Thomas Paine. Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution. London: Printed for...
Description
"...the clearest of all expositions of the basic principles of democracy"
Thomas Paine. Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution. London: Printed for J. S. Jordan, 1791. Sixth edition. Octavo, bound in fours. x, 170 pages. [bound with:] Part the Second. Combining Principle and Practice. London: Printed for J. S. Jordan, 1791. Third edition. Octavo, bound in eights. xv, 178 pages. [bound with:] The Genuine Trial of Thomas Paine, for a Libel Contained in the Second Part of Rights of Man. London: Printed for J. S. Jordan, 1793. Second edition, corrected. Octavo, bound in fours. 143 pages. All three volumes bound together in an old binding of brown paper over marbled paper boards. "Paine's Works" stamped on spine. Pages are uncut. Binding rubbed and worn. Front board -- with partially-removed bookplate -- is detached but present. Paper toned; occasional short tears and creases. Good condition."[T]he textbook of radical thought and the clearest of all expositions of the basic principles of democracy" (Printing and the Mind of Man 241).
More Information:
Full title of last volume contained in this book: The Genuine Trial of Thomas Paine, for a Libel Contained in the Second Part of Rights of Man; at Guildhall, London, Dec. 18, 1792, Before Lord Kenyon and a Special Jury: Together with the Speeches at Large of the Attorney-General and Mr. Erskine, and Authentic Copies of Mr. Paine's Letters to the Attorney-General and Others, on the Subject of the Prosecution. Taken in Shorthand by E. Hodgson.
The classic work of Paine's fiery yet measured response to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution of France in which Paine passionately defended the French Revolution. "Paine's 'answer to Mr. Burke's attack' took the arguments to a higher level. With a force and clarity unequalled even by Burke, Paine laid down those principles of fundamental human rights which must stand, no matter what excesses are committed to obtain them" (Printing and the Mind of Man 241). Despite monarchist England's attempt to have the book suppressed, it was circulated widely. Paine was tried and convicted in absentia for seditious libel against the Crown, but as he had left England for France, he escaped hanging.
Auction Info
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
19.5% of the successful bid per lot.
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms