Sign in

Private company

Voltaire Foundation

Research department of the University of Oxford

The Voltaire Foundation is a research department of the University of Oxford, founded by Theodore Besterman in the 1970s. It publishes the definitive edition of the Complete Works of Voltaire (Œuvres complètes de Voltaire), as well as Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment (previously SVEC, Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century), a monograph series devoted to the eighteenth century, and the correspondences (letters) of several key French thinkers. Directed by Thomas Wynn, it forms part of Oxford's Humanities Division.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Voltaire Foundation building Banbury Road Oxford
Photo: The Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Voltaire Foundation is a research department of the University of Oxford, founded by Theodore Besterman in the 1970s. It publishes the definitive edition of the Complete Works of Voltaire (Œuvres complètes de Voltaire), as well as Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment (previously SVEC, Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century), a monograph series devoted to the eighteenth century, and the correspondences (letters) of several key French thinkers. Directed by Thomas Wynn, it forms part of Oxford's Humanities Division.2

The story

Founded by Theodore Besterman.1

In the 1950s, the bibliographer and translator Theodore Besterman started to collect, transcribe and publish all of Voltaire's writings. He founded the Voltaire Institute and Museum in Geneva where he began publishing collected volumes of Voltaire's correspondence. During the final years of his life, Besterman opened discussions with the University of Oxford. These culminated in him naming the university his residuary legatee and arranging for the posthumous transfer of his collection of books and manuscripts, which included many collective editions, to the Taylor Institution (the university centre for modern languages). The Institution dedicated a room as the Voltaire Room in January 1975, to house Besterman's collection and The Taylor Institution's own. Following Besterman’s death on 10 November 1976, the Voltaire Foundation was vested permanently in the University of Oxford.

From Wikipedia’s article on Voltaire Foundation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Leadership

Who has led Voltaire Foundation, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4