The Magic Skin: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The Magic Skin: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.

The Magic Skin is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Balzac, Honoré de (1799–1850). The listed translation credits are Marriage, Ellen (1865–1946).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"The Magic Skin" by Honoré de Balzac is a novel published in 1831. Set in early 19th-century Paris, it follows a young man who discovers a magical piece of shagreen that grants his every wish. However, each desire fulfilled causes the skin to shrink and drains his physical energy. The novel explores the conflict between desire and longevity, examining bourgeois materialism through Balzac's detailed portrayal of Parisian society. It established Balzac as a significant French writer.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The Magic Skin
- Author credits: Balzac, Honoré de (1799–1850)
- Catalogue language: English
- Translator credits: Marriage, Ellen (1865–1946)
Catalogue subjects
- Authors -- Fiction
- Fantasy fiction
- French fiction -- Translations into English
- Hides and skins -- Fiction
- Magic -- Fiction
- Wishes -- Fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: French Literature
- Category: Novels
Read this edition
View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.


