Needing, between 1834 and 1837, a more comprehensive title for the rapidly increasing list of his works, he called them _Studies of Manners and Morals in the Nineteenth Century_, subdividing them into _Scenes of Private Life_, _Scenes of Parisian Life_, and _Scenes of Provincial Life_. However, some things he had written were classible conveniently neither under the specific names nor under the generic one. These outsiders he called _Tales and Philosophic Novels_, subsequently shortening the title, between 1835 and 1840, to _Philosophic Studies_. The question was what wider description could be chosen which might embrace also this last category. Writing to Madame Hanska in 1837, he used the expression _Social Studies_, telling her that there would be nearly fifty volumes of them. Either she, or he himself, must, on reflection, have judged the title unsatisfactory, for no edition of his works ever bore this name. Most likely the thought occurred to him that such an appellation was more suitable to a strictly scientific treatise than to fiction. The expression _Comedie Humaine_, which he ultimately adopted, is said to have been suggested to him by his whilom secretary, the Count Auguste de Belloy, after the latter's visit to Italy, during which Dante's _Divine Comedy_ had been read and appreciated. But already, some years prior to this journey, the novelist would seem to have had the Italian poet's masterpiece before his mind. In his _Girl with the Golden Eyes_, he had spoken of Paris as a hell which, perhaps, one day would have its Dante. De Belloy's share in the matter was probably an extra persuasion added to Balzac's own leaning, or the Count may have been the one to substitute the word _human_.[*] [*] A communication has been made to me, while writing this book, by Monsieur Hetzel, the publisher, tending to show that his father, who was also known in the literary world, had a large share in the choice of the _Comedie Humaine_ as a title. Madame Hanska was at once informed of the choice. "The _Comedie Humaine_, such is the title of my history of society depicted in action," he told her in September 1841. And when, between 1841 and 1842, Hetzel, together with Dubochet and Turne, brought out sixteen octavo volumes of his works illustrated, they each carried his name, while a preface set forth the reasons which had led the author to choose it. Thereafter, every succeeding edition was similarly styled, including Houssiaux' series in 1855, and the series of Calmann-Levy, known as the definitive one, between 1869 and 1876.