Order of Book Series
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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
See all 36 books in order Printable Human Comedy checklist

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.

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 September 2026.

  1. Cover of History of the Thirteen by Honore de Balzac, book 15 of the Human Comedy series (1833)
  2. Cover of The Celibates by Honore de Balzac, book 27 of the Human Comedy series (1840)
  3. Cover of The Physiology of Marriage by Honore de Balzac, book 28 of the Human Comedy series (1841)
  1. 1
    Gobseck1830 · confirmed 1/4
    1830–
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  2. 2
    A Second Home1830 · confirmed 1/4
    1830–
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  3. 3
    Sarrasine1830 · confirmed 1/4
    1830–
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  4. 4
    An Episode Under The Terror1830 · confirmed 1/4
    1830–
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  5. 5
    The Elixir of Life1830 · confirmed 1/4
    1830–
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  6. 6
    Study of a Woman1830 · confirmed 1/4
    1830–
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  7. 7
    A Passion in the Desert1830 · confirmed 1/4
    1830–
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  8. 8
    The Red Inn1831 · confirmed 1/4
    1831–
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  9. 9
    The Recruit1831 · confirmed 1/4
    1831–
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  10. 10
    Maitre Cornelius1831 · confirmed 1/4
    1831–
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  11. 11
    The Hidden Masterpiece1831 · confirmed 1/4
    1831–
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  12. 12
    The Magic Skin1831 · confirmed 1/4
    1831–
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  13. 13
    Colonel Chabert1832 · confirmed 1/4
    1832–
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  14. 14
    The Vicar Of Tours1832 · confirmed 1/4
    1832–
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  15. 15
    History of the Thirteen1833 · 390 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1833390
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  16. 16
    The Old Maid, [and] the Cabinet of Antiquities1833 · confirmed 1/4
    1833–
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  17. 17
    The Girl with the Golden Eyes1833 · confirmed 1/4
    1833–
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  18. 18
    The Illustrious Gaudissart1833 · 62 pages · confirmed 1/4
    183362
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  19. 19
    The Country Doctor1833 · confirmed 1/4
    1833–
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  20. 20
    A Drama on the Seashore1834 · confirmed 1/4
    1834–
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  21. 21
    Father Goriot1835 · confirmed 1/4
    1835–
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  22. 22
    The Commission In Lunacy1836 · confirmed 1/4
    1836–
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  23. 23
    A Daughter Of Eve1838 · confirmed 1/4
    1838–
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  24. 24
    Beatrix1838 · confirmed 1/4
    1838–
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  25. 25
    Scenes from a Courtesan's Life / A Harlot High and Low1838 · confirmed 1/4
    1838–
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  26. 26
    The Village Rector1839 · confirmed 1/4
    1839–
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  27. 27
    The Celibates1840 · 528 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1840528
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  28. 28
    The Physiology of Marriage1841 · 353 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1841353
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  29. 29
    Catherine De Medici1841 · confirmed 1/4
    1841–
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  30. 30
    A Start In Life1842 · confirmed 1/4
    1842–
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  31. 31
    Memoirs of Two Young Wives1842 · confirmed 1/4
    1842–
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  32. 32
    The Two Brothers1842 · confirmed 1/4
    1842–
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  33. 33
    A Man of Business1844 · confirmed 1/4
    1844–
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  34. 34
    Modeste Mignon1844 · confirmed 1/4
    1844–
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  35. 35
    Unconscious Comedians1846 · confirmed 1/4
    1846–
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  36. 36
    The Chouans1929 · confirmed 1/4
    1929–
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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.

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.

  • France 1 of 2 books
  • Humor 1 of 2 books
  • Mariage 1 of 2 books
  • Marriage 1 of 2 books
  • Social life and customs 1 of 2 books

More books by Honore de Balzac

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.