Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations Audiobook

" ...it's an amazing book.love it very much "

" Obviously Mr Nelson is a great admirer or Mr Paine. Most of us know that Thomas Paine appeared during the revolutionary war, wrote Common Sense, and then seemed to disappear from our history books. This book does fill in the gaps in Paine's life. However, Nelson does spend a great deal of time on the history of the French Revolution. It seems that Nelson ran out of material and stretched the book by adding this history. At time, the book loses focus from Paine to other subjects. The book seems to be much longer than necessary. All in all a thorough book but not the best of biographies. "

" This is an outstandingl portrait fascinating, wonderfully complex genius. I have read Common Sense and some of American Crisis. This book makes me want to read them again and the rest oif Paine's work. "

" An interesting account of an interesting man, often overlooked in the history books. Nelson does an admirable job describing Paine's role in the American and French Revolutions. A surprisingly quick read. "

" The true philosophy and politics of the US came from him. "

" I listened to to the audio CD. There is a dearth of original writings surviving from Paine, so this biography doesn't cite as many primary sources as does McCullough in John Adams. Subsequently, it doesn't delve as deeply into Paine's personal views and reads more like a historical biography detailing the events in Paine's life. There still remains enough material from people who knew Paine to get some grasp of his personality. His political views are, of course, fully expressed by his published writings, and this work has led me to schedule those writings for review in the upcoming months. "

" An interesting, fact filled, enlightening, and dedifying book about an a very important contributor to the development of the American ideal and the legacy he left on this nation. "

" This was a fun read! Nelson is a detailed historian, and knows how to write, as well. He captures the excitment of the Revolutionary Era, and explains numerous aspects of both the American and French Revolutions that most of us weren't told in our history classes. "

" Excellent read, very thorough and well balanced. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the mind behind Common Sense, Rights of Man, American Crisis and Age of Reason. "

" 25.6 19 DEC 1776 Thomas Paine publishes his first "American Crisis" essay "

" This book has a lot of fascinating information but is not the easiest to read in terms of flow. I suggest tackling it like me and reading a bit at a time. "

" There are lots of gaps in Paine's life that Nelson tries to fill in with stories of other peoples and activities. The end seems to get very modern day political. But overall, very good. "

" It was ok. It just failed to keep me interested enough to want to pick it up again. After 3 months of it sitting on my night stand collecting dust and library fines I dropped it back off at the library. "

" Excellent biography and history of the man who may be the most important and least revered of our Founding Fathers. A man who was both ahead of his time and strong in his convictions. "

" An exciting & excellent book about a man who never stopped being a revolutionary. "

" A good, solid biography--not just of Paine, but very much of the two Revolutions he was involved in and the age in which he lived. Well-balanced and well-researched. "

" Great writing. Gives a fantastic overview of the enlightenment and the role of Paine's writings in the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Thomas Paine the man still eludes us. More intellectual history than biography. "

" Nelson has a great voice for historical narrative. It's wry, witty, and cutting but also informative and nuanced. I knew a good bit about Paine and others in the period but learned so much more. "

" Another excellent biography of American history. "

" A bit dry, but the subject deserves to be considered one of the great founding father. "

" Good comprehensive biography of a founder who's story is little known. "

" Very well written, but a pretty sad story of a man who did so much for the founding of the Republic, then just sorted petered out at the end of his life. "

" Excellent read, very thorough and well balanced. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the mind behind Common Sense, Rights of Man, American Crisis and Age of Reason. "

" Excellent biography and history of the man who may be the most important and least revered of our Founding Fathers. A man who was both ahead of his time and strong in his convictions. "

" An interesting, fact filled, enlightening, and dedifying book about an a very important contributor to the development of the American ideal and the legacy he left on this nation. "

" Great writing. Gives a fantastic overview of the enlightenment and the role of Paine's writings in the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Thomas Paine the man still eludes us. More intellectual history than biography. "

" A good, solid biography--not just of Paine, but very much of the two Revolutions he was involved in and the age in which he lived. Well-balanced and well-researched. "

" This is an outstandingl portrait fascinating, wonderfully complex genius. I have read Common Sense and some of American Crisis. This book makes me want to read them again and the rest oif Paine's work. "

" An interesting account of an interesting man, often overlooked in the history books. Nelson does an admirable job describing Paine's role in the American and French Revolutions. A surprisingly quick read. "

" Good comprehensive biography of a founder who's story is little known. "

" I'm a huge nerd for the foundations of constitutional democracies. For the most part, this is an illuminating read for an interesting subject. It might be a bit of a bore if 1776 isn't your thing. "

" Another book on tape while I rode my bike and got my legs in shape for a rim-to-rim hike. Great book on the influence of this unsung hero and intellectual. "