EBOOK Wild Ass's Skin

'Who possesses me will possess all things,But his life will belong to        me...'Raphael de Valentin, a young aristocrat, has lost all his money in the gaming        parlours of the Palais Royal in Paris, and contemplates ending his life by throwing        himself into the Seine. He is distracted by the bizarre array of objects in a        chaotic antique shop, among them a strange animal skin, a piece of shagreen with        magical properties. It will grant its possessor his every wish, but each time a wish        is bestowed the skin shrinks, hastening its owner's death. Around this fantastic        premiseBalzac weaves a compelling psychological portrait of his hero, a prisoner of        his own Promethean imagination, and explores profound ideas about the human will,        vice and virtue, love and death.Helen Constantine's new translation captures the        energy and exuberance of Balzac's novel, one of the most engaging of his        'tudes philosophiques' from the Comdie humaine. The        accompanying introduction and notes offer fresh insights into this remarkable        work.