The complete online text of The Purse by Honoré de Balzac.

Had Balzac been a less masterful novelist, the disreputably profligate fraud in him might have overwhelmed his artistry. Still, the other Balzac, the artist, is tainted by his well-earned reputation for what has been called artistic license or dishonesty...

The French novelist Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) was the first writer to use fiction to convey the total social scene prevailing within one country at a particular period in its history. Commonly regarded as the founder of social realism, he also...

Former U.S. senator and presidential candidate Carol Moseley Braun suffered a broken wrist when a mugger tried to steal her purse, authorities said Saturday.Braun, 59, was standing at her front door late Friday when an assailant came out of the bushes and tried to take...

The bloody revolver found at the feet of an actress shot to death in Phil Spector's mansion was carefully removed from an envelope and shown to jurors at the music producer's murder trial on Tuesday.Los Angeles County sheriff's Det. Mark Lillienfeld donned gloves as he...

The bloody revolver found at the feet of an actress shot to death in Phil Spector's mansion was shown to jurors at the music producer's murder trial on Tuesday.Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Mark Lillienfeld donned gloves as he handled the gun still covered with...

The bloody revolver found at the feet of an actress shot to death in Phil Spector's mansion was shown to jurors at the music producer's murder trial.Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Mark Lillienfeld donned gloves Tuesday as he handled the gun still covered with dried...