Sammelband of Six Works.

includes Rights of Man and Common Sense

A scarce sammelband containing six works by the English radical Thomas Paine (1737-1809), the philosopher of the American Revolution, widely considered a 'Founding Father' of his adopted homeland.

Unusually, all texts in the collection date to the same year, 1792. They include Paine's major treatise the Rights of Man, and its continuation, Part the Second, as well as his pamphlet Common Sense, which was the most widely distributed tract of the American Revolutionary War.

Further highlights include Paine's letter to the Abbé Raynal, in which he objects to the Abbé's 'claims that the [American Revolutionary] war arose entirely from a dispute over taxation and that peace efforts had been hampered by the Americans' alliance with France' (ODNB).

Comprising in full:

1. Rights of Man. Being an answer to Mr. Burke's attack on the French Revolution. (London, Printed for J.S. Jordan, No. 166, Fleet-Street, 1792); iv, 78pp. ESTC N13085.

2. Rights of Man; part the second. Combining principle and practice. (London, Printed for H.D. Symonds, Paternoster-Row, 1792); vii, [2], 10-91, [3]pp. ESTC T5879 (variant with numbered final f. of text, lacking ads).

3. A Letter Addressed to the Abbe Raynal, on the affairs of Noprth-America. In which the mistakes in the Abbe's account of he Revolution of America are corrected and cleaned up. (London, Printed for J. Ridgway, No. 11. York-Street, St. James's-Square, 1792); 46, [2 ads]pp. ESTC T5834.

4. Common Sense; addressed to the inhabitants of America. (London, Printed for H.D. Symonds, Paternoster-Row, 1792); 36pp. ESTC T5806 (but lacking frontispiece).

5. Letter Addressed to the Addressers on the Late Proclamation. (London, Printed for H.D. Symonds, in Paternoster Row, and Thomas Clio Rickman, No. 7, Upper Mary-le-Bone Street, 1792); 40pp. ESTC N63467.

6. Two Letters to Lord Onslow, Lord Lieutenant of the county of Surry: and one to Mr. Henry Dundas, Secretary of State, on the subject of the late excellent proclamation.(London, Printed for James Ridgway, York-Street, St James's Square, 1792); 36, [4 ads]pp. Stated 'Third Edition'. ESTC T5891.

From the library of the English literary critic George Humphrey Wolferstan Rylands, better known as Dadie Rylands (1902-1999).

Six works in 1 vol.; later printings; (20 x 11.5 cm); printed on blue paper stock, provenance note in pencil to front free endpaper recto, ownership stamp in pen to title of Rights of Man, light spotting; contemporary tree calf, gilt spine in 5 compartments, contrasting red morocco lettering-piece, upper joint a little rubbed with small split but holding, very good.