Candide, or The Optimist

A biting satire of the Age of Enlightenment, Voltaire's classic tale Candide, or the Optimist remains a bestseller over two centuries after its initial publication. Young nobleman Candide lives a sheltered life under the tutelage of the ridiculous Dr Pangloss, who espouses the prevailing 18th-century philosophy of Optimism. After an indiscretion, Candide is cast out into a world that Pangloss claims is ‘the best of all possible worlds’. However, Candide and his companions encounter nothing but ludicrous calamities in their madcap travels - war crimes, earthquakes, inquisitions, and chain gangs – all based with horrible closeness on real events of the 18th century. Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library, this stunning clothbound edition of Candide, or the Optimist features gold-foiled edges, a ribbon marker, and an introduction by Dr Marine Ganofsky. A perfect gift for any book lover, this unabridged French classic showcases Voltaire's scathing wit and satirical mastery as he skewers the fashionable philosophies of his day and lampoons the political realities of the Seven Years' War and the Lisbon earthquake. A timeless commentary on human folly, Candide remains a treasured work of the Enlightenment era.