Printed and Manuscript Americana

New-York: Printed and Sold by J(ohn). and A(ndrew). M'Lean, 1788. Two volumes in one. First edition, regular paper copy. 12mo. vi, 227, (1); vi, 384 pp. Three-quarter green straight-grain morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, spine perished but sound, boards and extremities rubbed and lightly worn; all edges trimmed; armorial book-plate of Frederick William Conway on front paste-down; old pencil notation on front free endpaper ascribing authorship to essays; contemporary ownership signature of J. Short at top of each title-page; very small hole at center of Ff5, with light abrasion on Ff6r, affecting a few words on each. Church 1230; Cohen 2818; Evans 21127; Reese, The Federal Hundred 19; Ford 17; Grolier, 100 American 19; Howes H-114 ("d"); Printing and the Mind of Man 234; Sabin 23979; Streeter 1049; ESTC W5416

"The most important work in political science that has ever been written, or is likely ever to be written, in the United States" (Rossiter, The Federalist Papers, 1961). The Federalist emerged out of the pamphlet wars that erupted during the state debates over the ratification of the United States Constitution. It was conceived by Alexander Hamilton in the fall of 1787 to promote the Constitution's ratification in New York, where its adoption was highly in doubt. He recruited the assistance of Virginian James Madison and New Yorker John Jay to help create a series of interpretive and propagandistic essays defending the new plan of government. Published anonymously under the name Publius, the first essay appeared in New York's Independent Journal on October 27, 1787, and was followed by 84 essays, published in various New York newspapers. In an astonishing rate of production, Hamilton and Madison wrote two essays a-piece per week, at three day intervals, over a seven month period, totally over 175,000 words. Of these 85 essays, 51 have been attributed to Hamilton, 29 to Madison, and five to Jay, who stopped contributing early due to illness.

In January 1788, New York publishers John and Andrew McLean announced their intent to publish the collected essays of The Federalist in book form. The first volume appeared on March 22, 1788, and contained the first 36 essays, lightly edited by Hamilton, and contained a foreword by him, stating that "the great wish is, that it may promote the cause of truth, and lead to a right judgement of the true interests of the community" (p. iv). The second volume, containing the remaining 49 essays (eight of which had not been previously published), appeared two months later, on May 28. Published in only 500 copies, this first edition was printed in two issues: one on regular, thin paper, and a smaller number on deluxe thick paper.

Foreseeing The Federalist as the classic it would become, George Washington wrote to Alexander Hamilton at the height of the ratification debates, stating, “when the transient circumstances and fugitive performances which attended this crisis shall have disappeared, that work will merit the notice of posterity.” Since its publication 237 years ago, it has been "justly recognized as a classic exposition of the principles of republican government." (Bernstein, Are We to be a Nation)