- 17The Girl with the Golden Eyes1833 · confirmed 1/41833–1/4
- 18The Illustrious Gaudissart1833 · 62 pages · confirmed 1/41833621/4
- 19The Country Doctor1833 · confirmed 1/41833–1/4
- 20A Drama on the Seashore1834 · confirmed 1/41834–1/4
- 21Father Goriot1835 · confirmed 1/41835–1/4
- 22The Commission In Lunacy1836 · confirmed 1/41836–1/4
- 23A Daughter Of Eve1838 · confirmed 1/41838–1/4
- 24Beatrix1838 · confirmed 1/41838–1/4
- 25Scenes from a Courtesan's Life / A Harlot High and Low1838 · confirmed 1/41838–1/4
- 26The Village Rector1839 · confirmed 1/41839–1/4
- 27The Celibates1840 · 528 pages · confirmed 1/418405281/4
- 28The Physiology of Marriage1841 · 353 pages · confirmed 1/418413531/4
- 29Catherine De Medici1841 · confirmed 1/41841–1/4
- 30A Start In Life1842 · confirmed 1/41842–1/4
- 31Memoirs of Two Young Wives1842 · confirmed 1/41842–1/4
- 32The Two Brothers1842 · confirmed 1/41842–1/4
- 33A Man of Business1844 · confirmed 1/41844–1/4
- 34Modeste Mignon1844 · confirmed 1/41844–1/4
- 35Unconscious Comedians1846 · confirmed 1/41846–1/4
- 36The Chouans1929 · confirmed 1/41929–1/4
Is there a chronological order for Human Comedy?
No separate chronological order is on record for Human Comedy, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read Human Comedy books in order?
You should read the Human Comedy books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Human Comedy book also stands alone.
Where to start with Human Comedy
Start with Gobseck (1830), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Human Comedy book?
The Chouans (1929) is the newest Human Comedy book released so far.
Is there a new Human Comedy book coming?
No next Human Comedy book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Human Comedy at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Human Comedy title on record dates from 1929, 97 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Human Comedy books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
- Length
- 1,333 pages across the 4 of 36 books with a recorded length, a median of 372 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Human Comedy books, 26 of 36, were published in the 1830s.
When Human Comedy books were published
Publication distribution by decade, showing when Human Comedy titles appeared. 1830s was the most productive decade with 26 titles.
36 books total across 3 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.
What the Human Comedy books are about
2 of the 36 Human Comedy books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. No subject is tagged on more than one of them, so each one below describes a single book. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.