Hamilton, Alexander, James Madison, and John Jay

The Federalist. A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. New York: Printed and Sold by J[ohn] and A[ndrew] M'Lean, 1788

2 volumes, 12mo (6 1/2 x 4 in.; 165 x 100 mm). Lacking initial blanks, erasures to vol. 1 title-page with residual abrasions to paper and slightly affecting a few letters in the title, small hole in gutter of vol. 1 title-page, a few pencil underscorings in vol. 1, small hole in text of 2:K3 costing a few letters in two words, light, occasional toning in both volumes. Nineteenth-century half brown morocco over marbled boards, smooth spines gilt, sprinkled edges, binder's ticket (John C. Moore of Rochester, New York) affixed to front pastedown of each volume; extremities lightly rubbed. Half brown morocco folding-case, red morocco spine label.

Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, (sale, Sotheby's New York, 20 June 2003, Lot 69; library stamp on vol. 1 title-page, embossed stamp on vol. 2 title-page, traces of call number on both title-pages).  

Bernstein, pp. 239–242; Church 1230; Evans 21127; Ford, Bibliotheca Hamiltoniana 17; Grolier, American 19; PMM 234; Sabin 23979; Streeter 2:1049

2 volumes, 12mo (6 1/2 x 4 in.; 165 x 100 mm). Lacking initial blanks, erasures to vol. 1 title-page with residual abrasions to paper and slightly affecting the letters "A L I" in the title, small hole in gutter of vol. 1 title-page, a few pencil underscorings in vol. 1, small hole in text of 2:K3 costing a few letters in two words, light, occasional toning in both volumes Nineteenth-century half brown morocco over marbled boards,smooth spines gilt, sprinkled edges, binder's ticket (John C. Moore of Rochester, New York) affixed to front pastedown of each volumes); extremities lightly rubbed. Brown cloth folding case, Brown morocco spine with red morocco lettering pieces.
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First edition. "A classic exposition of the principles of republican government" (Bernstein). Written as expedient political propaganda for the purpose of supporting New York's ratification of the Federal Constitution, the essays in The Federalist are now recognized as one of America's most important contributions to political theory. Alexander Hamilton was the principal force behind the entry of "Publius" (the pen name shared by all three authors) into the ratification pamphlet wars, but he enlisted Virginian James Madison and fellow New Yorker John Jay as collaborators. Each was assigned an area corresponding to his expertise. Jay naturally assumed responsibility for foreign relations. Madison, knowledgeable in the history of republics and confederacies, wrote on those topics. Having drafted the Virginia Plan, it also fell to him to outline the structure of the new government. Hamilton took on those branches of government most congenial to him: the executive and the judiciary; and he also covered military matters and taxation.

At the time of the writing of the essays, Hamilton and Madison "were so close in style and outlook that scholars find it hard to sort out their separate contributions" (Chernow, Alexander Hamilton, p. 251). The Library of Congress attributes with certainty fifty-one essays to Hamilton, fifteen to Madison, and five to Jay,  three to Hamilton and Madison together, and nine as being written by either Hamilton or Madison. The first thirty-six Federalist papers were collected and published by the M'Lean brothers in March 1788, and the final forty-nine—together with the text of the Constitution and a roster of its signers—followed in a second volume two months later. In fact, the final eight essays were printed in book form before they appeared serially in newspapers.

In 1825 Thomas Jefferson urged the adoption of The Federalist as a required text at the University of Virginia, describing it as "an authority to which appeal is habitually made by all ... as evidence of the general opinion of those who framed, and of those who accepted the Constitution of the United States, on questions as to its genuine meaning."  The significance of the work remains unchallenged: constitutional scholar Michael I. Meyerson wrote in his study that "The Federalist not only serves as the single most important resource for interpreting the constitution, it provides a wise and sophisticated explanation of the uses and abuses of governmental power from Washington to Baghdad" (Liberty's Blueprint: How Madison and Hamilton Wrote the Federalist Papers, Defined the Constitution, and Made Democracy Safe for the World, 2008, p. ix).