Books

Pamphlet, 8vo, bound in modern semi stiff boards with cloth spine, 196 pp. Slight edgewear, toning and light foxing to the interior, normal aging; otherwise very good. This is a relatively scarce collection of Paine's pamphlets originally published between 1776-1783.The first essay actually appeared in the Pennsylvania Journal, and he used the pseudonym "Common Sense." There appear to be 14 numbered pamphlets, and a couple of unnumbered essays. While this collection appears complete, the numbers may not correspond to the original series. The classic Paine line "These are the times that try men's souls" is shown at the beginning of essay number two. Paine supported the American cause, and felt Britain did not have the right to invade the colonies. He believed in independence from Britain, and Washington even used Paine's words to boost morale among his troops.

The American is a novel by Henry James, originally published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly in 1876-77 and then as a book in 1877. The novel is an uneasy combination of social comedy and melodrama concerning the misadventures of its eponymous hero, Newman, an essentially good-hearted but rather unsophisticated American businessman who is confronted with the Machiavellian world of Parisian society and its complex codes of honour.