ABSTRACT
It is difficult to begin any book and it is even harder to end it. But when any specific side of the work of an eminent man is involved, the editor is caught in an unusual predicament; to say too much is expected, to say too little is unforgivable. Voltaire was misrepresented until the twentieth century when a few brave admirers had the courage to pay tribute to his august wit. In his day the world was expected to be a neat, orderly place to live in. Voltaire thought otherwise, and mused at the phony elegance of his time, and laughed at the incompetence of his contemporaries. Lord Russell mused at the harsh realities of a world immersed in scientific discoveries that left no room for laughter. However, mere fun on the surface was not entirely what Lord Russell had in mind. Nevertheless, each advance in science diminishes the chance that there will be any fun to be had anywhere in the future.
