Paine, Thomas (1737-1809) Letter to George Washington, President of the United States of America, on Affairs Public and Private.

Description:

Paine, Thomas (1737-1809) Letter to George Washington, President of the United States of America, on Affairs Public and Private. Philadelphia: Benjamin Franklin Bache, 1796. First edition, octavo, [A]4 B-I4, (lacking K4; K3 verso blank),76 pages, and one unnumbered page of publisher's ads [77], lacking the half-title (ESTC copy also has signature K3 presumed lacking final ?blank K4, however, half-title may have been printed as K4); uncut throughout, printed on pale blue paper; a few minor tears due to careless opening, slight foxing to title, some stains on the final few leaves, marks of old sealing wax in one opening, signs of original stab-stitched binding structure; rebound in modern half leather 9 x 5 1/4 in. ESTC W20660; http://estc.bl.uk/W20660.
"In 1796 Paine published a bitter open letter to George Washington, personally attacking him as an incompetent general and elitist president who had betrayed Paine for not protecting him when he claimed American citizenship when arrested by France. Paine scathingly wrote in regards to Washington that, 'Monopolies of every kind marked your administration almost in the moment of its commencement. The lands obtained by the Revolution were lavished upon partisans; the interest of the disbanded soldier was sold to the speculator. [...] In what fraudulent light must Mr. Washington's character appear in the world, when his declarations and his conduct are compared together!'" (Kevin Brimm, 'Thomas Paine,' The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington, August 10, 2016, http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/thomas-paine/).
Provenance: The Estate of David Spinney.
Estimate $500-700


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