Easy Readers are carefully selected works of well-known authors whose original texts have been shortened and simplified without sacrificing the original style. With their manageable structure and controlled vocabulary based on international word frequency research, Easy Readers can be easily understood at various levels of instruction. A-books contain about 600 words; B-books -- 1,100 words; C-books -- 1,800 words; and D-books -- 2,400 words. D-LEVEL READER: Le père Goriot (Balzac): The poverty of life in a seedy boardinghouse in the Latin quarter of Paris is the setting for this classic tale.