[Thomas Paine], Common Sense; Addressed to the Inhabitants of America[…], Philadelphia: Printed and sold by W. and T. Bradford, MDCCLXXVI [1776].

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, published in 1776, became one of the most influential works of the American Revolution. Paine argues that British rule in the American colonies violates the rights and freedoms of the people, asserting that independence is the only path for securing liberty and self-governance. This edition presents the same powerful arguments for independence as the original text, but includes Paine’s pointed response to the Quakers’ political testimony against rebellion.

In this edition, Paine directly challenges the Quakers’ stance, which urged colonists to remain passive and avoid political conflict. He questions their consistency, arguing that if they truly believe God alone governs rulers and events, they should refrain from political intervention altogether. By highlighting this contradiction, Paine exposes what he sees as a moral and logical weakness in their testimony; either they do not fully adhere to their stated beliefs, or they lack the courage to live by them completely.

The third edition differs from other versions of Common Sense in its explicit engagement with this religious argument. It demonstrates how Paine tailored his reasoning to confront the unique moral and theological concerns within the colonies. Through this focused exchange, Paine strengthens his overall case for independence, showing that the struggle for freedom required not only breaking from Britain but also confronting ideas that discouraged collective action.

[Thomas Paine], Le Sens-Commun. […]Paris: Chez Gueffier, Imprimeur-Libraire, rue Gît-le-coeur no. 16., 1791.

This 1791 French translation of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, published in Paris as Le Sens-Commun by Pierre-Charles-Augustin Gueffier, reflects the transatlantic circulation of revolutionary ideas in the late eighteenth century. Paine’s 1776 pamphlet had inspired American colonists to reject monarchy and embrace self-government. By the time this French edition appeared, France was in the second phase of its own revolution: King Louis XVI had accepted a constitutional monarchy, but tensions between royalists and reformers were escalating toward renewed unrest.

In this atmosphere of uncertainty, Paine’s arguments for popular sovereignty and the rights of man spoke directly to French debates over royal authority and citizenship. Its publication in Paris shows how Enlightenment print culture served as both a medium and a catalyst for revolutionary exchange.

The book now rests open to its title page, where a fragment of a French newspaper displaying the headline “La Paix” (“The Peace”) lies to the left, creating a striking pairing of revolutionary discourse and the fragile promise of stability. On the right, the title page lists Thomas Paine and printer Pierre-Charles-Augustin Gueffier, situating this edition within the networks of 1790s Parisian print culture. The juxtaposition of Le Sens-Commun and La Paix captures a moment balanced between revolution and reconciliation, between the struggle for liberty and the yearning for peace.

Le Sens-Commun stands as both an artifact and an active force of revolution, connecting American independence with France’s struggle for human rights.