The Works of Thomas Paine, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, to the Congress of the United States, in the Late War.

PAINE, Thomas.

The Works of Thomas Paine, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, to the Congress of the United States, in the Late War.

Philadelphia: Printed by James Carey , 1797.

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“These are the times that try men's souls": First complete edition of the collected writings of Thomas Paine; including Common Sense, The Crisis, and Rights of Man

First complete edition of the collected writings of Thomas Paine, including Common Sense, The Crisis, and Rights of Man. Octavo, two volumes bound in full contemporary mottled tree calf with red morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, all edges speckled blue. Half-title in each volume, advertisements, sectional title-pages. Includes Common Sense; 16 installments of The Crisis (previous to this edition, only 11 of these had been published); Letter Addressed to the Abbe Raynal; Dissertations on Government, the Affairs of the Bank, and Paper-Money; Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose and Verse; Rights of Man Parts I and II, and others. Three issues of this collected edition were published: one with The Age of Reason at the end of the second volume, with separate pagination; another with Watson's Apology for the Bible bound as a replacement for The Age of Reason; and as seen in this copy, without either. ESTC W20948; Sabin 58245; Evans 32633; Howes P-33; Gimbel CS-83; Weems/Ford 243. In very good condition with light wear along extremities and joints, repair in top edge of rear board on second volume. Bookplate of Mann S. Valentine to the front pastedown of each volume, contemporary ownership signature on each title-page. Rare.

The works of Thomas Paine were instrumental in shaping the political thought of the late 18th century, both in America and Europe. Paine's 1776 pamphlet Common Sense was a powerful call for American independence from Britain, written in plain language that appealed directly to the common people. During the Revolutionary War, his series The American Crisis boosted morale among troops and citizens alike, famously beginning with the line, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Paine continued his political advocacy with Rights of Man (1791–1792), a defense of the French Revolution and a rebuttal to Edmund Burke’s criticism of it. In The Age of Reason (1794–1807), he turned to religious critique, arguing for deism and reason over organized religion, which sparked considerable controversy. His later work, Agrarian Justice (1797), proposed early ideas of social welfare and redistribution of wealth.