The Voltaire Foundation is a research department of the University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

, which publishes concerning areas of the 18th century, especially the French Enlightenment. It was founded by the bequest of Theodore Besterman

Theodore Besterman

Theodore Deodatus Nathaniel Besterman was a psychical researcher, bibliographer, biographer, and translator. He was the first editor of the Journal of Documentation.Besterman born in Łódź, Poland, but moved to London in his youth...

 in the 1970s and aimed to publish the definitive, scholarly edition of the Complete Works of Voltaire (Œuvres complètes de Voltaire). Subsequently it has worked to publish definitive critical editions of many Enlightenment figures. It is part of Oxford's Humanities Division

Humanities Division, University of Oxford

The Humanities Division is one of the four Divisions into which the activities of the University are grouped. Each Division has a Head and an elected board. The current Head is Professor Sally Shuttleworth. It has received considerable praise for its work at the forefront of digitising the Humanities...