These are two copies of Voltaire. The first is the collection that has both Candide and Zadig, only I haven't read Zadig. Candide I read recently, and enjoyed. I saw a little segment on a local PBS program where Harold Ramis and other comedians were discussing how funny and great the novella is, about Candide's endless optimism throughout his outrageous world travels. From Germany to Lisbon in time for the earthquake, then off to Argentina and then finding Eldorado. Then Paris, Venice, Constantinople...Candide get's all over the place, and through his voice we see how a guy like Voltaire could really stir up the shit pile.
Voltaire was a super star writer in his time, read and liked by many of the literate luminaries of the time, including Franklin and Jefferson.
I picked up these copies while living in San Luis Obispo; they're stamped with "USED" and "El Corral" markings, the Corral being Cal Poly's campus bookstore. I can't remember the exact circumstances by which I acquired them, but it was the name, Voltaire, that I knew only as important, that inspired me to purchase (or lift).
He wasn't one of the philosophers I read for my personal studies, but I knew of him, and that was enough, apparently, for the price and for me.
I recommend Candide for anyone looking for a funny, quick adventure story that has sneaky philosophy embedded.
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