Common Sense made public a persuasive and impassioned case for independence, which had not yet been given serious intellectual consideration. Paine connected independence with common dissenting Protestant beliefs as a means to present a distinctly American political identity and structured Common Sense as if it were a sermon. Historian Gordon S. Wood described Common Sense as "the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era." In proportion to the population of the colonies at that time, it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history.
This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket.