Magic Skin, Or, The Wild Ass's Skin

“The Magic Skin” also known as “The Wild Ass''s Skin” is Honoré de Balzac''s 1831 novel that tells the story of a young man, Raphaël de Valentin, who discovers a piece of shagreen, in this case a rough untanned piece of a wild ass''s skin, which has the magical property of granting wishes. However the fulfilment of the wisher''s desire comes at a cost, after each wish the skin shrinks a little bit...