“THE CLEAREST OF ALL EXPOSITIONS OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY” (PMM): PAINE’S RIGHTS OF MAN, PARTS I & II, 1791-1792
PAINE, Thomas. Rights of Man. BOUND WITH: Part the Second. London, 1791, 1792.
Extremely rare editions of both parts of Paine's revolutionary classic Rights of Man, together in one volume, featuring the rare and desirable Jordan second edition, first issue of Part I, issued mere days after his first edition, bound together with the Jordan third edition of Part II. Paine's Rights of Man, one of his most important, influential, and best-selling works, is "the clearest of all expositions on the basic principles of democracy" (PMM), and remains "one of the most ardent and clear defenses of human rights, liberty, and equality in any language" (Fruchtman). Paine hoped the work "would do for England what his Common Sense had done for America" (Gimbel), but it resulted in the prosecution of Paine, his publishers and booksellers, and forced Paine to flee to France. $25,000.
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