The first part of classic novel rich in both character portrayal and historical description. Characters such as the Valjean, the street urchin Gavroche, the rascal Thenardier, the detective Javert, and the figure of the prostitute Fantine and her daughter Cosette, have entered the pantheon of literary dramatis personae. Intro -- General Introduction -- Historical Note -- Introduction -- Note on the Musical Version of Les Misérables -- Bibliography -- Contents of Volume 1 -- Author's Preface -- Les Misérables: Volume 1 -- Part One: Fantine -- Book 1: An upright man -- 1. M. Myriel -- 2. M. Myriel becomes Monseigneur Bienvenu -- 3. Good bishop - hard bishopric -- 4. Words answering words -- 5. How Monseigneur Bienvenu made his cassock last so long -- 6. How he protected his house -- 7. Cravatte -- 8. After-dinner philosophy -- 9. The brother portrayed by the sister -- 10. The bishop in the presence of an unknown light [6] -- 11. A qualification -- 12. Solitude of Monseigneur Bienvenu -- 13. What he believed -- 14. What he thought -- Book 2: The fall -- 1. The night of a day's tramp -- 2. Prudence commended to wisdom -- 3. The heroism of passive obedience -- 4. Some account of the dairies of Pontarlier -- 5. Tranquillity -- 6. Jean Valjean -- 7. The depths of despair -- 8. The waters and the shadow -- 9. New griefs -- 10. The man awakes -- 11. What he does -- 12. The bishop at work -- 13. Petit Gervais -- Book 3: In the year 1817 -- 1. The year 1817 [12] -- 2. Double quatuor -- 3. Four to four -- 4. Tholomyès is so merry that he sings a Spanish song -- 5. At Bombarda's -- 6. A chapter of self-admiration -- 7. The wisdom of Tholomyès [16] -- 8. Death of a horse -- 9. Joyous end of joy -- Book 4: To entrust is sometimes to abandon -- 1. One mother meets another -- 2. First sketch of two equivocal faces -- 3. The Lark -- Book 5: The descent -- 1. History of an improvement in jet-work -- 2. Madeleine [21] -- 3. Moneys deposited with Laffitte -- 4. Monsieur Madeleine in mourning -- 5. Vague flashes on the horizon -- 6. Father Fauchelevent -- 7. Fauchelevent becomes a gardener at Paris -- 8. Madame Victurnien spends thirty francs on morality.