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1791 THOMAS PAINE RIGHTS OF MAN – PHILADELPHIA SAMUEL HARRISON SMITH – GEORGE WASHINGTON DEDICATION
An original complete 1791 American printing of Thomas Paine's landmark political work, Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, printed in Philadelphia by Samuel Harrison Smith.
Few books better capture the revolutionary spirit of the Age of Liberty. Written by the author of Common Sense, Rights of Man stands among the most influential political works ever published, defending representative government, natural rights, and the principles of the French Revolution in response to Edmund Burke's famous conservative critique.
The work was printed during the first years of the Washington administration and circulated widely throughout the young United States, helping shape the political debates of the Federalist and Jeffersonian eras.
The Philadelphia edition printed by Samuel Harrison Smith is among the earliest American appearances of Paine's masterpiece and represents a cornerstone of Revolutionary and Early Republic literature.
Details
Author: Thomas Paine
Title: Rights of Man
Place: Philadelphia
Printer: Samuel Harrison Smith
Date: 1791
Edition statement: Second Edition
Complete with title page and final page
Condition
Period paper-covered boards present. Significant age wear, water staining, cover loss, spine deterioration, edge chipping, and handling wear consistent with a heavily used eighteenth-century political pamphlet. Text remains legible and highly displayable. Sold as photographed.
A highly desirable survivor of one of the most important political books ever printed in America and a cornerstone item for collectors of Thomas Paine, George Washington, the French Revolution, Early American printing, and Revolutionary-era political thought.
