The genuine trial of Thomas Paine, for a libel contained in the second part of Rights of man : at Guildhall, London, Dec. 18, 1792, before Lord Kenyon and a special jury : together with the speeches at large of the attorney-general and Mr. Erskine, and authentic copies of Mr. Paine's letters to the attorney-general and others, on the subject of the prosecution / taken in short-hand by E. Hodgson.

After nearly 60 years of collecting, Sid Lapidus ’59 has presented to the Library more than 2700 volumes representing the fruits of his enthusiasm. Broadly conceived, the collection charts the definition and re-definiton of rights and liberties endemic to Western political traditions. The main focus is texts and documents relating to the American Revolution, its run-up dating back to the Commonwealth men, and coming down to documents of the early Federal government.