Candide

"Along with a brisk and very readable rendition of the text, this edition provides the material necessary for understanding the point of Voltaire’s satire. Wootton’s Introduction gives an excellent account of the dispute over optimism, and the supplementary texts show both the opposing points of view in this dispute, and its development on other texts of Voltaire." —Christopher J. Kelly, co-editor, The Collected Writings of Rousseau

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and Related Texts

Voltaire
Translated, with Introduction, and Notes, by David Wootton

2000 - 190 pp.

Grouped product items
Format ISBN Price Qty
Cloth 978-0-87220-547-5
$25.00
Paper 978-0-87220-546-8
$10.00
Instructor Examination (Review) Copy 978-0-87220-546-8
$1.00

eBook available for $8.75. Click HERE for more information.

David Wootton’s scalpel-sharp translation of Candide features a brilliant Introduction, a map of Candide’s travels, and a selection of those writings of Voltaire, Leibniz, Pope and Rousseau crucial for fully appreciating this eighteenth-century satiric masterpiece that even today retains its celebrated bite.

 

Reviews:

"Wootton’s edition is clearly the best on the market— the supporting material is brilliantly chosen and lavishly presented given the cost of the book.”
     —MIchael Kulikowski, Smith College

“Along with a brisk and very readable rendition of the text, this edition provides the material necessary for understanding the point of Voltaire’s satire. Wootton’s Introduction gives an excellent account of the dispute over optimism, and the supplementary texts show both the opposing points of view in this dispute, and its development on other texts of Voltaire.”
     —Christopher J. Kelly, co-editor, The Collected Writings of Rousseau

"I annually assign Voltaire’s Candide in my Western Civilization since 1500 course. This semester I am using the Hackett edition, having used at least three other editions in the past. What I especially find useful in your edition are the Related Texts. I think they are essential for understanding what Voltaire was addressing. The translation is lively, the notes quite useful, and Wotton’s introduction thorough. I don’t recall another edition that includes a map. All of these features in an inexpensive paperback—the other editions I’ve used can’t match it.”
     —Steven Werner, University of Wisconsin-Waukesha 

“I have used your edition of Voltaire, Candide in three of my Western Civilization classes. Each class appreciated this choice. I find the book has an excellent Introduction and the supporting texts fit in well with other related topics."
     —Mary Hewlett, University of Windsor, Ontario

"The editor’s accompanying material is very successful in providing a clear sense of this important work’s intellectual and historical context, as well as its impact and on-going influence. . . . A very useful—and affordable—edition.”
     —Daniel Brewer, University of Minnesota

“. . . a largely faithful and superbly readable rendition of a work that does not fail, to this day, to make us think, laugh, and feel ashamed.”
     —Geoffrey Baker, Rutgers University

"The addition of the ‘related texts’ is a nice touch, for example, the controversy with Rousseau is something I emphasize in my Europe in the Age of Reason class. And let’s face it— the price can’t be beat.”
     —William B. Robison, Southeastern Louisiana University

"A fine job! I’m impressed with the Introduction—it sets the ground without telling readers what to think. I also find the book-matter very useful, especially giving students insights into what Voltaire found so upsetting about some contemporary notions of ‘progress’.”
     —Peter Vinten-Johansen, Michigan State University 

"Wootton’s translation is perhaps the best available. The supporting documents make this the very best Candide for classroom use.”
     —Michael Forman, University of Washington

"It is extraordinarily useful to have the documents of the exchange between Voltaire and Rousseau concerning the Lisbon earthquake included in this edition. That alone makes it my preferred version for course adoption.”
     —John H. Zammito, Rice University

"A superb translation and an unparalled collection of ‘related texts.’ This will be the edition of Candide I use from now on.”
     —Richard Bienvenu, University of Missouri

". . . easily superior to the edition I’ve been using, and the price is right.”
     —Alan Kennedy, Carnegie Mellon University

 

Contents:

Introduction. Chronology. Map. Further Reading. A Note on the Texts. Notes on the Translation.

Candide, or Optimism (1759, revised 1761).
Chapter Twenty-Two: The first version.
Voltaire’s letter of 1 April 1759 to the Journal encyclopédique.

RELATED TEXTS:

Before Voltaire:
Leibniz, “Metaphysics Summarized” (c. 1697).
Pope, Essay on Man (1733-34) [selections].

The Lisbon Earthquake: Rousseau versus Voltaire:
Preface to the “Poem on the Lisbon Disaster” (1756).
“Poem on the Lisbon Disaster.”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “Letter to Voltaire on Optimism,” 18 August 1756.

Toward Candide:
“The History of the Travels of Scarmentado” (1756).
“The Comforter Comforted” (1756).

Voltaire’s Correspondence:
Letter to Jean-Robert Tronchin, 24 November [1755].
Letter to François-Louis Allamand, 16 December 1755.
Letter to Elie Bertrand, 18 February 1756.
Letter to Marie Ursule de Klinglin, Countess of Lutzelbourg, 4 June [1757].
Letter to Louisa Dorothea, Duchess of Saxe-Gotha, 24 June [1757].
Letter [in English] to George Keith, 4 October [November] 1758.

After Candide:
“Well (All is)” (Portable Philosophical Dictionary, 1764).

Voltaire’s Feminism:
“Wives Obey Your Husbands” (1765).


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About the Author:

David Wootton is Anniversary Professor of History, University of York.