By R.W. Morrell
Tom Paine, A Political Life. Johne Keane. Bloomsbury, £25.00
I had heard much about this new book long before the review copy came my way. Indeed I had even read a review of it in a monthly paper in which the reviewer said it would become the definite life of Paine. All in all, then, on the basis of comments and a review it looked that at long last we would have the biography. Sadly I now have to say that I was mislead. This is unquestionably an excellent biography of the great radical, but it is far from being the definitive biography. In fact I do not think the author had in mind writing such a biography, rather it is, as its name indicates, a book which lays emphasis on Paine’s political ideas and influence, as such it is first rate. Against this, though, must be set the fact that Professor Keane adds little to what we know of Paine’s life before he went to America, while his treatment of it there, at least in the case of the revolution, is at times questionable, for example, his influence as an editor.
Professor Keane’s curt dismissal of George Hindmarch’s argument that Paine wrote the ‘Forester essays’ does not carry conviction, indeed he offers no evidence of any consequence for his claim which rests, in so far as I could see, on the questionable authority of one individual who republished the essays and credited them to a local clergyman.
Professor Keane has a highly readable style, reminiscent of that of the late Audrey ‘Williamson, though certain comments he made I found crude and irritating, as also his frequent reference to ‘Tom Paine’ rather than Thomas Paine. It would seem that he was not aware of this usage being a means to belittle Paine, a fact both the late Adrian Brunel and his son Christopher, the founding chairman of the TPS, frequently drew attention to. Thankfully, though, Professor Keane avoids treating Paine as though he was some sort of superman who never made mistakes or was never wrong. In fact there is a side to Paine’s character which was anything but creditable, his treatment of Monroe for example. He assesses Paine warts and all, so to speak, and his biography is all the better for him doing so. Likewise while admitting Paine drank he does not go out of his way, as did Professor D.F.Hawke in his biography of Paine, which Keane thinks highly of, though why I find quite strange considering its defects, some of which I drew attention to in The American Rationalist a few years ago, to present Paine as a
drunkard. Sometimes, when I read this sort of thing, I wish certain academics would take a crash course in the history of medicine.
On the subject of medicine, I was pleased to note that Paine’s passionate interest in science is not ignored or passed over with barely a comment. Paine was a keen amateur scientist with an excellent grasp of astronomy. But his approach was essentially that of a technologist, in that he was primarily concerned with the application of scientific discoveries as distinct from pure research. This is very evident in the articles he published when editing The Pennsylvania Magazine Keane, though, does not devote enough attention, in my opinion, to this side of Paine’s life, which is another reason why this biography cannot be considered as the definitive work on Paine. Indeed there is a real need for a study on Paine and science.
All things considered, this is a competent and readable biography of Thomas Paine. It is not without defects, and there are other matters which could be raised, not least concerning credits, However, it is for the most part an excellent study of Paine and one which becomes essential reading for anyone interested in him. Unfortunately the fly in the ointment, so to speak, is the book’s high price. Perhaps the publisher should consider a paperback edition.