Customer Reviews

Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary

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I have just finished reading Durant's history of Voltaire and decided that I wanted to read more of his actual writings. I have previously read Candide and some of his letters and really appreciated the biting satire.

This version is actually a condensed version of over 300 pages. I found a copy of the original in 6 volumes at over 300 pages each. This work is a `dictionary' arranged in alphabetical order. The subjects he chooses are seemingly random and include such things as `beauty', `corn', `envy', `Joan of Arc', and almost any other thing you can think of.

I found many of the articles to be dated and not very `philosophical', but many others were fascinating. I enjoyed his views on the soul, atheism, and free-will. They were clearly philosophical and were probably considered radical at the time. Many of his radical views are now considered mainstream, but some are still bound to offend. His satire was not as biting as some of his other works, but it still probably caused offence to many of his contemporaries.

I was somewhat disappointed that this was a condensed version, but I still appreciated the opportunity to read more from Voltaire in a Kindle freebie.

While I, too, enjoyed getting a Kindle freebie, this bears little resemblance to the original (I am fortunate to have a first English edition from 1765). I was hoping to have a Kindle version much like the printed copy, but found that many of his more enjoyable and interesting topics (especially religious) were omitted by your editors including Abraham, Angel, Baptism, Beasts, Body, Chinese and Japanese Catachism, Christianity -- the list goes on and on. Why such a different version might have been explained with your translator/transcriber notes in the Kindle version.

After reading Candid, I wanted more! I had read reviews for this book, and purchased it expecting random short reads on interesting subjects, and perhaps opinions (more than likely requiring months of time spent on Wikipedia, a to understand who they reference).

I didn't get much from this book. I felt it a bit too arrogant, a bit too boring, and the references a bit too obscure. Perhaps if I wasn't already an existential nihilist, it might be more shocking or revealing, but, instead, I crave a second to Candid. Can someone lend a recommendation in means of a comment to this review suggesting my next great Voltaire read? It doesn't have to be fiction; but something -entirely not like this.