"At a time when many people feel discouraged and unheard, the life of Thomas Paine serves as an apt reminder of the power of ideas and the written word. David Benner has given us a tremendous gift with this absorbing book." -Thomas E. Woods, New York Times bestselling author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History , and Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century “Thomas Paine rocked the political and religious establishments of America, France, and Britain. David Benner's new biography makes the implausible story of the author of "Common Sense" come alive.” -Kevin Gutzman, Western Connecticut State University, New York Times bestselling author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution and The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe As an unremarkable English commoner, former tax collector, and one-time privateer, Thomas Paine was the most unlikely person to carry the torch of American independence. Nevertheless, his succinct and wildly-popular argument in favor of the idea, Common Sense, proved to be the exact catalyst to bring such a provocative cause to fruition. If Paine’s public deeds were limited to this alone, they would have solidified his place in history, but he had considerable influence on the political dynamics of France and Britain as well. In Thomas Paine: A Lifetime of Radicalism, David Benner reveals how Paine became the most notorious radical of his age. Benner's work pays particular focus on to the polemicist's great successes in transforming his day's political landscape. Indeed, most of Paine’s most controversial ideas are not only accepted, but entirely taken for granted in the contemporary. His fiery opposition to hereditary monarchy, slavery, and state religious establishments was entirely novel for his time, but he waged a lifelong crusade against all three institutions, putting himself in great danger in the process. Paine adamantly defended the truth as he saw even when it led to adverse political repercussions, the loss of personal friends, and harm to his own livelihood. Even his adversaries conceded he was more uniquely skilled at reaching commoners than any agitator to come before him, and his approach involved regular people in political struggles that had previously been reserved to groups of elites. "At a time when many people feel discouraged and unheard, the life of Thomas Paine serves as an apt reminder of the power of ideas and the written word. David Benner has given us a tremendous gift with this absorbing book." -Thomas E. Woods, New York Times bestselling author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History , and Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century "Thomas Paine helped spur American independence, put French monarchy on the road to extinction, and undermine hereditary hierarchy in his native Britain. He did all of these things despite having been born into a socially marginal family and struggling with economic necessity throughout his life. David Benner's new biography has the great virtue of making clear how a man with so little accomplished so much. Once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down." -Kevin Gutzman, Western Connecticut State University, New York Times bestselling author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution and The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe "The bohemian revolutionary Tom Paine continues to perplex American scholars. This outspoken and controversial polemicist annoyed everyone, including George Washington, yet without him, Washington's army may have faded away in 1776. Yet, as David Benner writes in this exhaustive study, that was only a part of his story. Paine's radical positions on a number of political and social issues led many Americans to ignore him, and his sharp tongue and willingness to challenge authority almost severed his head, but Paine wiggled out of nearly every difficult situation and left behind a written record unparalleled by most men of his generation. Paine may have lacked real common sense on several issues and was more "peopletick" than most, but without question, an independent America would not exist without him. Benner has done a real service in writing this new biography of this complex and real revolutionary." -Brion McClanahan, American historian and author of The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution and 9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America and Four Who Tried to Save Her "Thomas Paine is a fascinating character, and Dave Benner is a fascinating character. Put these two men together and you have a truly and extraordinarily fascinating book. Benner goes well beyond the mere facts of Paine's life and gets into his very soul, showing us the world from the revolutionary's perspective." -Bradley J. Birzer, Hillsdale College, author of American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll and In Defe