Thomas Paine : enlightenment, revolution, and the birth of modern nations / Craig Nelson.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [365]-376) and index.

Despite being a founder of both the United States and the French Republic, the creator of the phrase "United States of America," and the author of three of the biggest bestsellers of the eighteenth century, Thomas Paine is perhaps the least well known--and the most controversial--of the American founding fathers. Author Nelson's portrait brings him to life against the backdrop of the Revolutionary era and the intellectual exhilaration of the Age of Enlightenment. Nelson traces Paine's path from his years as a struggling London mechanic to his journey to seek his fortune in the New World; from his early career as a crusading pamphleteer to his emergence as the heroic voice of revolutionary fervor on two continents; from his escape from execution in Paris during The Terror to his final years in America, where the once-lionized patriot spent his final days impoverished and in dementia.--From publisher description.