Common Sense: 250th Anniversary Edition

By Thomas Paine

On January 9, 1776, an anonymous pamphlet was published in Philadelphia. In the months that followed, American colonists went from pursuing reconciliation with Great Britain and professing devotion to King George III to declaring themselves absolved of all allegiance to the British Crown. Common Sense was the chief catalyst for that transformation, the most consequential shift in public opinion in the history of democratic government. This 250th Anniversary Edition reproduces the text of the Bradford/Towne printing of February 14, 1776 - the edition Thomas Paine himself supervised, expanded, and considered definitive - held in the Charles Deering Library at Northwestern University. It includes an introduction by Ben Ponder, Ph.D., tracing the rhetorical and historical transformation Common Sense catalyzed, and a chronology of key events leading to American independence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H135K9TS
• ISBN13: 9798995971801
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Blackletter Press
• Length: 148 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Relevant for today, as you can see, many parallels.

“… let none be heard among us, then those of A GOOD CITIZEN, AN OPEN AND RESOLUTE FRIEND, AND A VIRTUOUS SUPPORTER OF THE RIGHTS OF MANKIND…” If you don't see the above quote in your copy, there are different copies of "Common Sense" with some variances. All have the standard four chapters; additions contain other materials... many other titles are "Common Sense and Other Writings by Thomas Paine." This is a review of “Common Sense.” As you read “Common Sense," you'll realize there are several ways to approach this information. One way is to consider it in the context of the period it was written in, one of its target readers might be. Another is to see how it applies to today's life. I chose a combination of both approaches. I also thought I knew the Bible well, but found that I had to look up some quotations he used. Well, I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil the surprise of how well he writes on the subject(s). I will say this is one of those books you want to read before you die, but I prefer to read it early, so I can live by what I have read. Also, I was surprised, as with most people who quote things like the Constitution or the Bill of Rights and so forth, they always quote the large esoteric statements or concepts and forget to tell you that it can get bogged down with tedium. This is not the case with “Common Sense,” as almost every one of his sentences is a standalone, timeless thought. Now, watch “Liberty! The American Revolution” TV mini-series. (1997) 6 hours Jane Adams (Actor), Peter Donaldson (Actor), Ellen Hovde (Director), Muffie Meyer (Director)