At the Sign of the Cat and Racket

"The House of the Cat and Racket" is a novel by Honoré de Balzac and the opening work in the "Scenes of Private Life" cycle, which comprises the first volume of Balzac''s "Human Comedy." The idea for the story came from the haberdashery business run by the Sallambiers on the maternal side of Balzac''s family.