Crowned by the Institute and cherished by hosts of Anatole France’s admirers, this novel reveals, perhaps more than any other of his writings, the essence of the author’s ironic spirit. The Vagaries of the old professor, Bonnard, are as quaint and wise as his mind is gentle and sceptical. The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard occupies a prominent place on the Modern Library shelf beside four other books by Anatole France, Penguin Island (210), The Red Lily (7), Thais (67), and The Revolt of the Angels (11).