Candide by Voltaire

Candide, ou l'Optimisme is a French satire written in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. Candide is characterized by its sarcastic tone and its erratic, fantastical, and fast-moving plot. A picaresque novel with a story similar to that of a more serious bildungsroman, it parodies many adventure and romance clichés, the struggles of which are caricatured in a tone that is mordantly matter-of-fact. Still, the events discussed are often based on historical happenings, such as the Seven Years' War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. As philosophers of Voltaire's day contended with the problem of evil, so too does Candide in this short novel, albeit more directly and humorously. Voltaire ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers through allegory; most conspicuously, he assaults Leibniz and his optimism.

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The 52nd greatest fiction book of all time

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1. - 7th on For The Love of Books (For The Love of Books)
2. - 14th on Top 100 World Literature Titles (Perfection Learning)
3. - 58th on Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale (Raymond Queneau)
4. - 80th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
5. - 95th on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
6. - 99th on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
7. - Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
8. - The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
9. - From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
10. - Best Books Ever (bookdepository.com)
11. - The Graphic Canon (Book)
12. - The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (Easton Press)
13. - Select 100 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
14. - Great Books of the Western World (Great Books Foundation)
15. - 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
16. - The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written (Martin Seymour-Smith)
17. - The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
18. - ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher (Die Zeit)
19. - Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Tidningen Boken)
20. - The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)

Buy This Book

	Name	Binding	Sales Rank	Lowest New	Lowest Used	Published
	Candide Annotated	Paperback	582802	$7.40		2021
	Candide	Hardcover	2089326	$5.78	$7.87	2009
	Candide & Zadig	Mass Market Paperback	3628505	$4.77	$3.47
	Candide and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics)	Kindle Edition	473911			1990
	Candide: and Related Texts (Translated & Annotated)	Kindle Edition	521646	$5.78		2010
	Voltaire Collection: Micromegas, Candide, and Zadig	Paperback	1605670	$12.95		2020
	Candide Ou l'Optimisme: CANDIDE: édition intégrale avec résumé de l'oeuvre, analyse, étude des personnages, thèmes principaux (French Edition)	Paperback	1787198	$12.84	$16.99	2018
	Candide... (French Edition)	Hardcover	3478175	$23.95		2019
	Candide (Cover to Cover)	Audio CD	639831	$5.96	$5.97	2012
	Candide (Modern Library)	Hardcover	1890784	$8.00	$0.18	2002
	Candide Annotated	Paperback	1617494	$23.99		2021
	Candide ou L'Optimisme (French Edition)	Paperback	4975052	$21.45		2020
	Candide	Hardcover	2414994	$19.25	$2.99
	Candide Annotated	Paperback	1781243	$8.99		2021
	Candide (Franklin Library)	Hardcover	2140701	$8.95	$5.00
	Candide(Illustarted)	Paperback	1679690	$12.99		2022
	Candide, or Optimism by Voltaire (All Time Classics)	Paperback	1034560	$10.99		2020
	Candide and Other Stories (World's Classics)	Paperback	2001133	$5.95	$0.01	1998
	Candide (Royal Collector's Edition) (Annotated) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)	Hardcover	666566	$32.14	$59.93	2020
	Candide By Voltaire Illustrated Novel	Paperback	1664518	$13.00		2020
	Candide: or Optimism	Paperback	1811432	$12.42	$1.55	2006
	Candide or Optimism	Mass Market Paperback	8161118		$0.01
	Candide	Paperback	985280	$3.99	$2.10	2013
	Candide (Bedford Cultural Editions Series)	Kindle Edition	152262			2016
	Candide, Zadig, and Selected Stories (Signet classics)	Mass Market Paperback	2171969	$0.78	$0.01	1961
	Candide: or, All for the Best	Paperback	601507	$6.99	$8.27	2019
	Candide (100 Copy Limited Edition)	Hardcover	866447	$59.95	$53.96	2018
	Candide: Great Classics	Paperback	990036	$5.75		2019
	Candide, or The Optimist	Hardcover	168063	$10.99	$12.99	2020
	Candide	Kindle Edition	354371			2015
	Candide or Optimism (Crofts Classics)	Paperback	332588	$1.36	$0.01	1946
	Candide: or Optimism	Kindle Edition	437053	$8.12		2005
	Candide: or, Optimism (Modern Library)	Hardcover	1408525	$2.58	$0.99	2005
	Candide	Kindle Edition	330058	$0.99		2013
	Candide (Illustrated)	Kindle Edition	127599	$0.99		2014
	Candide: Voltaire (French Edition)	Paperback	2650394	$12.00		2021
	Candide: Ou L'optimisme (Larousse Petits Classiques) (French Edition)	Paperback	3430182	$28.41	$1.95	2007
	Candide (Classiques) (French Edition)	Kindle Edition	1545636			2012
	Candide (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	2041818	$12.97	$0.01
	Candide	Paperback	129523	$3.16	$0.01	2012
	Candide	Mass Market Paperback	4870328		$2.95
	Candide ou l'optimisme: Conte philosophique (French Edition)	Kindle Edition	1384683			2016
	Candide (Barnes & Noble Classics)	Hardcover	278608	$4.39	$0.01	2005
	Candide	Paperback	1119722	$5.99	$0.20	2011
	Candide	Kindle Edition	450277	$1.99		2004
	Candide (Illustrated)	Kindle Edition	325370	$2.99		2013
	Candide	Paperback	873926	$6.88	$3.20	2013
	Candide	Paperback	253140	$8.32		2016
	Candide (Xist Classics)	Kindle Edition	207612			2015
	Candide	Paperback	9228529	$13.09	$16.79	2007
	Candide ou L'Optimisme (French Edition)	Kindle Edition	594720	$0.99		2010
	Candide (Ldp Classiques) (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	1201954	$3.99	$0.01
	Candide, Ou L'Optimisme (1771) (French Edition)	Hardcover	3228030	$28.74	$30.95	2009
	Candide: A Dual-Language Book: Dual Language Edition (Dover Dual Language French)	Kindle Edition	587616	$8.55		2012
	Candide (Enriched Classics)	Mass Market Paperback	533103	$0.84	$0.01	2005
	Candide (Bedford Cultural Editions)	Paperback	75913	$12.49	$11.43	2016
	Candide (Annoté) (French Edition)	Kindle Edition	2004589			2016
	Candide: New edition complete version Beautiful fonts and formatting or Optimism	Paperback	427548	$5.88		2021
	Candide (Illustrated)	Kindle Edition	279307			2014
	Candide	Kindle Edition	471930	$1.99		2014
	Candide (Large Print Edition)	Hardcover	7912736	$27.00	$32.03	2008
	Candide	Paperback	556050	$4.50		2015
	Candide: or Optimism	Hardcover	2121693	$12.89	$0.66	2005
	Candide (Dover Thrift Editions)	Kindle Edition	125689			2012
	Candide by Voltaire ''Annotated Classic Edition''	Paperback	940806	$12.00		2020
	Candide (Modern Plays)	Paperback	4286971	$11.69	$4.53	2013
	Candide	Audio CD	6359910	$24.68	$2.13
	Candide, Zadig and Selected Stories	Paperback	7345337		$3.50
	Candide (illustré avec gravures) (French Edition)	Kindle Edition	541998	$0.99		2011
	Candide	Paperback	5321455	$8.99	$8.64
	Candide Zadig & Selected Stories	Paperback	2254442		$3.00
	Voltaire's Candide Zadig and Selected Stories	Hardcover	7186949		$3.45
	Candide (French Edition)	Paperback	578745	$7.00		2016
	Candide and Other Stories (Collector's Library)	Hardcover	5320928		$26.02	2006
	Candide (French Edition)	Paperback	319122	$5.80		2017
	Candide (Large Print)	Paperback	193667	$7.67	$7.04	2016
	Candide	Audible Audio Edition	33095	$11.95		2012
	Candide	Audible Audio Edition	41548	$13.08		2016
	Candide	Paperback	944280	$4.15		2014
	Candide "Teacher's Choice" Annotated Novel By: Voltaire	Paperback	780522	$9.99		2021
	Candide (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)	Paperback	1289029	$56.07	$1.21	1998
	Candide, Ou L'optimisme, (French Edition)	Hardcover	4942510	$24.99	$37.94	2018
	Candide: or, Optimism (Modern Library Classics)	Paperback	310428	$4.19	$0.01	2005
	Candide	Hardcover	1210311	$19.77	$1.74	2009
	Candide by Voltaire	Kindle Edition	375164	$2.99		2022
	Candide	Hardcover	1632107		$5.95	1930
	Candide	Hardcover	1900564	$15.56	$0.47
	Candide, Zadig, and selected stories	Paperback	11895937		$3.10
	Candide	Paperback	448546	$7.89	$20.00	2017
	Candide	Kindle Edition	580876			2016
	Candide	Audio CD	2563795	$15.22	$15.18	2016
	Voltaire - Candide	Kindle Edition	510115			2016
	Candide (Bantam Classics) by Voltaire (1984-05-01)	Paperback	1152003	$5.35	$5.35
	Candide ou l'Optimisme (French Edition)	Paperback	1548117	$13.66		2020
	Candide	Paperback	437534	$5.00	$0.01	2013
	Candide ou l'optimisme: (Candide or The Optimist) (Dans la Meme Collection) (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	1329250	$2.00	$2.45	2003
	Candide Ou L'Optimiste (Folio (Gallimard)) (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	1503414	$3.97	$3.59
	Candide (European Masterpieces Moliere & Co. French Classics) (French Edition) (European Masterpieces. Moliaere & Co. (Series). French Class)	Paperback	659003	$9.27	$0.54	2007
	Candide	Hardcover	250901	$13.99	$17.72	2016
	Candide, French Edition	Mass Market Paperback	1625089	$9.95	$0.01	2003
	Candide, ou l'optimisme	Audio CD	16823027	$94.99
	Candide	Kindle Edition	46894			2017
	Candide	Paperback	7218634	$4.95		2011
	Candide (Illustrated)	Kindle Edition	1231016			2011
	Candide (Unabridged Classics in Audio)	Audio CD	1953151		$14.50	2005
	Candide	Paperback	4563701	$45.17	$9.99	2012
	Candide	Hardcover	7457725	$29.95	$29.95	2010
	Candide	Paperback	219309	$5.99		2017
	Voltaire - Candide	Paperback	77149	$3.88		2016
	Candide (French Edition)	Kindle Edition	745080			2016
	Candide, ou l'Optimisme (French Edition)	Kindle Edition	390488			2016
	Candide Ou L'Optimisme (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	3062779	$5.04	$3.70	2003
	Candide	Paperback	240814	$5.50		2017
	Candide By Voltaire: Commentary and Illustrations by Andrew Kelly	Kindle Edition	909220			2016
	Candide and Other Stories (Everyman's Library)	Hardcover	159737	$14.91	$6.28	1992
	Candide	Hardcover	923147	$10.98	$13.09	2017
	Candide (A CSA Word Classic)	Audio CD	2744864	$15.90	$16.12	2010
	Candide (AmazonClassics Edition)	Paperback	329414	$5.99		2017
	Candide	Hardcover	6365458		$12.99
	Candide (Bantam Classics)	Paperback	63288	$0.94	$0.01	1984
	Candide	Mass Market Paperback	5456394		$1.00
	Candide: or Optimism	Paperback	746059	$3.98		2017
	Candide: Or, Optimism (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)	Paperback	21902	$5.53	$0.99	2005
	Voltaire Collection: Micromegas, Candide, and Zadig	Audible Audiobook	67874	$12.99		2020
	Candide (French Edition)	Paperback	154575	$9.59	$11.12	2012
	Candide (Classic Books on CD Collection) [UNABRIDGED]	Audio CD	2589791	$19.99	$14.99	2007
	Candide, ou l'optimisme (French Edition)	Paperback	1019098	$4.01	$4.00	2014
	Bibliolycee Candide ou l'Optimisme (Dans La Meme Collection) (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	2884911	$6.00	$2.35	2002
	Candide	Paperback	559514	$2.68	$6.33	2017
	Candide	Paperback	101441	$5.95		2013
	Candide	Kindle Edition	85105			2013
	Candide	Hardcover	263601	$20.00	$6.12
	Candide	Kindle Edition	691352			2017
	Candide, ou l'Optimisime (Focus Student Edition) (French Edition)	Paperback	774256	$11.69	$7.49	2007
	Candide and Zadig (Naxos Complete Classics) (The Complete Classics)	Audio CD	5174883	$18.91	$33.48	2008
	Candide, ou l'Optimisme: conte philosophique de Voltaire (texte intégral) (French Edition)	Paperback	7494454	$9.99	$6.00	2017
	Candide, ou l'Optimisme (Annotated) (French Edition)	Kindle Edition	879023			2017
	Candide and Other Stories	Paperback	3182360		$5.95	2006
	Candide	Paperback	98157	$6.99	$2.95	2014
	Candide (Librio Litterature) (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	2933475	$2.70	$0.01	2004
	Candide Ou L'Optimisme: et autres contes (Pocket Classiques) (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	2262027	$3.96	$3.57	2010
	Candide, Ou L'optimisme, (French Edition)	Paperback	2551870	$15.16	$0.87	2010
	candide	Hardcover	7200953
	Candide	Paperback	2117635	$20.00		2021
	Candide (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	6393160	$6.00	$5.95	2008
	Candide (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition)	Paperback	318445	$9.63	$9.45	2022
	Candide: or Optimism by Voltaire, 18th Century French Historical Classic (Annotated)	Paperback	885722	$8.49		2022
	Voltaire ; Candide (Annotated)	Kindle Edition	276345	$3.99		2022
	Candide (AmazonClassics Edition)	Kindle Edition	50914			2017
	Candide (French Edition)	Paperback	890734	$3.89		2019
	Candide Ou L'Optimisme	Mass Market Paperback	5676236	$4.84	$8.00	2013
	Candide	Paperback	1030175	$1.53	$0.01	2013
	Candide: Or Optimism (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)	Kindle Edition	128904	$5.18		2005
	Candide;	Mass Market Paperback	12158423	$9.25	$1.22
	Spark Notes Candide	Paperback	353736		$1.93	2002
	Candide ou l'optimisme (French Edition)	Paperback	477330	$4.40		2017
	Candide, Ou, L'Optimisme Et Autres Contes = Ingenuous, Or, Optimism and Other Tales (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	2425051	$8.99	$0.01	1998
	Candide, Ou L'Optimisme (French Edition)	Paperback	3003600		$1.46
	Candide By Voltaire	Hardcover	7382125		$4.04
	Candide: Penguin Classic Edition Fully (Annotated)	Paperback	345962	$9.99	$9.68	2021
	Candide	Paperback	12838642		$4.75
	Candide (MANUSCRIT): (Le manuscrit original de Voltaire - Illustrations : Moreau Le Jeune) (2015)	Hardcover	1605279	$133.85	$140.49	2015
	Candide	Paperback	563980	$8.99		2008
	Candide (1000 Copy Limited Edition)	Hardcover	1264906	$39.30	$52.47	2019
	Candide	Kindle Edition	125475			2019
	Candide (Chump Change Edition)	Hardcover	800320	$8.99	$7.50	2017
	Candide (Recorded Books Unabridged Classics)	Audio CD	2563754	$3.50	$0.99
	Candide	Mass Market Paperback	4202744	$14.97	$0.01
	Candide (Wisehouse Classics Edition): With Illustrations by Jean-Michel Moreau	Paperback	807932	$6.06		2020
	Candide: Large Print	Paperback	824769	$8.99		2020
	Candide (Third Edition) (Norton Critical Editions)	Paperback	320804	$23.49		2016
	Candide (Deluxe Library Edition) (Annotated)	Hardcover	1205635	$29.95	$46.55	2020
	Candide	Paperback	21048	$6.75		2019
	Candide, Ou L'optimisme (French Edition)	Hardcover	2640767	$24.95		2018
	Candide and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics)	Paperback	212918	$45.26	$3.66	2006
	Candide	Paperback	285422	$6.00	$1.48	2013
	Candide (Dover Thrift Editions)	Paperback	22765	$2.50	$0.01	2016
	Candide and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics)	Paperback	267322	$4.33	$1.99	2008
	Candide (A Norton Critical Edition)	Paperback	112146	$7.87	$0.01	1991
	Candide (Illustrated)	Kindle Edition	52716	$0.99		2013
	Candide, Zadig, and Selected Stories (Signet Classics)	Mass Market Paperback	1170940	$8.00	$0.01	2001
	Candide: Or Optimism (Penguin Classics)	Paperback	17073	$3.52	$0.01	1950
	Candide	Kindle Edition	188101	$1.99		2003
	Voltaire : Candide (Annotated)	Kindle Edition	342290	$3.99		2022
	Candide, ou, L'optimisme .ANNOTATED (French Edition)	Kindle Edition	513816	$3.99		2022
	Candide: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Language Guides French)	Paperback	261019	$10.26	$1.44	1993
	Candide (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)	Paperback	39398	$1.29	$0.01	2003
	Voltaire's Candide	Paperback	567744	$10.00		2019
	The Voltaire Anthology: Candide, Zadig and Seventeen Plays	Hardcover	870689	$34.99	$51.82	2018
	Candide: Candide: Bilingual Edition (English - French)	Paperback	419997	$9.90		2015
	Candide, Ou L'Optimisme (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	18971111		$1.67	2008
	Candide: Tobias Smollett’s Original 1759 English Translation of Voltaire’s Classic Satiric Novel, Candide! [Annotated]	Paperback	653647	$9.99		2022
	Micromégas, Zadig, Candide N.É. (French Edition)	Mass Market Paperback	873200	$6.14	$3.21	2015
	Candide	Paperback	1161883	$6.83	$2.52	2013
	Candide Voltaire (Larousse) (French Edition)	Pocket Book	585017	$4.65	$2.42	2011
	Candide and Related Texts	Paperback	109140	$10.00	$2.50	2000
	Candide: Or Optimism	Paperback	686799	$12.95		2010
	Candide	Paperback	701354	$4.09		2016
	Candide, ou l'Optimisme (French Edition)	Paperback	877197	$3.99		2017
	Candide: Zadig and Selected Stories	Mass Market Paperback	338768	$4.52	$1.33	2009
	Candide: Bilingual Edition: English-French (English and French Edition)	Paperback	628975	$13.65	$13.59	2013
	Candide, ou l'optimisme (French Edition)	Paperback	2942393	$5.29	$6.20	2014
	Candide: Or Optimism (Penguin Drop Caps)	Hardcover	852812	$17.20	$18.88	2014
	Candide: The Original Unabridged And Complete Edition (Voltaire Classics)	Kindle Edition	7558	$0.00		2023
	Candide: Or Optimism (Penguin Classics)	Paperback	107118	$7.49	$1.68	2009