First published 1834

The Quest of the Absolute

by Honoré de Balzac

The Quest of the Absolute (La Recherche de l'absolu) is a Balzac novel first published in 1834 among his Scenes of Private Life, issued separately by Charpentier in 1839 and placed in La Comédie humaine in 1845. Ellen Marriage's English translation appeared in 1895.

Editions tracked
1
Series
The Human Comedy
Editions

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  1. Dent1895 Hardback · The Human Comedy I own The Quest of the Absolute, Dent 1895 Log in to want this

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Editions recorded
33 on Open Library, 13 in English
Wikipedia
Articles in 11 languages

From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.

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We track 1 edition of The Quest of the Absolute. Each has its own page with how to identify it.

When was The Quest of the Absolute first published?

The Quest of the Absolute by Honoré de Balzac was first published in 1834.

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Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 29 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.

More pictures

Engraving of a man carrying an older man down a staircase, from Balzac's The Quest of the Absolute
An illustration by Adrien Moreau for Balzac's The Quest of the Absolute.Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Engraving of a man and two young women in a picture gallery, from Balzac's The Quest of the Absolute
An illustration by William Henry Boucher for Balzac's The Quest of the Absolute.Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain