Synopses & Reviews
This collection offers a glimpse of Thomas Paine, the eighteenth-century radical pamphleteer, as has not been seen, either publicly or privately, in over 200 years. Introduced by a unique biography, those readers familiar with his writings may be surprised at the topics, personal thoughts, and romantic themes to which he applied his ever-to-hand, rarely dry, goose quill pen. From personal correspondence and poetry, to one piece revealing his true thoughts on the monarchical system of Britain, and a book-length inflammatory pamphlet, Paine is shown to be an even more enigmatic figure than previously known.
Two recently discovered portraits of Paine, one of a proudly-confident, middle aged man of Philadelphia and the other an elegantly-dressed, older, gentleman of Paris, add mystery to this book, a mystery yet to be solved. Hazel Burgess's additions to the Paine corpus are indispensable reading to those interested in eighteenth-century transatlantic history.
Synopsis
This book is a collection of writings by Thomas Paine previously unseen since their first appearance, including political pieces, private letters and verse. It covers his Common Sense years in the revolutionary American colonies; his time in Europe, when he published Rights of Man and The Age of Reason; and his last years in the firmly united states of America.
About the Author
HAZEL BURGESS is an Australian researcher with undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Sydney. She has spent many years searching for the truth of the private individual behind the public face of the eighteenth-century radical pamphleteer, Thomas Paine. This collection of hitherto unknown and few little-known writings reveals glimpses of the man of whom history knows little.
Table of Contents
Foreword;
G.W.Trompf * Preface * Acknowledgements * Introduction: Thomas Paine: Revolutionary Wordsmith * Unknown Writings by Thomas Paine