
Thomas Paine's Rights of Man
A Biography
Christopher Hitchens(Author)
Atlantic Books (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 6. May 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-1-83895-225-9 (ISBN)
Description
Thomas Paine is one of the greatest political advocates in history. Declaration of the Rights of Man, first published in 1791, is the key to his reputation. Inspired by his outrage at Edmund Burke's attack on the uprising of the French people, Paine's text is a passionate defence of man's inalienable rights.
In Rights of Man Paine argues against monarchy and outlines the elements of a successful republic, including public education, pensions and relief of the poor and unemployed, all financed by income tax. Since its publication, Rights of Man has been celebrated, criticized, maligned and suppressed but here the polemicist and commentator Christopher Hitchens marvels at its forethought and revels in its contentiousness. Above all, Hitchens demonstrates how Thomas Paine's book forms the philosophical cornerstone of the first democratic republic, whose revolution is the only example that still speaks to us: the United States of America.
In Rights of Man Paine argues against monarchy and outlines the elements of a successful republic, including public education, pensions and relief of the poor and unemployed, all financed by income tax. Since its publication, Rights of Man has been celebrated, criticized, maligned and suppressed but here the polemicist and commentator Christopher Hitchens marvels at its forethought and revels in its contentiousness. Above all, Hitchens demonstrates how Thomas Paine's book forms the philosophical cornerstone of the first democratic republic, whose revolution is the only example that still speaks to us: the United States of America.
Reviews / Votes
Hitchens makes [his case for Thomas Paine's Rights of Man] with characteristic verve and style... engaging and well worth reading. * John Gray, New Statesman * A timely book. * Billy Bragg, Books of the Year, Guardian * Christopher Hitchens... at his characteristically incisive best. * The Times * Compendious, clear and engaged accounts... this series is a big success. * A. C. Grayling, The Times * Whatever you might think, or have thought, of his politics, he has never been less than a pleasure to read * Guardian *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
130 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83895-225-9 (9781838952259)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
03/2011
Atlantic Books
€6.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
08/2007
Atlantic Books
€32.37
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) was a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a columnist for Slate. He was the author of numerous books, including works on Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, George Orwell, Mother Teresa, Henry Kissinger and Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as his international bestseller and National Book Award nominee, god Is Not Great. His memoir, Hitch-22, which was a Sunday Times bestseller, was nominated for the Orwell Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His last book, Mortality, was published in 2012 by Atlantic Books.
Content
1: Paine in America 2: Paine in Europe 3: Rights of Man, Part One 4: Rights of Man, Part Two 5: The Age of Reason