The Federalist

"The Federalist Papers are by far the most significant resource for historical argument in construing the U.S. Constitution. J. R. Pole has given us a new edition that winningly combines his exceptional mastery of the politics of the Federalist period with an acute appreciation of the historical and philosophical background of the Papers. In crisp, lucid English prose he provides guidance for students—including lawyers, journalists, and judges—who want to understand the context within which the Federalist Papers were created. There is no more important work of American political philosophy; there is no one better to explicate its historical and political sources than J. R. Pole; it is unlikely there will be a better edition than his."  —Philip Bobbitt, University of Texas at Austin School of Law

SKU
26325g

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Edited, with Introduction and Historical Commentary, by J.R. Pole

2005 - 560 pp.

Grouped product items
Format ISBN Price Qty
Cloth 978-0-87220-712-7
$48.00
Paper 978-0-87220-711-0
$19.00
Instructor Examination (Review) Copy 978-0-87220-711-0
$2.00

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No competing edition of The Federalist offers nearly as much help in grasping Publius' arguments in defense of the new but unratified United States Constitution of 1787 as this new annotated edition by J. R. Pole. Essay by essay—with ample cross-references and glosses on 18th-century linguistic usage—Pole's commentary lays bare the intellectual background and assumptions of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay; explicates and critiques The Federalist's central concepts, rhetorical strategies, and arguments; and points up the international, national, and local facts on the ground relevant to Confederation Era New Yorkers, the constituency to which The Federalist was originally addressed.

Pole's Introduction, a brief chronology of political events from 1688 to 1791, a brief overview of the themes of the essays, the text of the Constitution cross-referenced to The Federalist, and an index of proper names, concepts, and themes that also functions as a glossary further distinguish this edition.

 

Reviews:

"The Federalist Papers are by far the most significant resource for historical argument in construing the U.S. Constitution. J. R. Pole has given us a new edition that winningly combines his exceptional mastery of the politics of the Federalist period with an acute appreciation of the historical and philosophical background of the Papers. In crisp, lucid English prose he provides guidance for students—including lawyers, journalists, and judges—who want to understand the context within which the Federalist Papers were created. There is no more important work of American political philosophy; there is no one better to explicate its historical and political sources than J. R. Pole; it is unlikely there will be a better edition than his."
     —Philip Bobbitt, University of Texas at Austin School of Law

 

"This edition will surely replace existing editions. The quality, accuracy and thoroughness of the annotation is quite impressive. Many notes are nice little essays in themselves. This edition will make a significant contribution to the scholarship on The Federalist. I always thought it a splendid idea and the execution shows off Professor Pole's erudition with subtlety and grace."
     —Joyce Appleby, UCLA

 

"A first-rate edition. Ideally suited for classroom use in colleges, graduate schools, and law schools. The notes are valuable and enlightening, the Introduction is a model of concise and illuminating prose, and the volume is handsomely designed and superbly indexed. This will be the edition of choice for anyone seeking to teach The Federalist."
     —R. B. Bernstein, New York University Law School

 

"This is perhaps the best edition of The Federalist published since 1788.  It is a model of editing ad annotation that stands with Laslett’s edition of Locke’s Two Treatises.  Not only does it belong in the professional library of every student of American constitutionalism and political thought, it is a wonderful asset to undergraduates.  For the first time, we have full access to the world in—and against—which this constitutive work of American politics was written.  What is more, Pole has demonstrated beyond question that The Federalist, far from being a parochially American text, is one of the foundational works in the larger history of political thought that extends from the ancients to modernity.”
     —Gordon Schochet, Rutgers University

 

"This is an invaluable edition. The chronology, listing of themes, and extensive footnotes make it an ideal reference as well as an excellent edition from which to teach or study."
     —Joseph M. McCarthy, Suffolk University

 

"[Pole] has done a masterful job annotating the historical background of the ideas, language, and history behind the Federalist."
     —Martin Anderson, Dominican University

 

"A superb edition; clearly the best available."
     —Michael T. Gibbons, University of South Florida

 

"Why the need for yet another version? Part of the answer lies in the fact that many of the classic versions had begun to show their age, at least in the editorial comments. The late Clinton Rossiter was a political scientist, and not surprisingly, his training and generational interests—he was born in 1917—led him to privilege certain topics over others in his commentaries. By comparison, the present [Pole] volume devotes a good deal of attention to topics that have attracted the interest of more recent scholars. References to women, arms, Dorr's Rebellion, Daniel Shays, Jacob Fries, and especially slavery, may be found in the index. Such references, of course, rest beside more traditional referrals to David Hume, John Locke, and the Baron of Montesquieu.
     "The other reason to purchase or assign this volume is the detailed historical commentaries by editor J.R. Pole, who has published dozens of monographs and essays on early American and constitutional history. Virtually every page of this volume contains elaborate notes, and in many cases these commentaries—more brief essays than notes, actually—comprise one-third of the page. Typical is Pole's discussion of English common law, which appears in James Madison's Federalist 36. In a wide-ranging note, Pole touches upon medieval corporations, ecclesiastical law, ironic humor, and even Madison's musings 'on the imperfections of language as a medium for communication of thought' (p. 195). In some cases, Pole takes the authors to task for their lack of honesty. In discussing Madison's criticism of the African slave trade as an 'unnatural traffic,' Pole wonders whether Madison would have voiced these objections had the essay been published in Virginia rather than New York. Nor did Madison, Pole observes, 'make clear how he expected the federal government to discourage the slave trade,' especially since the Philadelphia Convention had agreed to provide the lower South with a twenty year window for the further importation of Africans (p. 229). . . .
     "Given the completeness of this volume, together with the considerable erudition of Pole's commentaries, it is hard to imagine that another editor will produce a more useful compilation of The Federalist. Among all the versions currently in print, this will be the one to consult—and to assign in class."
     —Douglas R. Egerton, The History Teacher

 

About the Author:

J. R. Pole, formerly Rhodes Professor of American History at the University of Oxford, is an Emeritus Fellow of St. Catherine's College, Oxford.