Diderot: The Testing Years, 1713-1759

by Arthur McCandless Wilson

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442 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Arthur McCandless Wilson was a member of the faculty of Dartmough College for thirty-four years, beginning as an instructor in biography in 1933 and retiring as Daniel Webster Professor of Biography and Government in 1967. Wilson helped to develop and direct Dartmouth's well-known Great Issues Course, directed the Senior Fellowship Program, and took time out during World War II to serve in the Office of strategic Services in Washington, D.C. After retiring from Dartmouth, he taught as a member of the Columbia University Graduate Faculty for two years.

Reviews

[Sam Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur McCandless Wilson, a professor of biography at Dartmouth, was not brilliant. But he was eager, thorough, an accomplished writer, and this book is excellent. A conventional life, focused on Diderot’s writings, it gives considerable space to Diderot’s relations with D’Alembert, Malesherbes, and especially Rousseau. One of its greatest strengths is a clear, rich, fascinating depiction of the means by which the French state supervised publications and the tools writers and publishers wielded to avoid the banning of books. One also gets a vivid impression of who Diderot was, though as the last pages convey, it was only after 1759, the year with which this volune ends, that he became the extraordinary figure who have us “Le neveu,” “Jacques,” and the other incomparable, unpublishable masterpieces consigned to his posterity.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and detailed read. The author takes care to indicate what he has evidence for and what is speculation so that the reader may judge. Diderot and his time are well-drawn. I look forward to reading the second volume.