A collection of correspondence to and from Voltaire, as well as three pages of poetry written by Voltaire. Many letters in the collection are either to or from Frederick the Great, who was the King of Prussia from 1740-1786. The correspondence between Voltaire and Frederick, as well as all the other correspondence in the collection covers such topics as freedom of expression in 18th Century France and wars which were going on in Europe at the time. Voltaire was sick and apparently bed-ridden while he wrote some of the later letters. Voltaire incorporated some poetry directly into his letters, but in this collection there are also three pages of poetry dedicated to various people.

Voltaire, who wrote and received the letters in this collection, was born in 1694 and died in 1778. Voltaire was a pen name; his full name was Francois Marie Arouet. Voltaire is known for his defense of the separation of church and state, and his advocacy for freedom of religion and expression, topics which are all discussed in the correspondence within this collection. Many of the letters in this collection were between Voltaire and Frederick the Great, who both seemed to admire each other immensely. Frederick the Great was King of Prussia during the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War, and he wrote several letters to Voltaire describing aspects of the wars. Several of the letters also mention and discuss a couple of cases of Protestants in France who were being unjustly punished solely because of their faith. The cases mentioned include Jean Calas and Pierre-Paul Sirven, both of whom were eventually exonerated thanks to Voltaire's efforts. Calas was executed, however, before he was exonerated.

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