A volume of Thomas Paine's most essential works, showcasing one of American history's most eloquent proponents of democracy.
Upon publication, Thomas Paine’s modest pamphlet Common Sense shocked and spurred the foundling American colonies of 1776 to action. It demanded freedom from Britain—when even the most fervent patriots were only advocating tax reform. Paine’s daring prose paved the way for the Declaration of Independence and, consequently, the Revolutionary War. For “without the pen of Paine,” as John Adams said, “the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain.”
Later, his impassioned defense of the French Revolution, Rights of Man, caused a worldwide sensation. Napoleon, for one, claimed to have slept with a copy under his pillow, recommending that “a statue of gold should be erected to [Paine] in every city in the universe.”
Here in one volume, these two complete works are joined with selections from Pain's other major essays, “The Crisis,” “The Age of Reason,” and “Agrarian Justice.”
Includes a Foreword by Jack Fruchtman Jr.
and an Introduction by Sidney Hook
- ISBN10 0451528891
- ISBN13 9780451528896
- Publish Date 1 July 2003
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 29 June 2021
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Penguin Books Australia
- Imprint Signet
- Format Paperback (US Mass Market)
- Pages 416
- Language English
- URL https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451528896