Paine, Thomas

Common Sense: Addressed to the Inhabitants of America, ... Written by an Englishman. Philadelphia, Printed. Boston, Re-Printed, and Sold by Edes & Gill and T. & J. Fleet, 1776 — Large Additions to Common Sense; Addressed to the Inhabitants of America. Boston: Printed and Sold [by Edes & Gill] at the Printing-Office in Queen-Street, 1776

12mo (7 1/4 x 4 1/2 in.;182 x 113 mm). Common Sense: Minor repairs to gutter of title-page and introduction leaf, browned throughout, headlines shaved close, bottom right corner of D1 remargined. Large Additions: Lacking half-title, browned throughout, headlines shaved close, two leaves cropped truncating headlines. Modern full calf, spine lettered gilt; marginal browning to endpapers. Full brown morocco folding-case, spine lettered gilt.

E. Grouard (signature on A3). Acquisition:  Bauman Rare Books

Common Sense: Adams 222i; Evans 14955; Gimbel CS-18; Howes P17. Large Additions: Adams 223b; Bristol B4321; Gimbel CS-19

12mo (7 1/4 x 4 1/2 in.;182 x 113 mm). Common Sense: Minor repairs to gutter of title-page and introduction leaf, browned throughout, headlines shaved close, bottom right corner of D1 remargined. Large Additions: Lacking half-title, browned throughout, headlines shaved close, two leaves cropped truncating headlines. Modern full calf, spine lettered gilt; marginal browning to endpapers. Full brown morocco folding case, spine lettered gilt.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The rare, first Boston edition of both publications. These tracts would have resonated keenly with the inhabitants of Boston, who had endured the Boston Massacre (1770), the retaliatory Intolerance and Coercive Acts (1774, see lots 91–93), and the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775). In Part III, Paine sympathetically writes of the desperate situation in Boston, while exhorting the other colonies to rebel against the tyrannical yoke of British government: "But let our imaginations transport us for a few moments to Boston, that seat of wretchedness will teach us wisdom, and instruct us for ever to renounce a power in whom we can have no trust. The inhabitants of that unfortunate city, who but a few months ago were in ease and affluence, have now, no other alternative than to stay and starve, or turn out to beg. Endangered by the first of their friends if they continue within the city, and plundered by the soldiery if they leave it. In their present condition they are prisoners without the hope of redemption, and in a general attack for their relief, they would be exposed to the fury of both armies."