A Letter to Sir Samuel Shepherd, Knt. His Majesty's Attorney-General, Upon the Subject of His Prosecutions of Richard Carlile, for Publishing Paine's Age of Reason
London: R. Carlile, 1819. First edition. Wrappers. Octavo. 28 pages. Unprinted gray wrappers over a sewn binding. Printed on wove paper. Old ink notation on front wrap, "Paine's Age of Reason / 1819." Wrappers a bit brittle, with small edge chips, a few short splits. Interior clean, with slight age toning. Small chip to lower fore corner of title page.
Richard Carlile was a publisher and political agitator who was charged and ultimately convicted of blasphemy and seditious libel for publishing material that might incite British subjects to hate their government--among these publications being Thomas Paine's "Age of Reason," which criticized the Church of England. This is Carlile's response, signed "Philalethes," published before he found guilty and sentenced to 3 years in Dorchester Gaol.
Also reprinted in this pamphlet are "A Letter to Mr. Carlile" and another sympathetic letter published in the Morning Chronicle. MCCOY. FREEDOM, C85.
Item #546
Sold