Selected Writings of Thomas Paine

Shapiro Ian, Clark J. C. D., Calvert Jane E., Botting Eileen Hunt

A central figure in Western history and American political thought, Thomas Paine continues to provoke debate among politicians, activists and scholars. People of all ideological stripes are inspired by his trenchant defence of the rights and good sense of ordinary individuals, and his penetrating critiques of arbitrary power. This volume contains Paine's explosive Common Sense in its entirety, including the oft-ignored Appendix, as well as selections from his other major writings: The American Crisis, Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason. It also contains several of Paine's shorter essays. All the documents have been transcribed directly from the originals, making this edition the most reliable one available. Essays by Ian Shapiro, Jonathan Clark, Jane Calvert, and Eileen Hunt Botting bring Paine into sharp focus, illuminating his place in the tumultuous decades surrounding the American and French Revolutions and his larger historical legacy.

About the Author

Jane E. Calvert is Associate Professor of History at the University of Kentucky and Director and Chief Editor of the John Dickinson Writings Project.

Ian Shapiro is Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale University, where he also serves as Henry R. Luce Director of the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies.

Reviews

"Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' has a strong claim to be the most influential political pamphlet in human history. His other writings are extraordinarily revealing about the era of the American and French Revolutions and politically radical Enlightenment thought. To grasp Paine's significance, these selections from his major works, and the illuminating accompanying essays by leading scholars, are the best place to start" – Rogers M. Smith, University of Pennsylvania

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