The Red and the Black: A Chronicle of the Nineteenth Century (Oxford World's Classics)

Little appreciated in its day, this 1831 classic by Henri Beyle (that was Stendhal's real name) tells the story of the rise and fall of Julien Sorel, a man of affairs in every sense. It's also a scathing indictment of a materialistic society, France under the Bourbons and an irresistible chronicle of love, politics and manners. The book now resides securely on most short lists of the world's great novels.