The Federalist Papers (Penguin Classics)

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Amazon.com Review

"This country and this people seem to have been made for each other, and it appears as if it was the design of Providence, that an inheritance so proper and convenient for a band of brethren ... should never be split into a number of unsocial, jealous, and alien sovereignties." So wrote John Jay, one of the revolutionary authors of The Federalist Papers, arguing that if the United States was truly to be a single nation, its leaders would have to agree on universally binding rules of governance--in short, a constitution. In a brilliant set of essays, Jay and his colleagues Alexander Hamilton and James Madison explored in minute detail the implications of establishing a kind of rule that would engage as many citizens as possible and that would include a system of checks and balances. Their arguments proved successful in the end, and The Federalist Papers stand as key documents in the founding of the United States. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (November 3, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140444955
• ISBN-13: 978-0140444957
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,258 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #13 in	Books > History > United States > Colonial Period
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The rich keep getting richer..., November 18, 2000

By	Stephen (New Haven, CT, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Federalist Papers (Paperback)

and the Mentor Federalist Papers keep getting better. Yes, that's right. They actually managed to improve on it. The great new additions include the Declaration, the Articles, and an excellent new introduction by Charles Kessler. I think the killer feature for new readers will be the notes in the back, which, if you (like me) are shaky in your Greek history (and the finer points of European), do a great job of explaining allusions and references by the Papers. Be sure to use this feature -- there's no indication in the text that a note exists, but you should just look if you're unsure of a historical setting (or something similar), and there probably will be one.

On the minus side, I do miss Rossiter's introduction. It wasn't as good for laying out the plan of the work, but it should have been included (along with Kessler's) for its excellent overview of the contemporary situation and the philosophy behind the papers. Also, I feel that Rossiter's contents were slightly better than Kessler's. And, the page numbers are changed, invalidating older references to them. But all in all it's an improvement, and certainly the Mentor edition is the only one to have. Period. It's the one used by at least some of the Supreme Court Justices, and it retains that single dominating feature, Rossiter's cross-referenced Constitution (and index of ideas).

As for the Papers themselves, of course, they need no review. They are the first and ultimate Constitutional commentary, and fascinating reading besides. As literature they stand out for the exceptional style (all the more remarkable considering the haste in which they were written) and clear thinking, and more than any other book they define how the U.S. _should_ work.

All in all, this is one of the best book bargains on the market, that rare coincidence where best edition meets mass-market paperback. What are you waiting for?

-Stephen

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best edition of the Federalist Papers, May 13, 2000

By	Chitown Reader (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Federalist Papers (Paperback)

This is the best edition of the Federalist Papers. It includes many extras, but especially useful is the text of the US Constitution with cross-references to specific pages of the Federalist Papers referring to that provision. I highly recommend the Federalist Papers generally, and more specifically this edition to anyone wishing to know more about the founding and ratification of the Constitution.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best edition of a must read collection., May 4, 2000

By	Chitown Reader (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Federalist Papers (Paperback)

The Mentor edition (used by Scalia among others) is by far the best edition of the Federalist Papers. It includes substantial amounts of related information, but of primary importance is the entire text of the Constitution with cross references to specific pages of the Federalist Papers on that topic. This is an extremely useful tool to anyone desiring to gain more knowledge about the Constitution and the founders intent, and it is especially useful to anyone taking a Con Law class.

In general the Federalist Papers is a must read for anyone interested in the founding of the US, or desiring to learn how our system of federalism, and separation of powers was intended to work. I recommend reading numbers 10, 49, and 78 first.