This was a excellent collection of quotes from Thomas Paine. This is a good book to introduce the ideas of this great man to new readers or nice refresher for people familiar with his works. I enjoyed the idea of reading one quote a day, although I definitely enjoyed reading several at a time. The quotes will likely mean many to want to read the full works at another time to grasp the full context and meaning of his works. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review!

AUTHOR / EDITOR

The eponymous Thomas Paine was the Enlightenment era Philosopher, Political activist, and some say Revolutionary. During his 72 years on earth, he made a lasting impression in the field of political science and philosophy. You can find out more about this extraordinary thinker here. Editor Edward G. Gray Professor of history at Florida State University.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE

Those unfamiliar with the importance of Paine as a philosopher will benefit most from this brief introduction of the man through his published thoughts.

SYNOPSIS

The Daily Thomas Paine could be described as a conspectus or a brief compendium of the learned man’s published thoughts. The main work is proceeded by a comprehensive Forward that acts as context to the broader work. Structured as a standard calendar year beginning on January 1st, there are quotes on each page in bite sized nuggets of wisdom ending on 31 December. The manuscript culminates with a brief Index of Sources.

CONCLUSION

I don’t prefer this method of reductionism, and it provides neither a sense of the philosopher nor an adequate take on his concepts and perspectives. There are little gems of wisdom sprinkled throughout the text but they are too few and too brief. I never felt that this volume was a satisfactory salute to Thomas Paine’s great acumen or his humanity. I wish I could say that The Daily Thomas Paine would have made a primer for those who wish to gain some insight into the man, but I’m unable to do so. I found this book to be something of a disappointment and a wasted opportunity. You may hold a different view, but you will only know if you read it for yourself.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank Thomas Paine, NetGalley, and University of Chicago Press for affording me the opportunity to review The Daily Thomas Paine.

The Daily Thomas Paine is exactly as stated, a year's worth of quotes and observations from founding father and rationalist Thomas Paine. Due out 8th March 2020 from the University of Chicago Press, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback format.

The book contains a lengthy foreword by Edward Gray with some chilling observations and comparisons between Paine's time and the embattled political landscape in the USA. Paine's stirring and no-nonsense observations are more relevant today than ever.

This is a good (if niche) read and I enjoyed both sampling a quote per day and reading large chunks of the quotes at a time. The quotes themselves were often choppy and taken out of the larger context. This would be a good source for readers to find interesting excerpts to follow up in the original contexts later, however.

This would be a good fit for students of history, philosophy, politics, current events or anyone concerned with the current political climate in the USA.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Ever since I read Rights of Man, Thomas Paine has been among my favourite thinkers. His notions and maxims are such that one cannot help agreeing with him, and he says just as much wise things about private life as about the structure and existence of governments. This book can be the perfect way to whet one's appetite for reading Paine's works - but I think one must have proper self-control to stop at reading only one entry per day: I certainly couldn't stop.

3.5 stars

I thought I would like this more than I did. It was very repetitive about how much he hates Kings & ranting about the government. Though I highlighted quite a few quotes, I feel like some of the longer ones were poorly chosen as they were not always easy to understand.

I found this an informative book, but not for anyone unfamiliar with Thomas Paine. A thorough read of the book show several timely quotes applicable to today's political situation

Anyone who has taken an American history class has heard of Thomas Paine and his quote “These are the times that try men’s souls,” although they may not know to attribute the words to Paine.
This book sounded interesting, but I guess I expected it to be more like Ben Franklin. Many of Paine’s quotes require a second or even third reading to fully grasp. Many could have been written today. And many show, not Paine’s enlightenment, but his ignorance.
He had a vast audience in the 1770s, and lots of enemies. The same would be true today.

An excellent collection of Thomas Paine's quotes. Reading one a day is insightful views by a timeless writer. For example, "A treacherous friend in power is the most dangerous of enemies" or "Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil." Although short and sweet, it is well worth reading. If nothing else, it should spark the reader into reading the actual works. Would recommend.

A year's worth of quotes and snippets from a leading voice of liberty, reason, and rationality during our country's turbulent founding times. Very interesting to read and ponder during a time like this (impeachment of a president* for selling out this very nation in pursuit of selfish political gain).

"In America THE LAW IS KING." - Thomas Paine, Common Sense

The quote format did sometimes cause a bit of confusion, as things were removed from larger works/paragraphs/context, but I do plan to pick up and read at least a few of these actual writings for the bigger picture.

It was good to read Paine's quotes from other writings outside of Common Sense. I found the quotes from his essay "African Slavery in America" the most interesting because Paine seemed to have progressive views on the topic, which was new to me. I'm now inspired to read the essay in its entirety. Overall, the book is good but I would have preferred to have read annotations after each quote so I could better understand the context behind his writings.

I found this to be an excellent collection of bite-sized excerpts of the writing of Thomas Paine. It's a good introduction for those interested in learning more about his viewpoints. In this current climate, the bits will provide good starting points for daily reflection upon the path we want this country to go in the future.