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Receipt signed by Gabriel Grasset for the manuscript of ‘Histoire de l’établissement du Christianisme’, which he undertakes to print, dated 1 June 1774

In Histoire de l’établissement du christianisme, Voltaire discusses hypocrisy, fanaticism, radicalism, and superstition in the context of monotheistic religions. Positioning himself in opposition to superstitious practices, Voltaire rejects the radicalism and violence caused by them, offering a critique of Christianity whilst never denying the presence of God. The work was a controversial one, touching on freedom of thought and tolerance, and was therefore published under a pseudonym, Mr. Mallé, secretary to Lord Bolingbroke, in 1777.

This manuscript may allow us to date the creation of the work to 1774, however. It is a receipt signed by the printer Gabriel Grasset, operating in Geneva, dated 1 June 1774, three years before the work’s publication. In it, Grasset acknowledges the receipt of a manuscript copy of the Histoire de l’établissement du christianisme and promises to undertake the printing of it. Wonderfully, the manuscript gives an insight into the form that the publication would take: octavo, with wide margins and a fine typeface. Grasset promises to supply Mr. Faure of Geneva with two dozen well-bound copies of the work. In a postscript added on 23 June, Grasset revokes this promise, however, noting that he will not sell any copies of the work in Geneva.

When this manuscript came up for auction at Sotheby’s on 11 June 1968, it wasn’t valued very highly at all. In fact, Theodore Besterman was able to purchase it for the mere sum of £5. If the manuscript is correctly dated, however, it may date the composition of the work to 1774 rather than 1777 and, even if it is not, it still offers a valuable insight into the processes of printing and publishing the works of Voltaire towards the end of his life.

CMV: CMV33184