Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we view ourselves and others. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have been enlightened, outraged, provoked and consoled. They have enriched lives and destroyed them. Published anonymously in 1776, six months before the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Paine's common sense was a radical and passionate call for the United States to break free from British rule and establish an independent Republican government. Savagely attacking hereditary kingship and aristocratic institutions, Paine urged a new beginning for his adopted country in which personal freedom and social equality would be upheld and economic and cultural progress would be encouraged. His pamphlet was the first to speak directly to a mass audience (it went through fifty-six editions within a year of publication) and his assertive and often caustic style embodied the democratic spirit that championed and converted thousands of citizens in the cause of Independence. American. (Less)