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You know, I have to take exception to this cover. I was excited b/c this is also supposed to be “new, modern” translation of “Candide,” and the cover really reenforces the notion. I love the look of this book on my shelf, however it’s still the same ole, hard-to-read Voltaire. It felt like bait and switch.

This is one of my favorite books ever. It is laugh out loud funny. If you’ve never read it before, think the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy just written 2-300 years ago.

I never thought it too difficult to read, but it would probably help with a fresh translation from the original French.

I’m glad in away the way the figures are drawn, so they still let our own imagination build on on Voltaires super sarcastic descriptions and narrative. It also covers the start which is easily the most boring part.

I think the full text is available in ascii format various places for handy readying on mobile phones etc.

Choosing Chris Ware to do the cover for Candide is brilliant. This is the sort of thing that gives me hope for mankind :)

Love it. Gorgeous design, and a huge improvement on the back-page copy that would typically serve as a book intro.

Just one thing : Voltaire was a pseudonym ; his real name was François-Marie Arouet. So either call him Voltaire or François Arouet, not François Voltaire ;-)