Publisher's Synopsis
Letters On The English, also known as Lettres Philosophiques, is a collection of essays written by the French Enlightenment writer Voltaire. The book was first published in 1733 and caused controversy due to its criticism of the French monarchy and the Catholic Church.The letters are written in the form of correspondence between a fictional Persian traveler and his friends in Paris. Through their discussions, Voltaire explores various aspects of English society, including its government, religion, science, and literature.The book praises English thinkers such as John Locke and Isaac Newton for their contributions to the fields of philosophy and science. Voltaire also admires the English system of government, which he sees as more tolerant and just than the French monarchy.However, the book also criticizes the English for their treatment of women and their involvement in the slave trade. Voltaire also questions the existence of God and argues for the importance of reason and empirical evidence.Overall, Letters On The English is a significant work of Enlightenment literature that influenced the development of modern Western thought.But all these wonders are merely but the opening of his discoveries. He found out the secret to see the vibrations or fits of light which come and go incessantly, and which either transmit light or reflect it, according to the density of the parts they meet with. He has presumed to calculate the density of the particles of air necessary between two glasses, the one flat, the other convex on one side, set one upon the other.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
