Originally published in 1903, Emmanuel Burden is the biography of a pious English public servant, whom Belloc strips of any dignity with his scathing satire on the self-importance of a small-time merchant.

As a whole, the book is unrelentingly biting, which seems to suit British comedic sensibilities better than American ones. Readers should be aware of this cultural difference in taste, as the book may be a trying read for some.


French writer and thinker HILAIRE BELLOC (1870-1953) is known as "the man who wrote a library." He expounded extensively on a number of subjects, including French and British history, military strategy, satire, comic and serious verse, literary criticism, topography and travel, translations, and religious, social, and political commentary. Among his most famous works are The Path to Rome (1902) and Europe and Faith (1920).