Bust of Thomas Paine

The first president of The Amer. Philosophical Society (APS), Benjamin Franklin, was favorably impressed with Thomas Paine when he met him in London. Franklin became Paine’s patron and introduced him to America, where Paine arrived in 1774. His pamphlet Common Sense electrified the American people by voicing their feelings for independence. And when the Americans were struggling during the Revolutionary War with Britain, Paine’s The Crisis summoned their courage. It is symbolically fitting that both the Richard Gimbel Collection of books and manuscripts relating to Thomas Paine and the bust of Paine, whose fascinating history is set forth in this study, found their home at the APS, located in Phila. Issued 200 years after Paine’s arrival, the study has been reprinted in 2012. Illus.