“THE CLEAREST OF ALL EXPOSITIONS OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY”: PAINE’S RIGHTS OF MAN, PART I, SCARCE 1791 EARLY EDITION ISSUED SAME YEAR AS THE FIRST
PAINE, Thomas. Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution. Fifth Edition. London: Printed for J.S. Jordan, 1791. Octavo, disbound; pp. x, [7]-171. Housed in a custom clamshell box.
Fifth edition of Paine’s revolutionary classic, issued by London publisher Jordan the same year as the virtually unobtainable first edition.
Hoping Rights of Man "would do for England what his Common Sense had done for America," Paine answered Burke's attack on the French Revolution with his "celebrated answer, The Rights of Man" (Gimbel-Yale 59). Written "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… The government tried to suppress it, but it circulated the more briskly… [Rights of Man is] the textbook of radical thought and the clearest of all expositions of the basic principles of democracy" (PMM 241). Rights of Man, Part I, was dedicated to Washington and first published on his February 22, 1791 birthday by London publisher J. Johnson, but was immediately suppressed. With difficulty Paine was able to secure the services of London publisher J.S. Jordan. "The book was a sensation" (Gimbel-Yale 60). This fifth edition was published the same year as the first edition, and is bound with rarely found half title. Fifth edition, second issue, with narrow "O" on title page, page "136" numbered "138," and "fawing" instead of "fawning" on the 2nd line from bottom of page 159. Gimbel-Paine: 99. See Howes P31; Gimbel-Yale 60.
A bit of light soiling to first few and last few leaves, including half title and title page, text quite clean, corners a little trimmed. A very good disbound copy.