[French Revolution] Paine, Thomas, et al. Group of 2 Works Regarding French King Louis XVI

Opinion de Thomas Payne Député du Département de la Somme, concernant le Jugement de Louis XVI, Précédée de sa lettre d'envoi au Président de la Convention... (and) Opinion de Thomas Payne, sur l'Affaire de Louis Capet, Addressé au Président de la Convention Nationale...
Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1792-(1793). 8; 10 pp. Two works, bound with 282 additional works, in six volumes. 8vo. Old three-quarter tan calf over paste-paper boards, red and black morocco spine labels, stamped in gilt, scattered wear and soiling to boards; all edges trimmed; scattered soiling to text; additional four-page pamphlet laid in third volume.

Paine's work is found in the fifth and sixth volumes.

A pair of rare works by Thomas Paine, which would lead to his imprisonment in France--bound within an extraordinary collection of French Revolutionary pamphlets concerning the fate of Louis XVI. Featuring printed pamphlets and letters from Robespierre, Marat, Lafayette, et al.

With the French Revolution well underway, Edmund Burke published a sharp critique of the events in France. Taken aback and sharply disagreeing with his friend's views, Paine published the first part of Rights of Man, which would become among the most published works of the 18th century with upwards of 200,000 copies printed. His publication of the even more revolutionary second part of Rights of Man following the seizure of the French King and his family would lead the British government to charge Paine with libel, forcing him to leave England for Paris in September 1792, never to return.

In Paris, Paine was granted honorary citizenship and was elected to serve in the national constitutional convention. Before, during, and following the trial of Louis XVI (Louis Capet), the opinions of Paine and his fellow deputies were separately published. Initially, the question was whether and how the monarch should be tried; and later, upon the verdict of guilty for high treason, what punishment should be sentenced. Paine believed that Louis XVI should receive a fair trial and if found guilty his sentence should be decided upon by the citizens of France. In his second Opinion, which followed the guilty verdict, Paine argued against the king's execution, favoring exile to America instead, so that the former King could see first-hand the benefits of democracy.

Although his democratic politics had long supported the revolutionary cause, his arguments against capital punishment for the French monarch would land him in prison, branded as a traitor during the Terror. With the help of James Monroe, Paine would eventually be freed in, November 1794, without ever having been tried.

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Darren Winston

SVP, Head of Department, Books and Manuscripts, Philadelphia

[email protected]267.414.1247

Darren Winston, Senior Vice President at Freeman’s, has served as Head of Department for Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia, since 2018. He has been a trustee of the Rosenbach Museum and Library since 2022, is a member of The Manuscript Society, The Bibliographical Society of America, and Philadelphia’s Philobiblon Club.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

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[French Revolution] Paine, Thomas, et al. Group of 2 Works Regarding French King Louis XVI

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