"Paine and Jefferson on Liberty" is a true treasure for the general reader interested in the foundations of our nation and for the collector as well. Edited by Lloyd S. Kramer this small volume brings out the greatness of both Paine and Jefferson, in their own words. From Jefferson we have his "Summary View of the Rights of British America", a document as radical and important as his other great work the Declaration of Independence. Also his "Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom" is fully documented, a awesome epistle to the right of free thought. Jefferson's letters to James Madison attacking the right of monarchs and generations to eat up the substance of future generations by large public debt. Jefferson's First Inaugural Address, a monumental statement on free government, is documented completely.

Thomas Paine's great works "Common Sense", which spurred the fledgling colonies to independence, and his "American Crisis" articles were invaluable to the war effort. Next his "Rights of Man" , a brilliant and biting indictment of monarchy and aristocracy refuting Edmund Burke's earlier denuciation of the French Revolution. In Rights of Man Paine shows the idiocy and folly of hereditary government, and the oppressions it places on mankind. Paine is also the hearty exponent of republican government. He proposes a plan for a republican government in Great Britian, causing the English government to indict him for treason. Paine here shows himself the true advocate for republicanism and liberty. Overall a fantastic work. Anyone intersted in freedom and liberty should buy this small, beautiful volume.

This book contains excellent selections from the writings of Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson. Professor Kramer notes that these two men had very similar political views in spite of their very dissimilar backgrounds.

The three selections from Paine in this book are from Common Sense, The American Crisis and Rights of Man. A recurring theme with Paine was the absurdity of monarchies and hereditary ones in particular. He points out that a child or an idiot can rule over a nation with the flawed hereditary system of Great Britain. And he writes about the illegitimate nature of the British monarchy in its origins. He believes the ones who started the monarchy were ruffians and robbers.

This book has several selections from Jefferson. "A Summary View of the Rights of British America" and "The Declaration of Independence" cover similar themes. Namely, the terrible treatment of the American colonies by the British kings and Parliament is described.

In the "Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia", Jefferson well makes the case for religious freedom. To coerce belief or punish opposing views is evil and foolish.

This book also includes various of Jefferson's letters to James Madison. A grateful letter to Thomas Paine from Thomas Jefferson is featured here. And Jefferson's eloquent yet humble first Inaugural Address appears.

In summary, this book well demonstrates why Jefferson and Paine are given credit for so influencing the thinking of colonial Americans. These two men helped produce the courage to act against tyranny.

This classic is a must for everyone who appreciates well-written history books. Palmer and Colton's gargantuan "History of the Modern World" conveys a vast amount of knowledge in an interesting manner (although at times close to unbearably dense)and its ideas and perspectives are always relevant, new and enlightening. This is a great supplementary text for every European history course you may be taking or teaching. It is also a treasure chest of historic personalities, events and a panoply of culure through the ages. And a look at the enormous Bibliography will convince you that this book was indeed written by two first-rate scholars. Don't let the price scare you, it is a tremendous read, wonderfully presented, perfectly readable, and it's about as much fun as 800 pages of history can be!

The first edition of this classic was published in 1950, and in the most recent editions it remains the best single volume survey of the rise of modern Europe. Palmer is justly famous for his work on The Age of Democratic Revolutions and had a wonderful gift for synthesis and exposition. Palmer is a marvelous stylist who writes for the intelligent student or curious general reader, yet maintains a very high scholarly standard.

Some reviewers have complained that this book is perhaps difficult, but I am hard pressed to see why. The book was originally written as a text to be used in the traditional introductory freshman survey course in Western Civilization at the top tier colleges and universities, where it has proved itself both approachable and thorough over 50 years. It provides a coherent, mainstream interpretation which gives the reader sufficient factual material and critical analysis to think intelligently about modern history, while alerting the interested reader to some of the major issues of historical interpretation.

When I was a graduate student in European history some 30 years ago, A History of the Modern World was THE book that doctoral candidates were advised to reread at the end of their preparation for both written and oral exams, to make sure that after all of the specialized and deep work, they had a solid overall perspective and could fully integrate their knowledge into the larger framework of the development of modern Europe.

There are very few books in any field so good that they could be recommended as both the first and last book one reads as a student of the topic. A History of the Modern World stands out among even that select group.

I read this book, like most people, for my AP European history exam in 10th grade. I decided to buy it after the course, not because I was particularly enthralled by history, but as a trophy. As much of a struggle as this book is, it is definantly worth bragging if you make it through all 1200+ pages. A must for this course, though it has so many details you should get a study guide as well to "get the big picture".