The adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane : translated from the French od… (1715)

Un de ces livres qu'il est bon de relire après chaque invasion, après chaque trouble dans l'ordre de la morale, de la politique et du goût, pour se calmer l'humeur, pour se remettre l'esprit au point de vue et se rafraîchir le langage '. Sainte-Beuve

A son of a stable master and a chambermaid traverses the most different social milieus at his way to the high society. Action takes place in Spain, which induced me to read this book. Later on, becoming more acquainted with France and the French literature, I understood that Lesage characterised the conditions of French political and social life.

From The Anatomy of Bibliomania by Holbrook Jackson.