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Secondary sourceBook1819

The Life of Thomas Paine

Thomas Clio Rickman · 1819

An 1819 biography of Paine written by his friend Thomas Clio Rickman, including an appendix of Paine's prose and verse.

A biography of Paine written by his personal friend, defending his reputation and preserving some of his writings.

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The Life of Thomas PainePDF · 312 pages
Thomas Clio Rickman, The Life of Thomas Paine, 1819. Internet Archive (scanned book).

About this source

What it is

This book is a biography of Thomas Paine written by Thomas Clio Rickman, a personal friend of Paine, and published in 1819. It includes an appendix containing some of Paine's own prose and verse. The scanned copy is held by the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

Written by someone who knew Paine personally, this biography aimed to defend Paine's reputation against criticism, as Rickman states in his dedication that his purpose was to counteract 'foul slander's lies.' It shows how controversial Paine remained even after his death, and how friends worked to shape his public memory.

Look closer

  • Why might a friend's biography differ from one written by a stranger or critic?
  • What does the dedication's language suggest about Rickman's feelings toward Paine?
  • Why do you think the author included an appendix of Paine's own writing?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Paine on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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