Franklin Library: VOLTAIRE: CANDIDE and ZADIG: 18TH CENTURY FRENCH NOVELS

Franklin Library leather edition of Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire's "Candide and Zadig," Translated by Tobias Smollett, Illustrated by Van Kaufman, a Limited edition, one of the COLLECTED STORIES OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST WRITERS series, published in 1977. Bound in brick red leather, the book has burgundy silk end leaves, hubbed spine, a satin book marker, acid-free paper, Symth-sewn binding, gold gilding on three edges---in near FINE condition. François-Marie Arouet, who lived from 1694 – 1778, known by his pen name, Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer whose attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion and expression and separation of church and state made him controversial. "Candide: or, Optimism" begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with "optimism" by his mentor, Professor Pangloss. Candide is kicked out of paradise for kissing the Baron's daughter and slowly and often painfully experiences disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world, searching for a "perfect place," but everywhere he finds man's greed, lust, violence, and indifference, even among church officials. Only in EL DORADO, a never-never land, does Candide find happiness, wealth, contentment, but after a month he cannot stand "paradise" because he says he does not have "Miss Cunegunde." Candide's three mentors: Dr. Pangloss, Cacambo, and Martin---three men, one an optimist, one a realist, and one a pessimist---cannot provide him the answers to life. "Zadig" tells the story of a philosopher in ancient Babylonia. The author does not attempt any historical accuracy, and some of the problems Zadig faces are thinly disguised references to social and political problems of Voltaire's own day. The book makes use of a Persian tale. It is philosophical in nature, and presents human life as in the hands of a destiny. 255 pages. I offer Combined shipping.