Voltaire

Le siècle de Louis XIV The Age of Louis XIV

175165145à Berlin: Chez C. F. Henning 1751. Fine. Chez C. F. Henning à Berlin 1751 8.50 x 14.50 cm 2 volumes reliés First edition displaying all the distinctive features of its publication: it presents no capital letters except at the beginning of paragraphs and it is the very first work to have been printed with Voltaire's spelling. Our copy is complete with its errata leaf which is often missing. Later bindings 19th century in full red morocco Jansenist spines with five raised bands dates and places gilt at foot boards struck at center with large gilt typographical fleurons double gilt fillets on leading edges and headcaps pastedowns lined with blue morocco presenting a wide gilt decorative border monogrammed bookplates mounted on the pastedowns of each volume following endpapers of combed paper all edges gilt bindings signed Chambolle-Duru. Superb copy perfectly established in a binding signed by a master of French bookbinding. Chez C. F. Henning hardcover

Rare Books Le Feu Follet - Edition-Originale.com · France6 900,00 €

VOLTAIRELivre Rare Book

Romans et Contes de Voltaire [ 3 Tomes - Complet ] [ Exemplaire Robert Hoe ]

1785618023 vol. in-8 reliure plein maroquin rouge, dos à 5 nerfs dorés richement ornés, plats richements orné, double filet doré en coupes, chasses ornées, gardes doublées de maroquin bleu orné d'une belle guirlande dorée d'encadrement ornementée, toutes tranches dorées, reliure signée de Chambolle-Duru, De l'Imprimerie de la Société Littéraire Typographique, [Kehl ], 1785, 2 ff., 439 pp. et 11 figures ; 2 ff., 470 pp. et 3 figures ; 2 ff. 416 pp. et 4 figures

SARL Librairie du Cardinal · Gradignan, France6 500,00 €

VOLTAIRE, François-Marie Arouet dit.Livre Rare Book

La Pucelle d’Orléans. Poëme. Divisé en quinze livres. Par monsieur de V***. Édition originale et premier tirage rarissime de La Pucelle condamnée par décret le 20 janvier 1757, l’un des chefs-d’œuvre du siècle des Lumières.

LCS-18572Précieux exemplaire à marges immenses (hauteur 175 mm) des bibliothèques Lurde et Ruble. Louvain (Francfort?), 1755. Petit in-8 de (2) ff., 161 pp. Plein maroquin citron, chiffre doré dans les angles des plats, dos à nerfs orné du même chiffre doré et répété, double filet or sur les coupes, roulette dorée intérieure, tranches dorées. Motte. 175 x 105 mm.

Librairie Camille Sourget · Paris, France6 500,00 €

VOLTAIREBiblio.com

Portrait.

1790138601Paris: Basset c. 1790s. Voltaire as revolutionary icon A full-length portrait of the philosopher towards the end of his life in a fetching electric blue coat. The print is by the Parisian firm of Basset which was a leading source of popular prints during the Revolution. Voltaire was claimed as a foundational influence by many revolutionary leaders and in 1791 they arranged for his remains to be transferred to the Panthéon in Paris. Hand-coloured copperplate engraving. Image size: 70 x 52 cm. Framed size: 85 x 66.5 cm. Presented in a handmade gilt frame with conservation acrylic glazing. Light toning and chipping to extremities not touching impression several small tape repairs to extremities on verso not visible on recto: in very good condition. unknown

Peter Harrington · Royaume-Uni5 500,00 £GB≈ 6 279,90 €

VOLTAIRELivre Rare Book

La pucelle d?Orléans, poëme en vingt-un chants.

178059752Reliure plein maroquin bleu roi de la fin du XIXe siècle. Dos à nerfs ornés. Filets et roulette dent de rat en encadrement sur les plats. Doublures de maroquin citron à large dentelle dorée, gardes de soie bleue, doubles gardes. Toutes tranches dorées. Reliure signée Chambolle-Duru. Petite tache foncée sur le premier plat du tome 2.Elle est précédée de la Préface de Dom Apuleius Risorius, bénédictin. Le frontispice par Duplessis-Bertaux montre Jeanne d'Arc dans une auberge en butte aux hardiesses des buveurs sous les regards de Jean Chandos, du moine Grisbourdon et de Saint Denis.

Librairie Koegui · Bayonne, France6 000,00 €

VOLTAIRELivre Rare Book

Le siècle de Louis XIV

175165145Chez C. F. Henning | à Berlin 1751 | 8.50 x 14.50 cm | 2 volumes reliés

Librairie Le Feu Follet – Edition-Originale.com · Paris, France6 000,00 €

VOLTAIRE.Livre Rare Book

La Princesse de Babylone. Lithographies originales en couleurs de Van Dongen.

194850181Paris Scripta et Picta 1948 In-4, en feuilles, couverture imprime.Ce livre illustr par Van Dongen comporte 48 lithographies originales en couleurs, dont un frontispice, 47 in-texte, une vignette de titre et de nombreuses lettrines. Tirage limit 198 exemplaires numrots sur vlin de Lana. Un des quelques exemplaires nominatifs de collaborateur (celui-ci imprim au nom du docteur Roudinesco), enrichi dune trs rare suite en noir des lithographies tires sur papier de Chine.

Librairie Blaizot & Pinault · Paris, France6 000,00 €

VOLTAIREBiblio.com

La Henriade

177081957à Paris: Chez La veuve DuchesneSaillantDesaint 1770. Fine. Chez La veuve Duchesne Saillant Desaint à Paris 1770 11.80 x 18.50 cm 2 volumes reliés New illustrated edition with first printing by Eisen of a frontispiece an engraved title with the author's portrait in medallion 10 figures and 10 headpieces all engraved by De Longueil. Volume II contains variants and notes: L'essai sur la poésie épique poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne; Poème sur la loi naturelle etc. This edition was partly revised by Voltaire. The publishers' notice announces this edition as the only complete one since there are more than 50 new verses scattered throughout the work. Contemporary full red morocco binding. Smooth spine decorated in grotesque style. Brown morocco title label olive morocco volume label. Triple fillet frame on covers with corner fleurons. Interior fillet. All edges gilt. Traces of rubbing. Some light foxing in margins and verso of certain engravings. Superb copy rare in this condition. Very fine illustration by Eisen. Complete and critical edition with notes from different editions for each canto Marmontel's preface the author's letter of thanks to Eisen. Chez La veuve DuchesneSaillantDesaint unknown

Rare Books Le Feu Follet - Edition-Originale.com · France5 750,00 €

VOLTAIRE, François Marie Arouet.Livre Rare Book

Recueil des romans de Voltaire contenant Zadig suivi de Micromégas / Candide ou l’Optimisme / L’ingénu histoire véritable / La Princesse de Babylone / Lettres d’Amabed suivies du Taureau blanc. Préface par Arsène Houssaye. Eaux-fortes par Laguillermie Précieuse édition collective regroupant les plus grands romans de Voltaire.

LCS-18383Luxueux exemplaire, l’un des 20 imprimés sur papier de Chine contenant la suite des eaux-fortes en double état. Paris, Librairie des Bibliophiles, rue Saint-Honoré, 1878. 7 tomes en 5 volumes grand in-8 ornés d’un portrait et de 11 eaux-fortes, l’ensemble en double-état, avant et avec la lettre. Maroquin rouge, triple filet encadrant les plats, dos à nerfs, double filet sur les coupes, tranches dorés. Reliure signée Chambolle-Duru. 214 x 130 mm.

Librairie Camille Sourget · Paris, France5 500,00 €

Denis Diderot, Jean Le Rond d' Alembert; Voltaire; Rousseau; Montesquieu; Louis de JaucourtBiblio.com

Encyclopedie: Ou Dictionnaire Raisonne des Sciences des Arts et des Metiers 41 tomes

17772308270001Geneva: Pellet 1777-79; Neuchatel: La Societe Typographique 1777. troisieme. Hardcover. Very Good. The Organization of Enlightenment Thought: The Revolution in Ideas 41 of 45 volumes. Quartos 25 x 19.5 cm. Bound in handsome catspaw calf. All edges red. Good bindings and covers. Clean unmarked pages. Includes Vol. 1-36 of the Encyclopedie important note: lacks 3 text volumes 23 30 31; Vol. 37-38: Recueil de planches pour la nouvelle edition du dictionnaire raisonne des sciences des arts et des metiers; lacks the final plate volume v.39 Vol. 40-45 Table Analytique Et Raisonnee Des Matieres. Diderot's famous Encyclopedie was initially a modest translation of Chambers's Cyclopaedia. It grew as a project into a massive project which attempted to collect human knowledge from a rationalistic perspective instead of by nature or theology. In organizing knowledge from a position where human reason was paramount the supremacy of the Church was imperiled. As a result the Encyclopedie was widely controversial and placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum by the Catholic Church. In discussing fundamental philosophical issues such as on political authority and natural rights articles in the Encyclopedie shifted the basis of governmental authority from the divine right of Kings to radical concepts popular consent was the basis of legitimacy and the ideals of a social contract. The work was banned by the King of France. It spread the foundational ideas of the French Revolution and enlightenment thinkers. "No encyclopaedia perhaps has been of such political importance or has occupied so conspicuous a place in the civil and literary history of its century. It sought not only to give information but to guide opinion." "It was a war machine; as it progressed its attacks on both the church and still more on despotic government as well as Christianity itself became bolder and more undistinguished and it was met with persecution and opposition unparalleled in the the history of encyclopedias." - Encyclopedia Britannica 11th ed p. 1483. Geneva: Pellet, 1777-79; Neuchatel: La Societe Typographique hardcover

SequiturBooks · États-Unis6 370,00 $US≈ 5 389,66 €

VOLTAIRE, (FRANCOIS-MARIE AROUET de).Biblio.com

Letters Concerning the English Nation. - A KEY WORK OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY

173360085London C. Davis and A. Lyon 1733. 8vo. Lovely contemporary full Cambridge-style binding with five raised bands to spine and blindstamped ornamental borders to boards. . Double gilt line-borders to boards. All edges of boards with gilt borders. Gilt title to spine. Hinges neatly and professionally re-inforced. Internally very nice clean and fresh. A lovely crisp and large copy with good margins printed on heavy fine paper. 16 -including preface contents advertisements 253 1 18 -Index pp. The important actual first edition of this highly celebrated key work of the Enlightenment in which the anecdote of how Newton discovered gravity the story about Newton and the falling apple appeared for the first time together with the description of the difference between the physical world view of the English and the French the "plenum" and the "vacuum". This seminal work in which Voltaire famously depicts British philosophy science society and culture in comparison to French can be viewed as the Enlightenment equivalent to Tocqueville's "Democracy in America". This series of essays which is based on Voltaire's experiences when living in England was actually written by Voltaire mostly in English which he mastered to perfection. It has often been presumed that the first edition of the work was that published in French in 1734 but actually the present English edition constitutes the actual first appearance of the work as well as the version that is closest to Voltaire's intention as the French language version is the re-written one and the English version the original. Curiously almost all modern English versions are translations into English of the French edition instead of the original English version making this edition of the utmost importance.After the original English edition of 1733 two French editions soon followed the first in 1734. Unlike the British the French resented the book and already in 1734 the French Parliament issued an order for the author's arrest and condemned the work causing the impact of it in France to be delayed. The book was burned for being "dangerous to religion and civil order". At the same time the work became a bestseller in Britain and as much as 14 editions of the work were published in the eighteenth century. "Inspired by Voltaire's two-year stay in England 1726-8 this is one of the key works of the Enlightenment. Exactly contemporary with Gulliver's Travels and The Beggar's Opera Voltaire's controversial pronouncements on politics philosophy religion and literature have placed the Letters among the great Augustan satires. Voltaire wrote most of the book in English in which he was fluent and witty and it fast became a bestseller in Britain. He re-wrote it in French as the Lettres philosophiques and current editions in English translate his French." Nicholas Cronk Introduction to the Oxford's Classics edition from 1999.The great French philosopher Voltaire was greatly impressed by the philosophical and scientific achievements of the English especially those of Newton Locke and Bacon. As a disseminator of scientific knowledge Voltaire came to play a great rôle in the popularization of Newtonian science and its discoveries the present work being a prime example. Although the work was condemned by the French authorities it still came to play a great rôle in the spreading of Newtonian ideas in France. The present work generally came to play a dominant rôle in Enlightenment accounts of the history of science and philosophy. The work focuses on British science and thought and uses the accounts of these to emphasize what is lacking in French society and French thought. The work is generally very critical towards the French "ancient régime" and when Voltaire here discusses the emergence of empiricism it is viewed as an English tradition that stands in opposition to the French rationalist tradition with Descartes as the prime example. This view is taken over by the following Enlightenment historians of science and philosophy e.g. d'Alembert see for instance his "Preliminary Discourse" of 1751. Some of the most influential passages of the work are probably those on Bacon who Voltaire sees as the founder of modern experimental science Newton and Descartes. Letters XIV on Descartes and Newton XV on attraction and XVI on Newton's Optics from 1704 are among the most influential essays of the work. In XVI Voltaire reflects upon Newton's "Optics" and the way that he rejected Descartes' theory and set out his own account of the properties of light. In XV he presents the first account of Newton and the falling apple: "As he was walking one Day in his Garden and saw some Fruits fall from a Tree he fell into profound Meditation on that Gravity the Cause of which had so long been sought but in vain by all the Philosophers whilst the Vulgar think there is nothing mysterious in it. He said to himself that from what height soever in our Hemisphere those Bodies might descend their Fall wou'd certainly be in the Progression discover'd by Galileo; and the Spaces they run thro' would be as the Square of the Times. Why may not this Power which causes heavy Bodies to descend and is the fame without any sensible Diminution at the remotest Distance from the Center of the Earth or on the Summits of the highest Mountains; Why said Sir Isaac may not this Power extend as high as the Moon." pp. 127-28.But perhaps the most famous passage in the volume is the opening of Letter XIV: "A Frenchman who arrives in London will find Philosophy like every Thing else very much chang'd there. He had left the World a "plenum" and he now finds it a "vacuum". At Paris the Universe is seen compos'd of Vortices of subtile Matter; but nothing like it is seen in London. In France 'tis the Pressure of the Moon that causes the Tides; but in England 'tis the Sea that gravitates towards the Moon; so that when you think that the Moon should make it Flood with us those Gentlemen fancy it should be Ebb which very unluckily cannot be prov'd." pp. 109-10. hardcover

Herman H. J. Lynge & Søn A/S · Danemark40 000,00 DKK≈ 5 372,00 €

VOLTAIREBiblio.com

The Works.

1761186427London: Printed for J. Newbery R. Baldwin W. Johnston; Printed for S. Crowder T. Longman J. Wilkie; Printed for G. Kearsley; Printed for J. and H. L. Hunt 1761-1824. His oeuvre in English for the first time First collected edition of Voltaire's works in English. This first collection did not include two works but this handsome set makes up the omission. It includes uniformly bound copies of the first English translation of The Age of Louis XV and the second English edition of Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary. In the early 1750s editions and translations of Voltaire's works multiplied rapidly. Following his earlier surge of fame in the late 1730s driven largely by his plays and his Life of Charles XII publishers eventually produced a full English edition of his writings. This thirty six volume collection was issued between 1762 and 1765 under the direction of Tobias Smollett. Lowndes however notes that Smollett lent his name to the project but took little active part in its translation. A final volume appeared in 1770 although in this set it is represented by a later edition dated 1781. 44 vols duodecimo 170 x 109 mm. Engraved frontispieces with tissue guards to 32 vols. 2 folding plates to vol. 26 folding map to vol. 29. Late 19th-century mottled half calf twin red morocco labels compartments elaborately tooled in gilt marbled sides edges yellow. Bookplates of Sir Walter Runciman 1847-1937 occasional minor contemporary inscriptions. Bindings bright sporadic foxing pale damp-staining to a couple of volumes a few chips and short closed tears to fore edges. A very good set. Lowndes 2791. unknown

Peter Harrington · Royaume-Uni4 500,00 £GB≈ 5 138,10 €

DE VOLTAIRE, MBiblio.com

ZADIG; OR THE BOOK OF FATE AN ORIENTAL HISTORY

177844246Philadelphia: Printed by Robert Bell 1778. 1778. First U. S. edition. Translated from the French with notes historical and critical by T. Smollett M. D. and T. Francklin A. M. Story contained in MISCELLANIES by Voltaire. The first book on the Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone list and excessively rare—the only copy we have ever seen and it does not seem that any copies have sold at auction for more than twenty five years. Considered to be the "Great Grandfather of the Detective Story." Foxing and staining throughout. A good copy only of this seminal work bound in a full-leather contemporary binding. Housed in a cloth clamshell case with leather label on the spine and titles stamped in gold gilt. Printed by Robert Bell, 1778. hardcover

BUCKINGHAM BOOKS · États-Unis6 000,00 $US≈ 5 076,60 €

VOLTAIRELivre Rare Book

La Henriade. Poème, suivi de quelques autres poèmes de Voltaire

178943823Reliure d'époque plein maroquin rouge. Dos orné de doubles nerfs dorés et mosaïqués de maroquin vert, caissons d'entrenerfs dorés de caissons dorés aux filets courbes. Plats composés de trois encadrements mosaïqués de maroquin vert et havane lobé dans les angles et les milieux, ornés aux petits fers. Quintuple encadrement mosaïqué de maroquin rouge, vert et havane doré. Doublure et gardes de soie bleue ornée de roulettes dorées. Toutes tranches dorées. Grandes marges. Reliure signée BRADEL Le Jeune (avec son étiquette à l'adresse de laRue d'Ecosse, N°. 1 quartier Ste. Geneviève A Paris). Habiles restaurations sur les coiffes et les coins.

Librairie Koegui · Bayonne, France5 000,00 €

VOLTAIRELivre Rare Book

La Henriade

177081957Chez La veuve Duchesne Saillant Desaint | à Paris 1770 | 11.80 x 18.50 cm | 2 volumes reliés

Librairie Le Feu Follet – Edition-Originale.com · Paris, France5 000,00 €

VOLTAIRELivre Rare Book

Oeuvres complètes de Voltaire (édition dite de Beaumarchais) [72 volumes]

1789129448à Paris, chez Deterville, Libraire 1789 72 volumes. In-8 22 x 13,5 cm. Reliures de l’époque veau fauve marbré, dos lisses ornés de petits fers encadrés de roulettes dorées, pièces de titre et de tomaison maroquin grenat et vert, plats encadrés de roulette dorée, environ 450 pp. par volume, illustrations de Moreau le Jeune, comprenant 93 figures hors texte interprétées par Baquoy, Delaunay, Guttenberg, Lemire, Masquelier, Tardieu et d'autres graveurs d'après Moreau, 17 portraits hors texte, dont celui de Voltaire d'après Largillière sert de frontispice au premier volume. On a en outre ajouté au vol. I, le titre gravé des Estampes destinées à orner les éditions de M. de Voltaire réalisé pour le compte de Moreau et 1 tableau replié des œuvres de Voltaire contenues dans cette édition. Bon ensemble, bien complet des deux volumes de table, établis par Chantreau et publiés en 1801.

Librairie de l'Avenue · Saint-Ouen, France5 000,00 €

VOLTAIRE (François-Marie Arouet de).Livre Rare Book

Oeuvres complètes de Voltaire.

178439990Kehl, De l'Imprimerie de la Société littéraire-typographique, 1784-1789. 70 volumes in-8, demi-veau vert, dos lisses très ornés de fleurons, palmes et palettes, pièces de titre et de tomaison en maroquin rouge (reliure de l'époque).

Bonnefoi Livres Anciens · Paris, France5 000,00 €

VOLTAIRE.Livre Rare Book

La Pucelle d'Orlans, pome en vingt et un chants. Edition orne de figures graves par les meilleurs artistes de Paris.

179531846Paris Didot Jeune 1795 2 volumes in-4, maroquin rouge, encadrement de trois filets dors sur les plats, dos nerfs orns petits fers pousss or, roulette dore sur les coupes; encadrements intrieurs orns d'une roulette or, doublures et gardes de soie moire bleue, tranches dores (Canape).Edition orne d'un portrait de Jeanne d'Arc dessin par Gaucher et de 21 figures dessines par Lebarbier, Marillier, Monnet, Monsiau, le tout grav par Baquoy, Choffard, Delignon, Delvaux, Duhamel, Duprel, Lemire, Linge, Malbeste, Patas, Pauquet, Ponce et Romanet. Exemplaire enrichi de 48 eaux-fortes: les 21 des figures en deux tats (eaux-fortes pures et tat avant la lettre) de La Pucelle excutes par Moreau pour les oeuvres de Voltaire (Paris, 1819-1825), un portrait-frontispice de Voltaire dessin et grav par Walker, un portrait de Charles VII grav par Prvost d'aprs Cochin, 3 portraits en couleurs (Charles VII, Jean d'Orlans, Jeanne d'Arc) dessins et gravs par Sergent et un portrait de Jeanne d'Arc dessin et grav par Delvaux. Les eaux-fortes pures de Moreau sont toute marge, les preuves avant la lettre ont t remontes. Exemplaire portant sur la page de titre une note la plume autographe signe trs estompe: Reu en prsent de mon ami Hermann d'Uslar, docteur en mdecine, avant son dpart pour le Mexique en 1854. Hellissar. De la bibliothque Robert de Billy (ex-libris).

Librairie Blaizot & Pinault · Paris, France5 000,00 €

Beccaria, Cesare Bonsana, Marchese di; VoltaireBiblio.com

An Essay on Crimes and Punishments Translated from the Italian; with a Commentary Attributed to Mons. de Voltaire Translated from the French

1767140947325London: Printed for J. Almon 1767. First Edition. Near Fine. First English-language edition of Cesare Bonesana di Beccaria's treatise on criminal justice reform with an added commentary by Voltaire. xii 179 lxxix pp. Bound in full contemporary mottled calf laced in boards. Morocco title label gilt tooling to spine and board edges all edges speckled red. Near Fine with light wear to covers boards slightly splayed joints worn but sound. Light toning and scattered foxing throughout more pronounced in first and last few pages. Discoloration from binder's glue to endpapers author's name penciled to front pastedown math equation penciled to back pastedown. A beautiful copy of the influential Enlightenment classic from the collection of scholar and bibliophile Arnold Meadowcroft Muirhead with his bookplate on the front pastedown. Rare. Printed for J. Almon unknown

Burnside Rare Books, ABAA · États-Unis5 800,00 $US≈ 4 907,38 €

VOLTAIRELivre Rare Book

Candide, ou l'Optimisme, traduit de l'allemand de Mr. le Docteur Ralph [Suivi de : ] Candide, ou l'Optimisme, traduit de l'allemand de Mr. le Docteur Ralph. Seconde Partie

1759695351 vol. in-12 reliure fin XVIIIe, plats recouverts de papier peigné, s.n., s.l. [ Londres ?], 1759 et 1761, 299-132 pp.

SARL Librairie du Cardinal · Gradignan, France4 900,00 €

VOLTAIRE, (FMA de). F M ABiblio.com

Letters Concerning The English Nation. - A KEY WORK OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY

173361360London 1733. 8vo. Bound in a lovely contemporary English Cambridge-style full calf binding with a plain spine with five raised bands. Spine a bit cracked vertically and with minor loss to capitals. Corners a bit bumped and adges of boards a bit worn. Binding overall nice and tight. Small damp stain at the lower blank corner of the first few leaves otherwise a very good clean copy on thick crisp paper. 16 -including preface contents advertisements 253 1 18 -Index pp. The important actual first edition of this highly celebrated key work of the Enlightenment in which the anecdote of how Newton discovered gravity the story about Newton and the falling apple appeared for the first time together with the description of the difference between the physical world view of the English and the French the "plenum" and the "vacuum". This seminal work in which Voltaire famously depicts British philosophy science society and culture in comparison to French can be viewed as the Enlightenment equivalent to Tocqueville's "Democracy in America". This series of essays which is based on Voltaire's experiences when living in England was actually written by Voltaire mostly in English which he mastered to perfection. It has often been presumed that the first edition of the work was that published in French in 1734 but actually the present English edition constitutes the actual first appearance of the work as well as the version that is closest to Voltaire's intention as the French language version is the re-written one and the English version the original. Curiously almost all modern English versions are translations into English of the French edition instead of the original English version making this edition of the utmost importance.After the original English edition of 1733 two French editions soon followed the first in 1734. Unlike the British the French resented the book and already in 1734 the French Parliament issued an order for the author's arrest and condemned the work causing the impact of it in France to be delayed. The book was burned for being "dangerous to religion and civil order". At the same time the work became a bestseller in Britain and as much as 14 editions of the work were published in the eighteenth century. "Inspired by Voltaire's two-year stay in England 1726-8 this is one of the key works of the Enlightenment. Exactly contemporary with Gulliver's Travels and The Beggar's Opera Voltaire's controversial pronouncements on politics philosophy religion and literature have placed the Letters among the great Augustan satires. Voltaire wrote most of the book in English in which he was fluent and witty and it fast became a bestseller in Britain. He re-wrote it in French as the Lettres philosophiques and current editions in English translate his French." Nicholas Cronk Introduction to the Oxford's Classics edition from 1999.The great French philosopher Voltaire was greatly impressed by the philosophical and scientific achievements of the English especially those of Newton Locke and Bacon. As a disseminator of scientific knowledge Voltaire came to play a great rôle in the popularization of Newtonian science and its discoveries the present work being a prime example. Although the work was condemned by the French authorities it still came to play a great rôle in the spreading of Newtonian ideas in France. The present work generally came to play a dominant rôle in Enlightenment accounts of the history of science and philosophy. The work focuses on British science and thought and uses the accounts of these to emphasize what is lacking in French society and French thought. The work is generally very critical towards the French "ancient régime" and when Voltaire here discusses the emergence of empiricism it is viewed as an English tradition that stands in opposition to the French rationalist tradition with Descartes as the prime example. This view is taken over by the following Enlightenment historians of science and philosophy e.g. d'Alembert see for instance his "Preliminary Discourse" of 1751. Some of the most influential passages of the work are probably those on Bacon who Voltaire sees as the founder of modern experimental science Newton and Descartes. Letters XIV on Descartes and Newton XV on attraction and XVI on Newton's Optics from 1704 are among the most influential essays of the work. In XVI Voltaire reflects upon Newton's "Optics" and the way that he rejected Descartes' theory and set out his own account of the properties of light. In XV he presents the first account of Newton and the falling apple: "As he was walking one Day in his Garden and saw some Fruits fall from a Tree he fell into profound Meditation on that Gravity the Cause of which had so long been sought but in vain by all the Philosophers whilst the Vulgar think there is nothing mysterious in it. He said to himself that from what height soever in our Hemisphere those Bodies might descend their Fall wou'd certainly be in the Progression discover'd by Galileo; and the Spaces they run thro' would be as the Square of the Times. Why may not this Power which causes heavy Bodies to descend and is the fame without any sensible Diminution at the remotest Distance from the Center of the Earth or on the Summits of the highest Mountains; Why said Sir Isaac may not this Power extend as high as the Moon." pp. 127-28.But perhaps the most famous passage in the volume is the opening of Letter XIV: "A Frenchman who arrives in London will find Philosophy like every Thing else very much chang'd there. He had left the World a "plenum" and he now finds it a "vacuum". At Paris the Universe is seen compos'd of Vortices of subtile Matter; but nothing like it is seen in London. In France 'tis the Pressure of the Moon that causes the Tides; but in England 'tis the Sea that gravitates towards the Moon; so that when you think that the Moon should make it Flood with us those Gentlemen fancy it should be Ebb which very unluckily cannot be prov'd." pp. 109-10. hardcover

Herman H. J. Lynge & Søn A/S · Danemark35 000,00 DKK≈ 4 700,50 €

Voltaire (Arouet, Francois-Marie)Biblio.com

Oeuvres Completes De Voltaire avec des Remarques et des Notes Historiques Scientifiques et Literaires Par Mm. Auguis Clogenson Daunou Etc. The Works of Voltaire.

182896178Paris: Deslangle Frères 1828-34. Finely bound set of the complete works of Voltaire with historic scientific and literary notes. Octavo 97 volumes bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards gilt titles and tooling to the spine in five compartments within raised gilt bands marbled endpapers frontispieces with tissues guards and half titles as issued. In very good condition. A complete set covering the broad scope of the versatile and prolific writer. One of the most influential thinkers of the French Enlightenment François-Marie Arouet know by the nom de plum Voltaire was a resourceful and prolific writer. His works touched nearly every literary form including plays poems novels theoretical essays and scientific treatises. A forthright and candid advocate of civil liberties he frequently criticized the institutions of religious dogma and classism prevalent in 18th century France often doing so through satire to avoid censorship and imprisonment. Deslangle Frères hardcover

Raptis Rare Books · États-Unis5 500,00 $US≈ 4 653,55 €

Voltaire Arouet Francois MarieABAA

Oeuvres Completes De Voltaire avec des Remarques et des Notes Historiques Scientifiques et Literaires Par Mm. Auguis Clogenson Daunou Etc. The Works of Voltaire.

182896178Paris: Deslangle Freres 1828-34. Finely bound set of the complete works of Voltaire with historic scientific and literary notes. Octavo 97 volumes text in French. Bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards gilt titles and tooling to the spine in five compartments within raised gilt bands marbled endpapers frontispieces with tissues guards and half-titles as issued. In very good condition. A complete set covering the broad scope of the versatile and prolific writer. One of the most influential thinkers of the French Enlightenment Francois-Marie Arouet know by the nom de plum Voltaire was a resourceful and prolific writer. His works touched nearly every literary form including plays poems novels theoretical essays and scientific treatises. A forthright and candid advocate of civil liberties he frequently criticized the institutions of religious dogma and classism prevalent in 18th century France often doing so through satire to avoid censorship and imprisonment. Deslangle Freres hardcover books

Raptis Rare Books · États-Unis5 500,00 $US≈ 4 653,55 €

VOLTAIRE (François-Marie Arouet de).Livre Rare Book

Elémens de la Philosophie de Neuton, Mis à la portée de tout le monde.

17385783A Amsterdam, chez Etienne Ledet & Compagnie, 1738. In-8 de 1 frontispice gravé, 2 portraits, (6)-XII-(2)-399-(1)-(400 à) 410-(6) pp., veau brun, dos orné à nerfs, pièce de titre en maroquin rouge (reliure de l'époque).

Bonnefoi Livres Anciens · Paris, France4 500,00 €

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