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Despite his being a founder of both the United States and the French Republic, the creator of the phrase “United States of America,” and the author of Common Sense, Thomas Paine is the least well known of America’s founding fathers. This edifying biography by Craig Nelson traces Paine’s path from his years as a London mechanic, through his emergence as the voice of revolutionary fervor on two continents, to his final days in the throes of dementia. By acquainting us as never before with this complex and combative genius, Nelson rescues a giant from obscurity—and gives us a fascinating work of history. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Craig Nelson | | Paperback:
| 432 pages | | Publisher:
| Penguin (Non-Classics) | | Publication Date:
| September 04, 2007 | | Package Length:
| 8.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.1 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.6 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 21 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 An Outstanding Opus of Paine Biography, the American Enlightenment and Emergence of New NationsMar 13, 2010
Craig Nelson has presented a dramatically trenchant detailed story of Thomas Paine, and the revolutionary spirit afoot during the late seventeenth century in America and in France justaposed to the staid constitutional British monarchy.
The author dramatically describes Paine's frenetic political literary and personal life in a manner that will engage the reader from page one to the book's end. Much historical research and detail are provided in a familiar narrative style that transports the reader to the intentions and incidences so commonly known by most readers yet with such interesting add-ins not familiar to most.
A true treasure of a book that I would recommend to any student of American history and that age.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Thomas Paine: The town crier of American freedom during the Revolutionary War is well served in this biographyNov 04, 2008
Thomas Paine (1737-1099) was an English born son of a poor staymaker in Thetford. Paine was largely self-educated and well read in the classics. He saw duty in the British navy and practiced the profession of staymaker, farmer, printer and newspaper reporter. He was a Deist who was raised by a Quaker father. Paine was upwardly mobile loving his life in London where he came to associate with the likes of James Boswell, Dr. Johnson, Josephy Priestly and the intellectual elite of England's capital city.
Paine emigrated to America in 1776 where he became the protege of Benjamin Franklin. In early 1776 Paine published "Common Sense" the pamphlet which launched his fame in the New World and throughout the British Empire and World. Paine called for patriotism and support of America becoming good friends with General George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Washington read "Common Sense" to his troops the night before the Trenton battle. Paine's works were bestsellers and he became a household name. Paine's later works in the series "The American Crisis" also inspired our nation in its David vs. Goliath struggle to win freedom from Great Britain.
Following the war, Paine lived for a time in England where he was condemned to die on the gallows by the Pitt administration for his works calling for greater freedoms for Englishman. Paine fled to Revolutionary France.
In France he became a member of the National Assembly which during the reign of terror had him taken prisoner. Paine almost lost his life on the guillotine and was imprisoned for ten months in the Luxembourg prison. Due to the efforts of the American ambassador James Monroe he was freed
from captivity.
Paine returned to America where his liberal Republican Deism led to countless controversies. He died in 1809 a disillusioned patriot.
Paine said that "Tyranny like hell is not easily conquered" and countless other phrases which will live forever in America's lexicon of freedom. He was the first writer to refer to our nation as "The United States of America." We are all his heirs of freedom, justice and liberty for all.
Nelson writes in a somewhat dry and academic style. Much of the books deals with the beliefs of the Enlightment and does not spend as much time on the actual biography of Paine as this reviewer would have liked to see.
The book does allow us to remember Paine and all he achieved. It is a book worthy of your money and time. Despite his many flaws, Thomas Paine is one of our outstanding founding fathers.
The Hidden Hero of the American Revolution May 16, 2008
I had the good fortune to catch an interview of Craig Nelson on CSpan on one of the booknotes shows. The story he told of Thomas Paine was fascinating so I decided to buy the book and I am glad I did. He is the unsung hero of the American Revolution, the French Revolution and of democracy and Republics today. Few men have done more and gotten so little credit for it. How many of us know he was the one that communicated to THE WORLD the ideals of freedom and democracy to the point that his books, at a time when far fewer people where literate, sold millions of copies. They were read by everyone and read to the masses. Written in a level of language that sparked ideas and ideals in most who read or heard them. He kept Washington supplied with money by not taking any compensation or royalties for the books. He was welcome in the homes and parlors of most of the major players in the American revolution (expect John Adams' home.)
He was a hero in France and had the distinct honor to be asked to represent a district of France in the new revolutionary government. Imagine that, an Englishman turned American, representing a French state, even though he did not speak or write French??? The power of ideas and ideals. He was feted in many a French aristocrats house and was companion to many intellectuals of the time.
Yet today, few of us know anything about him because he made powerful enemies who proceeded to try to strike his memory from existance. Few people who were heros got such bad press. He died in America, yet his bones ended up being spread around the world.
What a story! Read this book to appreciate the power of Common Sense, The Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment. Appreciate a true American Hero, if not a world hero.
Fantastic Book!May 07, 2008
I loved it. It is a well written and very detailed book about one of our founding fathers. Very easy to read and I finished it pretty quickly despite its in depth and thorough account of his life. It was unbiased in reporting both the good and the bad. I highly recommend it.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Slow Start, Strong Book, Wonderful SubjectApr 19, 2008
This was a very enjoyable book on a fascinating and under explored subject. At least it was fascinating once it got past what I felt to be a fairly slow start. For a while I was wondering if I had made a poor selection as the book seemed to focus little on Paine and more generally on the times and the other characters of the day. I was suspecting the author might have been padding due to some lack of research material.
In good time my fears were allayed and the book began to carry forth under its own steam and from then on out as the pace was set the story became captivating and enriching to read.
Thomas Paine of course plays at minimum a cameo role in any history of the nation's founding or in any biography of its founders. I love to read of the lives of our founding fathers and have read multiple biographies on most of them. I am ashamed to say that I waited this long to read a book fully dedicated to this most indispensable of founders.
The author succeeds in portraying Thomas Paine in all of his human character - enlightened, passionate, abrasive, loyal and vain. I didn't get the sense, as often happens, that the subject was placed upon a pedestal by his historian without blemish, rather by simply cataloguing the life of this amazing and faulty character the reader has but little choice to hoist him upon that pedestal under the test of virtue.
I recommend this book to anyone who, like me realizes there is a hole in the story where Thomas Paine is concerned, and seeks to fill said hole with knowledge of his life.
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