Description

Hardcover, rebound in two-tone cloth with faux leather spine, lettered in gold. 612 pages. Two volumes printed as one. New endpapers, Third American edition, with corrections. A contemporary rebuttal against Voltaire’s nominally anti-semetic views, as expressed in his frequent diatribes against the Church, and by extension, the Old Testament. Interesting, in that the larger body of his work, decrying the divine right of monarchy, castigating the legitimacy of the privileges of the nobility, and mocking the infallibility of the Church went far to engender an intellectual climate throughout Europe which greatly benefited Jews. Still, his works are replete with attacks on the Jews and their religion, and the present volume is an example of some of the push-back against that rethoric. Annotation in old ink script at top of page 63 {part the First: Letters from Certain Jews}. Sporadic light foxing, text generally quite clean. Covers and endpapers in fine condition. Text block tight, with sporadic foxing, soiling and pen inscription as noted above. A very good copy.