Voltaire, Lettres sur les Anglais.

This article focuses on a new critical edition of Voltaire's *Lettres sur les Anglais* (Letters Concerning the English Nation), a key yet complex text of the French Enlightenment. The edition compiles the three major eighteenth-century variants of the work, clarifying its publication history and Voltaire's evolving philosophical and literary approach during his 1726–1728 trip to England. It highlights Voltaire's use of the letters as a performative, multifaceted engagement with English culture, science, religion, and politics, revealing his cosmopolitan curiosity and nuanced stance on empiricism and theology. The edition also includes an early draft of the controversial "letter XIII," shedding light on Voltaire's views on the soul and his strategic adaptations to censorship. Overall, the set offers scholars a deeper understanding of the text's layered meanings and its role in shaping Enlightenment thought.