This Very Short Introduction examines Voltaire's (1694-1778) remarkable life and career. Exploring his most important writings, the impact his work had on our u

This introduction to free speech offers a thought-provoking guide to questions concerning how important free speech is and whether it should be defended at all

Today many people take reading for granted, but we remain some way off from attaining literacy for the global human population. And whilst we think we know what

This Very Short Introduction explores the history of the 18th-century Enlightenment movement. Considering its intellectual commitments, Robertson then turns to

With a broad scope across the millennia, from high literature to popular culture, between page and stage and screen, this Very Short Introduction considers come