Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations

To parahphrase the Rod Stewart song, some guys - some founders - have all the luck. Today, bookstore history sections are littered with biographies of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton; even the long neglected Adams and Franklin have experienced their just resurgence. Yet, there have been precious few biographies (or even books with large portions devoted to) Thomas Paine, one of history's great provocateurs and a prime mover of both the American and French Revolutions. Craig Nelson, though, has written a very throrough, gripping work that will hopefully restore Paine to the eminence that he knew during his lifetime. Wait! Did I just say, "the eminence he knew during his lifetime"? Most of us, after all, were taught that Paine was a man who America (and everyone else) had a love/hate relationship - a lower-caste rabble rouser that was, at most, pretty well liked in his early years, and violently dismissed in his later years. This latter part - this dismissal of Paine in his later years - is true by Nelson's book. But Nelson is concerned to highlight the fact that not only was Paine liked during his heydays in America, Britian, and France, but he was truly adored. Every single pamphlet he wrote - American Crises, Common Sense, Rights of Man (first and second), and Age of Reason - was more cherished than, and outsold, the previous. If anyone disliked Paine, it was the upper caste of society. Paine, after all, wrote works that unapologetically spoke in the common language of common folk and appealed as much to their sypahties as any other. Nelson is quick to tell us that while all of Paine's books were "best-sellers" (selling 10 times what even the best best-sellers sold), Paine's importance may have been downplayed in history most likely due to the fact that it was the lower classes, not the elite, that loved him most. The latter group, after all, wrote most of the history. But Nelson also tells us that while Paine was adored in the lower ehelons of society, he was still well liked by most of the founders. Nelson gives us many glimpses of adoring letters sent to Paine by Washington, Jefferson, Govournor Morris, and - yes - even John Adams. Paine was offered government office more than once and was even offered to be a paid propogandist for the American and French governments (he declined). When in France, he was a legislator. Far from a man who was mildly liked! Of course, Nelson also notes Paine's faults. He often came off, in an age of manners, as coarse and uncouth. He was less skilled at making friends and keeping them than were his counterparts like Jefferson and Franklin. Nelson even speculates that Paine was manic depressive, owing to his oscillating history of fits and starts: prodigous output and grand ambitions would be followd by self-deprecation - sparkling polemics followed by unexplained vitriolic jabs. From Paine's role as a prime mover of the American revolution, to his invention of a bridge in Britian, to his near death i

This book is a beautifully written account of the life of one of the great rabble rousers in history. "Common Sense" represents one of the great documents of American history and this biography of its author relates well the ideas and values of the Enlightenment that found such profound expression in it. As the author notes, however, Paine's role in the American Revolution has never been properly appreciated. For one, his staunch commitment to the principles of Republicanism represented a threat to the nation state. When the Massachusetts legislature disbanded in 1776 and declared all inhabitants to be in a "State of Nature" Paine was thrilled. John Adams and most of the other founding group were horrified. Overall, Nelson's "Thomas Paine" is a really an outstanding exploration of many of the founding themes of the United States, exploring in an insightful and sometimes provocative manner the relationship of the ideals of the Enlightenment to the establishment of the nation. It also offers an important analysis of the role of personal ideals in relation to civic responsibility. At what point, for instance, does a person of honor and integrity begin to oppose a government engaged in actions viewed by the person as reprehensible? If one decides that opposition is required, what type of action follows--civil disobedience, armed insurrection, and the like? I find these fascinating questions and no less salient today than when Paine wrestled with them in the eighteenth century. Nelson's book raises fundamental issues in the context of American history and governance.

In "Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, And The Birth Of Modern Nations", biographer Craig Nelson provides a fully detailed and comprehensive description of the life and times of one of America's most influential patriots in the American Revolution. He was the author of 'The Age of Reason'; 'Common Sense'; and 'The Rights of Man', three of the most important treatises to provide the philosophical underpinnings to America's colonial struggle for emancipation from a dominate and dominating England. Now this outstanding biography is available as a complete and unabridged audiobook on thirteen compact discs and which is very ably narrated by Paul Hecht, with a total running time of 15.75 hours. Masterfully produced and flawlessly recorded, "Thomas Paine" is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to academic and community library collections.

Surmising from Nelson himself, there seems to be little direct historical record of Thomas Paine extant. Therefore, much of the book involves an extrapolation of the events and people surrounding Paine to produce a picture of the man, and more importantly, the period he lived. A large part of Nelson's work discusses the fascinating "Age of Reason" that Paine lived amongst, and that went-on to produce a host of characters and revolutions. Indeed, I would recommend this book to readers looking for a "ground level" perspective of the history of the American Revolution, from it's birth, to it's execution, to it's ramifications. The evolving European, and predominately British, evolution of political thought is also explored. Nelson fleshes out much of the philosophy and ideas of the times, through the lense of Paine. The coffee shops, gentleman's clubs, gazettes of the 18th century are opened through the person of Thomas Paine, and a fascinating world is imaged. The result is a biography that is limited in it's direct presentation of the central character, but a compelling picture of the unique world he lived in.

Thomas Paine is portrayed vividly, honestly and intelligently by Nelson. This book is about the man, Paine, his times, situations, his life and his influence. No other reference put me in the scene so well. It paints a vivid picture of Paine's personal life, his morals, strengths, weaknesses, and his crucial, world changing yet fragile relationships with prominent and powerful people. This book helped me understand the motivations that made Paine the most compassionate, dangerous, controversial, loved, respected, despised and important man of the 18th century. The massive amount of research Nelson has assembled is more than impressive, it is awesome because he wove it into an a book that is not merely fact filled, but instead is alive in detail and fascinating in style. I could feel the tension and excitement of the situations Paine either initiated or wound up in. Nelson's writing style is a great lesson for many history writers. I was very impressed. Nelson is a nonfiction artist. I felt that I was reading a screenplay, complete with scenery and a cast of award winning characters. It made me wonder why Paine has never been portrayed in a feature length movie. Few people on earth have had a more interesting, diverse, exciting, dangerous and important life. Maybe then, when a movie based on this book is produced, Paine will receive the recognition he deserves. This book is NOT a first reader on Tom Paine. Paine's actual works are not included. Read Paine's works directly instead (many other sources exist) to get an introduction to Paine's ideas and the power of his pen. Come to realize how much American citizens owe Tom Paine by reading what flowed from his own pen, by learning at least that Paine was a MAJOR and critical influence and motivator of our respected founding fathers AND the common man, THEN read Nelson's book. Nelson brings us closest to experiencing Paine's story. It is a valuable addition to my Tom Paine collection and should be in yours.