Voltaire spent his early thirties in England as an exile following the Bastille imprisonment for his satires. With passionate admiration, he then wrote this series of letters in English putting forward his views on the 18th century England, in contrast with the feudal society of his home country, encompassing aspects of religion, politics, sciences, and literature. The book was published in England and the free England received these philosophical, political, critical, poetical, heretical, and diabolical letters with delight, whereas in France, the book was denounced and publicly burnt in Paris as scandalous, contrary to religion, to morals, and respect for authority. - Summary by IstXA