A History of the French Novel in two volumes is a work on the French literature written by George Saintsbury, English literary historian and critic. Saintsbury, being the most prominent authority on the subject finds the French Novel a kind which has distinguished itself by communicating to readers the pleasure of literature. The book covers the history of the French novel from its beginnings to the close of the 19th century with the author's endeavor to present a full history of how what is commonly called the French Novel came into being and kept itself in being.

George Saintsbury (1845-1933) was an English writer, literary historian, scholar, critic and wine connoisseur. He wrote series of editions of French classics and of books and articles on the history of French literature, which made him the most prominent English authority on the subject. His studies in English literature were no less comprehensive.