Robert's Rules of Order (Paperback)

~ (Author) "1. General method. All business should be brought before the assembly by a motion of a member or by the presentation of a communication to..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Since Robert's Rules of Order first was published in 1896, it's been the means to orderly, smooth, and fairly conducted meetings. This ninth edition of the famous manual of parliamentary procedure includes everything from the first edition, but all of the information is clarified, cross-referenced, and carefully indexed. "Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty," said General Henry M. Robert, and his gift of order is as indispensable now as it was a century ago. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"A powerful brand name and an American classic." -- New York Times Book Review, 5/20/07 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (August 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042513928X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425139288
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,542,358 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book of its kind., June 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (9th Edition) (Paperback)

This is the one indispensable book to have at all of your meetings. In over 20 years of being a parliamentarian and 15 years as a teacher of Rules of Order, I have not found a better reference. If you're just learning, you might want to get a simpler, abridged version as a primer - just to let you know what is most important. It won't be long, however, before you'll want this book to use as a real tool to help meetings run more efficiently, in a shorter period of time and with a minimum of disagreements. It will also help you with those "problem" people at meetings. If you don't know Rules of Order you're at the mercy of those who do, or more often, those who pretend to.

127 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real Robert's: the authority on parliamentary procedure, December 21, 2001

By	Brian Melendez (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised, 10th Edition) (Paperback)

As a lawyer, when I am asked about proper procedure at a meeting, my first question is: What rules do you use? Is there an applicable statute, or bylaws or rules that the organization has adopted? Nine times out of ten, the answer is: "Robert's Rules of Order." Robert's is the most widely used parliamentary manual in the United States.

General Henry M. Robert published the original "Robert's Rules" in 1875 and 1876 and, since the copyright on that edition (and the next few editions) has long since expired, there are numerous unofficial editions on the market. The third edition, published in 1893, is still marketed in paperback by more than one publisher as the "original" Robert's Rules. With the copyright expired, even the name "Robert's" has passed into the public domain, and many imitators have slapped the name "Robert's" on books of parliamentary procedure that bear minimal relation to General Robert's work (much as many dictionaries claim the name "Webster's" without any connection to Noah Webster or the Merriam-Webster brand that carries on his work). This book is the real Robert's, composed by an editorial board appointed by General Robert's heirs (including his descendants Sarah and Henry III, both eminent parliamentarians). Now in its tenth edition, published in 2000, this book "supersedes all previous editions and is intended automatically become the parliamentary authority in organizations whose bylaws prescribe 'Robert's Rules of Order' . . . or the like, without specifying a particular edition."

Robert's is not necessarily the best parliamentary manual on the market: "Modern Parliamentary Procedure" by Ray Keesey is far more logical and user-friendly, and "The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure" by Alice Sturgis (commissioned by the American Institute of Parliamentarians as a contemporary alternative to Robert's) is more readable and more rooted in modern practice. But no other book has gained as much as a toehold in Robert's dominance in the market. If you are interested in parliamentary procedure, or figuring out how most organizations work in the twenty-first-century United States, this Robert's is indispensable.

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally comprehensive, July 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (9th Edition) (Hardcover)

I first came into contact with this book during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. I was going to be participating in something called Student Congress in the fall, and although I had never heard of it before, all of my teachers and teamates told me to get a copy of Robert's Rules. Not knowing of any of the "watered down" versions that existed, I simply purchased the official copy. Having cut my teeth on that copy (dutifully reading the entire book that summer) I have little sympathy for people who shy away from it because it's too complicated :-) But honestly, this book has become a source of pride to me. Although I have been criticized for perhaps too zealously insisting on adhering to the rules in the book, I am also accepted as a Parliamentary expert and some have remarked I know more than the Parliamentarians who run our exercise (although I would be loathe to admit that, they are very intelligent people). Anyway, given a proper forum Robert's Rules of Order have been a very rewarding thing for me, as they have given me something to study and learn and be recognized at, and I intend on buying all future editions of the text to make sure I stay on top of any developments. Truly the best book of its kind!