Primary sourceBookc. 1750s
Scribal manuscript of La Pucelle, title page
Voltaire · c. 1750s
A hand-copied manuscript title page of Voltaire's mock-heroic poem La Pucelle, bound as if a 'History of Joan of Arc' and likely made before its printed edition.
This is a hand-copied manuscript of Voltaire's own controversial poem, disguised under a false title to avoid censorship.
About this source
What it is
This is the title page of a scribal manuscript copy of Voltaire's poem La Pucelle d'Orléans. It was copied by hand, probably before the poem's 1755 printed edition, and bound in 18th-century dark red leather with the misleading title "Histoire de Jeanne d'Arc" on the spine. It may have been given to a royal prince.
Why it matters
Voltaire's poem mocked Joan of Arc and the Catholic Church, making it controversial and often circulated secretly before it could be safely printed. A manuscript copy like this shows how risky writings spread by hand among readers, disguised under a safer-sounding title.
Look closer
- Why might the binder have given it a different, more respectable title on the spine?
- What does the careful calligraphy suggest about who commissioned or received this copy?
- Why would a writer let dangerous works circulate as handwritten copies instead of printing them?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Voltaire on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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