[VOLTAIRE, François Marie Arouet de (1694-1778)]. Candide, ou l' Optimisme, Traduit de l' Allemand de Mr. le Docteur Ralph, [?Geneva], 1759, 12mo, TITLE PRINTED IN RED, contemporary morocco. FIRST EDITION. VERY RARE. Please see the full description below.

[VOLTAIRE, François Marie Arouet de (1694-1778)].  Candide, ou l' Optimisme, Traduit de l' Allemand de Mr. le Docteur Ralph. [?Geneva: no publisher but [?]Gabriel Cramer], 1759. 12mo (139 x 80mm). The title page and its woodcut ornament PRINTED ENTIRELY IN RED, this ornament not repeated elsewhere in the book, either in red or black, with a woodcut initial on A2, and with ornaments and fleurons on pp.3, 34, 43, 47, 54, 64, 69, 86, 97, 115, 122, 134, 146, 163, 179, 193, 208, 228, 244, 254, 266, 275, 279 and 301, all printed in black, the final page of text [i.e. the last page of the "Table des Chapitres"] numbered 301 [i.e. the recto of [N7], the verso being blank] (the title page possibly a cancel, or very skilfully re-hinged, minor repair to title and first text leaf without loss, the lower section of [N7] torn away and replaced without loss of letters, without the "Avis au relieur" leaf at the end [as often], very small holes at the margins of A3, A4, C2, D3 and K4 not affecting letters, some pieces cleanly torn away from outer margins of a few leaves without loss of letters but almost touching the text on [M10], stain at margins of last few pages of text and the "Table" not affecting letters, some light mainly marginal spotting and staining, a few darker spots). Attractively bound in contemporary full red crushed morocco gilt, the covers with triple gilt fillet, gilt fleurons stamped in the compartments of the spine, Dutch floral endpapers, gilt edges (joints heavily rubbed, spine a little faded, later free endpapers). Provenance: ANTHONY EDEN (1897-1977), 1st Earl of Avon; "Edition originale" (pencil inscription on one of the later front free endpapers). FIRST EDITION, but possibly a later issue or a pirated copy. The problem of identifying the true first edition of Candide has been a perennial and intractable one. Bengesco admits defeat in his pioneering bibliography of Voltaire (1882-85): "Il existe de Candide huit éditions différentes [although more have been discovered subsequently], publiées en 1759 sans nom de ville ni d' imprimeur, toutes tirées dans la même format, et ayant toutes un tirtre identique. De ces huit éditions, quelle est la première édition donnée par Voltaire? On a soulevé la question, on a même essayé de la resoudre; mais nous ne croyons pas qu' on ait encore abouti à un résultat satisfaisant" and, more recently, Besterman states, "... it is at the moment [1973] still uncertain which edition of Candide is the first. There are in fact about twenty editions, impressions, issues bearing the the date 1759." In light of the bewildering complexity and lack of consensus of what constitutes a true first edition of this work, we simply state below some of the issue points of the present copy without ascribing, or implying, precedence. It is worth pointing out at once that the only issue we have been able to trace with the title page printed entirely in red is that included in Besterman's bibliography, number 244. In the present copy, on p.31, line 3, does not start a new paragraph at "mais il y a une raison ..."; p.41 does have a passage reading, "... car, dit-il, tout ceci est ce qu'il y a de mieux; car s'il y a un volcan à Lisbonne, il ne pouvait être ailleurs"; p.103, line 4, has "que ce fut" [i.e. without the misprint which duplicates the word "ce"]; p.125, lines 3-4, has "précisément" rather than "précipitamment" found in some copies; p.154 has the wrong catchword ("condui-sirent" rather than "robes") but both the pagination and sense are continuous; p.242 does not have the paragraph starting "Candide était affligé de ces discours ..." [etc.]; the head of p.298 has the misprint "Taale" rather than "Table" as part of the running title (an error not referred to in any bibliography that we have seen). On 2 March 1759, the work was denounced by the Council of Geneva who ordered that all copies should be destroyed. cf. Bengesco 1434; Besterman Some eighteenth-century Voltaire editions unknown to Bengesco 244: "... the title page is printed entirely in red" [this copy also has 301 pages]; cf. Morize 59; PMM 204: "Here [at Ferney, Geneva] Candide, the most perfect of the light-weight parables which were his especial and peculiar forte, was written. Typically, it was published anonymously, and many times printed and pirated in its early years. Which of the editions of 1759 is the first is still open to doubt. But what does it matter? Voltaire would be pleased to know that his attempts to cover his tracks have been successful and even more to contemplate the book's continued popularity. For the optimistic, innocent Candide, and his equally guileless if more worldly-wise mentor, Dr Pangloss, and their delicious adventures, still command our attention. The folly of philosophic and religious optimism is displayed with a vigour and wit that carries the reader away ..."; cf. Pomeau 299; cf. Rochebilière 846; cf. Wade 1. Please see Ira Wade's article "The First Edition of Candide. A Problem in Identification" (Princeton University Library Chronicle, 1959, vol. XX, no. 2, pp.63-[88]), whose information has been invaluable. VERY RARE.