A 'censored' London edition of Common Sense - photo 1
A 'censored' London edition of Common Sense - photo 2

A 'censored' London edition of Common Sense

Lot 35
22.04.2021 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 30 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 517681
Lot 35 | A 'censored' London edition of Common Sense
Estimate value
$ 8 000 – 12 000
[PAINE, Thomas (1737-1809).] Common Sense; addressed to the Inhabitants of America. [With:] Plain Truth: Addressed to the Inhabitants of America. Containing remarks on a late Pamphlet intitled Common Sense. London: J. Almon, 1776. [Bound after:] BURNEY, Charles. The Present State of Music in France and Italy. Becket, 1771.

First English edition, mixed printing, a choice copy with the self-censored hiatuses filled in by manuscript. John Almon, the publisher of this copy and of all of the London 1776 printings of Common Sense, was no stranger to controversy and even prosecution. A passionate Whig himself, his Piccadilly bookshop was known as a critical center for the brokering and exchange of radical ideas. However, Paine’s bestseller must have felt a bridge too far. To avoid legal responsibility, Almon decided to remove the most provocative phrases and sentences from his edition of Common Sense. They appear instead as simple gaps in the print, or hiatuses. These gaps appear on a dozen different pages in all 1776 editions, with the earliest editions omitting an additional five words. This copy has nearly all of the hiatuses filled in by a neat, early hand. Reading them together, one can certainly comprehend Almon’s trepidation. They mostly relate to personal attacks on the King, calling him “the royal brute,” “the tyrant of Britain” who sleeps with “blood on his soul” and “has wickedly broken through every moral and human obligation…” and worse. The neatness of the manuscript leads one to suspect that it may have been issued thus, the avoidance of printing being a legal loophole. In any case, Common Sense was a runaway best-seller and hugely influential in England. Among other tidbits, it famously inspired John Laurens to quit law school and return home to join the Revolution. He became George Washington’s aide-de-camp and one of the most vocal abolitionists of the War. Interestingly, the present copy has a contemporary French binding. The first French edition of Common Sense was not published until 1791, towards the beginning of the French Revolution.

In this copy, the Introduction and signature D correspond to Gimbel’s “second edition” and subsequent signatures to the third or fourth. Plain Truth is stated “Second Edition.” This copy corresponds to all points described in CS-39 except that “fire” is printed correctly on the first page of the Introduction, corresponding to earlier issues. Gimbel CS-39 & CS-211.

Three works bound together. Octavo (196 x 117 mm). (Some toning, first two leaves of Common Sense toned, a few small marginal chips where clumsily opened.) Contemporary French calf-backed paste-paper boards, spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece (joints and spine ends chipped, rubbing to corners and spine bands). Provenance: Edmond de Coussemaker, 1805-1876, eminent musicologist (engraved bookplate, his sale, J. Olivier, 17 April 1877, lot 165).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
08.04.2021 – 22.04.2021
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>