1wcarter
Candide or The Optimist by Voltaire 1948
Candide is one of the world’s literature classics. It is the story of a French gentleman who is dealt a poor hand by fate, but who still clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." Although outwardly humorous, it is actually an entertaining, savage and outrageous satire against religion and optimistic philosophy. He discusses these matters constantly with his companion and pedantic tutor, Panglos.
Voltaire was born in Paris in 1694 but was forced to move around Europe because of his political beliefs. He wrote Candide in Geneva in 1759.
This early Folio Society edition was published in the Society’s second year of existence. It was translated by Henry Morley and has seven colour lithographs by Kenneth Hobson. There is a small pen and ink drawing at the head of each chapter. The page tops are stained green and the book is a small format measuring only 22x13.4cm. The endpapers are plain white. It is quarter-bound in black buckram with marbled paper covers and a colour printed yellow dust-jacket. Folio Society books at this time did not come with a slipcase.
Its 136 pages are printed letterpress (as were all FS books of this era) and the marbled binding is too good to hide with a dust-jacket. My copy is a little battered after 75 years and lacks the dust-jacket, but a copy of a picture with this from the internet appears below.
There have been two other editions of Candide published by the Folio Society :-
2011 A limited edition of 1000 copies that sold out in three weeks. Translated by Tobias Smollett and introduced by Julian Barnes it was signed and illustrated by Quentin Blake who contributed 17 colour and 28 black & white illustrations. It had gilded page tops and was bound in maroon Nigerian goatskin blocked with a gilt title design. The endpapers were dark green, and the grey slipcase was emblazoned with gilt title across all sides. This edition was reviewed in Folio Archives here.
2015 This was a standard edition of the limited edition above. The contents are identical to the limited edition but in a different binding and slipcase. It was bound in grey cloth, cover blocked with a design in black and white by the artist (see below).
2015 EDITION
1948 EDITION
Dustjacket picture from the internet
Pictures of my copy
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
Candide is one of the world’s literature classics. It is the story of a French gentleman who is dealt a poor hand by fate, but who still clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." Although outwardly humorous, it is actually an entertaining, savage and outrageous satire against religion and optimistic philosophy. He discusses these matters constantly with his companion and pedantic tutor, Panglos.
Voltaire was born in Paris in 1694 but was forced to move around Europe because of his political beliefs. He wrote Candide in Geneva in 1759.
This early Folio Society edition was published in the Society’s second year of existence. It was translated by Henry Morley and has seven colour lithographs by Kenneth Hobson. There is a small pen and ink drawing at the head of each chapter. The page tops are stained green and the book is a small format measuring only 22x13.4cm. The endpapers are plain white. It is quarter-bound in black buckram with marbled paper covers and a colour printed yellow dust-jacket. Folio Society books at this time did not come with a slipcase.
Its 136 pages are printed letterpress (as were all FS books of this era) and the marbled binding is too good to hide with a dust-jacket. My copy is a little battered after 75 years and lacks the dust-jacket, but a copy of a picture with this from the internet appears below.
There have been two other editions of Candide published by the Folio Society :-
2011 A limited edition of 1000 copies that sold out in three weeks. Translated by Tobias Smollett and introduced by Julian Barnes it was signed and illustrated by Quentin Blake who contributed 17 colour and 28 black & white illustrations. It had gilded page tops and was bound in maroon Nigerian goatskin blocked with a gilt title design. The endpapers were dark green, and the grey slipcase was emblazoned with gilt title across all sides. This edition was reviewed in Folio Archives here.
2015 This was a standard edition of the limited edition above. The contents are identical to the limited edition but in a different binding and slipcase. It was bound in grey cloth, cover blocked with a design in black and white by the artist (see below).
2015 EDITION
1948 EDITION
Dustjacket picture from the internet
Pictures of my copy
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2mr.philistine
Another one from 'The Early Years' series and reviewed here with a few notes from Folio 21 and Folio 60: https://www.librarything.com/topic/157268#4220657
