Rare, highly sought-after printed pamphlet: Common Sense; Addressed to the Inhabitants of America by Thomas Paine. Second 99-page "New Edition" published in Philadelphia by W. and T. Bradford, 1776 (Gimbel CS-15). Hardcover bound in later half morocco over marbled boards, 5 x 7.75, 99 pages. The title page lists the influential pamphlet's subjects: "I. Of the Origin and Design of Government in general, with concise Remarks on the English Constitution. II. Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession. III. Thoughts on the present State of American Affairs. IV. Of the present ability of America, with some miscellaneous Reflections. A New Edition, with several Additions in the Body of the Work. To which is added an Appendix; together with an Address to the People called Quakers."
This edition is notable for its introductory postscript: "The publication of this new Edition hath been delayed, with a view of the taking notice (had it been necessary) of any Attempt to refute the Doctrine of Independance [sic]: As no Answer hath yet appeared, it is now presumed that none will, the Time needful for getting such a Performance ready for the Public being considerably past." Like the other early editions of Common Sense, this pamphlet was published anonymously—a fact acknowledged in its introduction: "Who the Author of this Production is, is wholly unnecessary to the Public, as the Object for Attention is the Doctrine itself, not the man." Book condition: G+/None, with an ink splotch and chip to the right edge of the title page, edge toning to the textblock, a few marginal pencil notations, the two (non-original) endpapers partially detached, and a 1912 gift inscription to the first free end page; lacks the half-title.
The first edition of Common Sense was published in Philadelphia by Robert Bell on January 10, 1776, in an edition of 1,000 copies, under an agreement that Paine would cover any losses incurred and that all profits would be evenly split. This initial fear of failure was unfounded—the politically volatile work was an immediate success, selling out quickly to an enthusiastic public. Paine intended to donate his share of the profits to the cause of liberty: 'Learning of the disaster met by the Colonial forces battling before Quebec and of the heroic death of General Montgomery, Paine quickly decided to give his share of the profits of Common Sense for the purchase of mittens for the troops going into that cold campaign' (Gimbel 22). Bell, when approached by Paine's representatives, insisted that there were no profits, and refused to remit any payment to Paine.
Infuriated, Paine broke ties with Bell and hired rival Philadelphia printers, William and Thomas Bradford, to publish this new and enlarged edition. Meanwhile, Bell began to advertise a pirated edition of the work, setting off a set month-long public debate between Bell and the still-anonymous Paine, conducted within the pages and advertisements of the Pennsylvania Evening Post, each party charging the other with duplicity and fraud. The publicity generated by the squabble only increased demand for the pamphlet, and within three months, by Paine's own estimates, 120,000 copies were sold: 'Common Sense swept the country like a prairie fire, and Paine poured more fuel on the flame by giving authority to other printers to publish it…As a direct result of this overwhelming distribution, the Declaration of Independence was unanimously ratified on July 4, 1776' (Gimbel 57). By the end of the year, some nineteen versions had been printed in the colonies and seven in Great Britain. This example is particularly desirable as a very early Philadelphia edition, the publication of which Paine was intimately involved in.
Paine biographer Craig Nelson observes: 'Common Sense made Thomas Paine America's first bestselling author. By the end of that year of 1776, between 150,000 and 250,000 copies were sold, at a time when the American population stood at three million…If Common Sense isolated the fears and angers of the average colonist and focused them into a strategy for the future, its impact was tenfold for the men who would face charges of treason as the American founding fathers. Common Sense would lead directly to the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, and among the United Colonies’ elite now in favor of separation from Britain Paine was both a celebrity and a sage' (Nelson 92-93).
References: A Bibliographical Check List of Common Sense, with an Account of Its Publication by Richard Gimbel; Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations by Craig Nelson.
