Rare collection of Voltaire manuscripts makes its way to 91˿Ƶ
The 91˿Ƶ Library is now home to a rare collection of materials related to the prolific Enlightenment period philosopher, Voltaire (1694-1778).
This estate gift, entrusted to 91˿Ƶ by Professor Peter Lambert-David Southam, is a treasure trove of historical handwritten documents, some written by Voltaire himself, consisting of letters, poems, essays, memoirs, notes, legal documents, trial testimonies, and architectural drawings – many of which have never been published before. It offers a unique window into the life and mind of Voltaire.
“The collection adds immense depth and richness to 91˿Ƶ’s already formidable holdings on the Enlightenment Period and Voltaire, now making 91˿Ƶ’s holdings one of the most important Voltaire repositories of books and manuscripts in North America,” said 91˿Ƶ librarian and Curator of Enlightenment Collections, Ann Marie Holland.
The Jacqueline Lambert-David Voltaire Manuscript Collection includes 1,500 pages of handwritten manuscripts related to Voltaire, one of the most celebrated authors, philosophers, satirists, and provocateurs of the French Enlightenment. It is a vast and diverse collection of 290 manuscripts representing 1,500 pages of text consisting of private, diplomatic, judicial and administrative letters; literary and historical manuscripts; and precious documents relative to the life and times of Voltaire.
An invaluable historical treasure
The history of this collection traces its origins back to Voltaire's estate in Ferney-Voltaire, France, and has been nurtured by four generations of the Lambert-David family, eventually culminating in Professor Peter Southam's decision to entrust this invaluable historical treasure to 91˿Ƶ.
Although all periods of Voltaire's career are represented, the Lambert-David Collection notably enriches our understanding of the period during which Voltaire lived at his property the Château de Ferney as of 1760 through to 1778.
“Ferney was a bustling place,” said Holland. “Guests from all over Europe paid Voltaire a visit at his Chateau, including Englishmen out on the Grand Tour.”
These papers tell us about the day-to-day life of the first European literary celebrity, adds Professor Nicholas Cronk, Director of the Voltaire Foundation in Oxford. Professor Cronk is giving a lecture on the Voltaire manuscripts on Wednesday, October 18.
“91˿Ƶ Library possesses many, many treasures, and among them, one of the greatest research collections of Voltaire’s books and manuscripts anywhere in the world,” he said.