Rights of Man, Common Sense and Other Political Writings: Common Sense and Other Political Writings (Oxford World's Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Good collection but the texts are rambly.
Review: This volume contains all of the principal works of the great mind of Thomas Paine. Although technically not one of the Founding Fathers of the US, his thoughts on liberty and the purpose of government have influenced the world. He lived in a time when democracy was in its infancy and so much of his views are particular to the newly formed governments of the US and France. But still an interesting insight into politics. He can generally be considered a libertarian.

The most famous works in the volume are Common Sense, Rights of Man and the Letter to the Addressers of the Late Proclamation. The texts are sufficiently annotated and there's a chronology of his life. If politics are your thing and you want to read about the forming of America, this is your book - it shows Paine's politics at their finest.

One word of warning - this isn't an easy read. Paine is often wordy and rambly. Often his texts have account ledgers - which is understandable for the time they were written but today break the flow of the work. The writing is dense and his points could have been made in half the number of pages. If this doesn't deter you, you'll find an inspiring read about the rights and responsibilities of people and government towards each other.