Revolutionary highlights at Firsts London

Firsts: London’s Rare Book Fair at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea from 14 to 17 May 2026. This year's theme is ‘Revolution’ which will cover books, manuscripts, maps, and ephemera relating to all types of revolutions - may they be political, cultural, social or scientific. This year's fair will see around 100 international booksellers bringing highlights, some of which are marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the document that shaped the course of the American Revolution. A letter by one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Thomas Paine (1737-1809), whose publication of Common Sense and other pamphlets in the 1770s proved crucial in building support for independence, will be offered by Shapero Rare Books for a six figure sum. Paine was a French Revolutionary, inventor, political philosopher, and statesman, and this letter is from January 1797, written in Paris to Colonel John Fellows (1735-1808), who participated