“经典英语文库”自第一辑2013年8月上市至今，整套图书已出版六辑共90部作品。图书选本方面，皆来自世界经典名著，涉及政治、艺术、人文、诗歌、小说等各个领域，原文呈现名著原貌，满足不同读者的阅读需求，《了不起的盖茨比》《哈姆雷特》等经典读本更是为广大读者所追捧。图书设计上，完全遵循国外名著图书的经典流行开本规范，掌中书的大小便携、易读；封面设计、正文版式、印刷材质等方面更是精益求精，力求将经典、纯粹的外国文学带给广大的中国读者，更新大家的英文图书阅读习惯。
　　“经典英语文库”系列图书其规模之大，品质之精在目前国内图书市场上可以称得上是独1无2，无愧经典的传承，完美体现“倡导原味阅读，共享世界经典”的出版理念，今后，我们还将陆续推出更多英文名著经典，以飨读者。

      “*经典英语文库”自2013年8月上市至今，整套图书已出版六辑共90部作品。图书选本方面，皆来自世界经典名著，涉及政治、艺术、人文、诗歌、小说等各个领域，原文呈现名著原貌，满足不同读者的阅读需求，《了不起的盖茨比》《哈姆雷特》等经典读本更是为广大读者所追捧。图书设计上，完全遵循国外名著图书的经典流行开本规范，掌中书的大小便携、易读；封面设计、正文版式、印刷材质等方面更是精益求精，力求将*经典、*纯粹的外国文学带给广大的中国读者，更新大家的英文图书阅读习惯。

　　IsThisBookforYou?
　　常识与革命
　　——“最经典英语文库”第六辑之《常识》导读
　　田璐柯
　　托马斯·潘恩（1737—1809），英国出生，后来拥有美国国籍。他在诸多领域都成为一代翘楚。他是政治活动家、哲学家，又是一个革命者。尤其作为一个革命者（revolutionary），他被列入美国建国之父行列。之所以被冠以“革命者”头衔，是因为在美国革命之初，他撰写了两本小册子。这两本小册子，都在后来的革命风潮中，起到了不可估量的煽动作用。其中一本就是这本《常识》。
　　此外，他号召当时生活在后来成为美国的土地上的民众挺身起来，勇敢地成为英国政府的反叛者，并激励民众从英国统治下独立，建立自己的自由国度。
　　1774年，潘恩在本杰明·富兰克林（其人自传已经收录在“最经典英语文库”）的帮助下，成功地移民到了当时还是英属殖民地的美国。两年后，发生了美国革命。据有关资料记载，事实上，几乎每个参与此“革命”风潮中的反叛者，都读过或听别人大声朗读过这本《常识》。有人如此评价《常识》：“没有《常识》，作者的笔，就不会有华盛顿举起的剑。”这说明了《常识》在美国历史中的地位所在。
　　托马斯·潘恩在接下来几十年间，居住在法国巴黎。他又对法国大革命产生极大兴趣，并深深地卷入其中。1791年，他写下了另一本名垂史册的册子RightsofMan，旨在捍卫法国大革命，与批评者展开唇枪舌剑的斗争。他因之得罪了很多重要人物，并最终遭到巴黎当局的逮捕。后来，在美国时任总统的干预下，他获得释放。
　　他在被捕入狱后，也没有忘记继续撰写他了不起的著作《理性时代》。在此书中，他强烈呼吁人们理性地、自由地思考，反对宗教意义上刻板的说教性质的僵化思维模式。进入19世纪，他才返回美国，1809年，他离开人世。让人感到唏嘘的是，只有6个人出席了其葬礼，究其原因，就是因为他严厉批评并揶揄了基督教，而美国仍然是一个基督教占据重要位置的国度。
　　《常识》开始出版时，发生了一件有趣的事情。这本小册子的作者位置上，只印有“某英国人撰写”的字样。不过，无论如何，这本小册子刚刚上市不到三个月，发行量就超过10万册。而当时在这块英属殖民地上的居住者数量不过200万人。整个“美国革命”期间，《常识》的总印数（包括未经授权而印制的）约为50万册。
　　关于这本小册子的名字，还有个小插曲。开始时，它叫《显而易见的事实》（PlainTruth）。后来，潘恩听取了友人的建议，改以更为朗朗上口的“常识”为书名。结果，这一书名大获成功，它也成为托马斯·潘恩的代名词。
　　这本小册子所起的最大作用，就是它将“共和”理念传播开来，燃起人们“独立”和从军的热情，与英国这个强大的统治者一决雌雄的强烈愿望。而且，它不仅仅有启发，还有解决方案。它给民众指出英国专制的危害，其司法制度的腐朽性；它还告诉民众，应该建立一个自由的国度。托马斯·潘恩知道有很多人从开始时就幻想着与英国统治者妥协。他在小册子里告诫民众，只有“独立”，才是通往自由之路。
　　托马斯·潘恩的写作风格也十分了得，他懂得要使用生动的言辞，激发民众的潜在热情。他在这本小册子里所使用的语言风格，也成为后来很多政客们惯常使用的文风。可以如此说，正是因为有了《常识》，读过它的民众，才在内心里坚定了走独立道路的决心。也正是因为有了托马斯·潘恩，才有了美国革命走向成功的理论保证。因此，称托马斯·潘恩为“美国之父”之一，不会令人感到惊奇。
　　“*经典英语文库”第六辑将它收入进来，说明编辑的眼界不仅很宽，而且很准。它已经成为美国之所以成为美国的奠基石之一，也因此成了全人类精神、思想宝库里的经典之作。

　　托马斯·潘恩（1737-1809），英国出生，后来拥有美国国籍。他在诸多领域都成为了一代翘楚。他是政治活动家，哲学家，又是一个革命者。尤其作为一个“革命者”（revolutionary），他被列入到美国建国之父行列。之所以被冠以“革命者”头衔，是因为在“美国革命”之初，他撰写了两个小册子。这两个小册子，都在后来的革命风潮中，起到了不可估量的煽动作用。其中一本就是您眼前这本《常识》。
　　Thomas Paine
　　Thomas Paine (29 January, 1737 - 8 June, 1809) was an English-American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary. One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, he authored the two most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and he inspired the rebels in 1776 to declare independence from Britain. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era rhetoric of transnational human rights.
　　Virtually every rebel read (or listened to a reading of) his powerful pamphlet Common Sense (1776), proportionally the all-time best-selling American title which crystallized the rebellious demand for independence from Great Britain. Common Sense was so influential that John Adams said, “Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.”

CONTENTS
PREFACE-LIFE OF THOMAS PAINE
INTRODUCTION
OF THE ORIGIN AND DESIGN OF OVERNMENT
IN GENERAL， WITH CONCISE REMARKS
ON THE ENGLISH CONSTITUTION
OF MONARCHY AND HEREDITARY
SUCCESSION
THOUGHTS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF
AMERICAN AFFAIRS
OF THE PRESENT ABILITY OF AMERICA，WITH
SOME MISCELLANEOUS REFLEXIONS
APPENDIX
OTHER WRITINGS OF
THOMAS PAINE
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION
BEING AN ANSWER TO MR． BURKE'S ATTACK
ON THE FRENCH REVOLOUTION
PAINE'S PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION
PAINE'S PREFACE TO THE FRENCH EDITION
PART ONE OF RIGHTS OF MAN
OBSERVATIONS ON THE DECLARATION OF RIGHTS
PART TWO OF RIGHTS OF MAN
PART THREE OF RIGHTS OF MAN
OF SOCIETY AND CIVILISATION
OF THE ORIGIN OF THE PRESENT OLD GOVERNMENTS
OF THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT
CONTENTS
OF CONSTITUTIONS
WAYS AND MEANS OF IMPROVING
THE CONDITION OF EUROPE
APPENDIX
THE AUTHOR'S NOTES 343

　　《常识》：
　　In the year 1777, Mr. Paine was called away from the army by an unexpected appointment to fill the office of Secretary to the Committee for Foreign Affairs. In this office, as all foreign correspondence passed through his hands, he obtained an insight into the mode of transacting business in the different Courts of Europe, and imbibed much important information. He did not continue in it above two years, and the circumstance of his resignation seems to have been much to his honour as an honest man.It was m consequence of some peculation discovered to have been committed by one Silas Deane who had been a commissioner from the United States to some part of Europe. The discovery was made by Mr. Paine,and he immediately published it in the papers, which gave offence to certain members of the Congress,and in consequence of some threat of Silas Deane,the Congress shewed a disposition to censure Mr.Paine without giving him a hearing, who immediately protested against such a proceeding, and resigned his situation. However, he carried no pique with him into his retirement, but was as ardent as ever in the cause of independence and a total separation from Britain. He published several plans for an equal system of taxation to enable the Congress to recruit the finances and to reinforce the army, and in the most clear and pointed manner, held out to the inhabitants of the United States, the important advantages they would gain by a cheerful contribution towards the exigencies of the times, and at once to make themselves sufficiently formidable, not only to cope with, but to defeat the enemy. He reasoned with them on the impossibility of any army that Britain could send against them, being sufficient to conquer the Continent of America. He again and again explained to them that nothing but fortitude and exertion was necessary on their part to annihilate in one campaign the forces of Britain, and put a stop to the war. It is evident, and admitted on all sides, that these writings of Mr. Paine became the main spring of action in procuring independence to the United States.
　　……