Just published: Voltaire, Siècle de Louis XIV (IA) and (IB): Introduction
Complete Works of Voltaire, vol.11A and vol.11B, ed. Diego Venturino et al.

First drafted in the early 1730s, published in 1751 and repeatedly revised up to 1775, the Siècle de Louis XIV is a milestone in Voltaire’s career as historian-philosopher. The work signals the beginning of modern historiography as well as modern literary history. As the first major account of the reign of Louis XIV, it remains today the (often controversial) starting point for any reflection on the political and cultural history of the Sun King, and is an example of eighteenth-century historiography that cannot be bypassed.

These volumes contain the introduction to Voltaire’s text. Volume 11A contains an essay which meticulously reconstructs Voltaire’s historical project and explores the genesis and composition of the work, as well as placing the endeavour in its historiographical context. In volume 11B can be found a range of tools which are indispensable for a full understanding of Voltaire’s text: a complete list of manuscripts, editions and translations is offered alongside a suite of texts which surround and shed light on the work, including prefaces, advertisements, letters to the press, a ‘lost’ chapter and a manuscript research note. These two volumes complete the critical edition of the Siècle de Louis XIV in seven volumes (vols 11A-B, 12 and 13A-D of the Œuvres complètes de Voltaire), published between 2015 and 2019.

The Siècle de Louis XIV is a co-publication by the Voltaire Foundation and the Centre de recherche du château de Versailles.

Complete works of Voltaire, vol.11A, Siècle de Louis XIV (IA) ISBN 978-0-7294-1146-2, hardback, xxii + 368 pp.
Complete works of Voltaire, vol.11B, Siècle de Louis XIV (IB) ISBN 978-0-7294-1222-3, hardback, xxii + 482 pp.

7-volume complete edition:
Complete Works of Voltaire, vol.11A-13D, Siècle de Louis XIV (IA-VI), ISBN 978-0-7294-1213-1, hardback

Stephen Ashworth
Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford, UK
http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/about-voltaire/si%C3%A8cle-de-louis-xiv