Voltaire asks Michel Lambert to send him Luigi Ferdinando, conte di Marsigli’s Stato militare dell’imperio ottomano. He sends logistical instructions regarding proofs and printing and reminds Lambert that he is expecting an answer regarding a proposed joint publishing venture with the Cramer brothers of Geneva. He asks Lambert to sell the bulkier (folio and quarto) volumes that he left in Paris when leaving for Prussia in 1750. The final line (‘jattends de ses nouvelles’) and the signature (‘v’) are autograph.

Voltaire is writing to Paradis de Moncrif about the music of his opera libretto, Pandore, for which Jean-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer was supposed to be composing the music. To the proposed title for the work, Voltaire adds in his own hand ‘dans l’absense de l’autheur’. The date line and signature (‘v’) are autograph. The second leaf is blank on both sides.

Voltaire is writing to Lambert with a business proposal from the Cramer brothers, who have approached Voltaire, interested in publishing his works. According to the offer, Cramer and Lambert would share the printing of the estimated dozen volumes of Voltaire’s Histoire universelle (later the Essai sur les mœurs), thus enabling it to be ready more quickly. The letter, most of which is in Villaume’s hand, contains several minor corrections. The last two paragraphs, as well as the valediction, signature and date, are in Voltaire’s hand. Voltaire first wrote ’28 aoust 1754′ before adding a curved vertical line to approximate a ‘9’.

Incomplete copy of an article almost certainly written for the Encyclopédie, but which was never included in the published work.

The text contains substantial variants, many of which do not appear in the print editions. A leaf between f.199 and f.200 appears to be missing.

The text contains substantial variants, many of which do not appear in the print edition.

This copy of the text contains substantial variants, many of which do not appear in the print editions. A correction on line 23 which corrects ‘déisme’ to ‘théisme’ indicates that the MS was produced between 1748 and 1750.