New Acquisitions Spring 2022 – 41 – Bauman Rare Books First Edition Of The Collected Writings Of Thomas Paine, 1791-92, Containing The First Collected American Edition Of The Crisis, A Very Rare Subscriber’s Copy, With A Distinctive Revolutionary War Provenance 45. PAINE, Thomas. The Writings of Thomas Paine, Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the Congress of the United States of America, in the Late War. Albany, New York, 1792. Octavo, contemporary dark brown tree calf rebacked and recornered. $9800. First edition of the collected Writings of Thomas Paine, printed in Albany in 1792, containing the important first collected American edition of The Crisis, with rarely found general title page and list of Subscriber’s Names, including leaders such as James Madison, his future Vice-President, Elbridge Gerry, and Nathan Hale and notably this copy’s subscriber, Henry Quakenboss, signed and dated (“10/4”) by him. “For 230 years Americans have drawn ideas, inspiration and encouragement from Thomas Paine and his work” (Kaye, 249). This important early collection contains nine of Paine’s most significant writings, each separately printed with its own title page. All of the individually printed works are the first Albany printings. Included is the 1792 first collected American edition of The Crisis. Also included are: the first Albany printing of Common Sense (1791); the second American edition of Public Good [1792]; Paine’s letters to Abbe Raynal and others (all 1792); and the fourth American edition of Rights of Man [Part I] (1792). Evans 24658. Sabin 58247. Henry Quackenboss, whose name is contained in the Subscriber’s List (x), fought as a colonel in the Albany Militia, 1st Regiment, and was a member of the Albany Committee of Safety. In 1779 he served as a Representative in the New York State Assembly and in 1812 as a presidential elector. Interior quite fresh with scant edge-wear, toning, early expert repair to lower corner of title page not affecting text, mild rubbing to contemporary calf boards. A memorable very good copy. “Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain.”—John Adams
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