The Essential Federalist: A New Reading of The Federalist Papers (Constitutional Heritage Series) (Volume 3) - Hardcover

Taylor, Quentin P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0945612605 ISBN 13: 9780945612605

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002

Synopsis

Jefferson called The Federalist "the best commentary on the principles of government which was ever written," and yet the text is considered lifeless and impenetrable by all but the most persistent readers.
The Essential Federalist presents a bold new approach to reading one of the most important documents in American history. By careful selection, organization, and annotation of the essays' most meaningful passages, this book showcases what is central to The Federalist.
"If the road over which you will still have to pass," in reading these papers, wrote Publius, "should in some places appear to you tedious or irksome, you will recollect that you are in quest of information on a subject the most momentous which can engage the attention of free people. . . . It will be my aim to remove the obstacles to your progress in as compendious a manner as it can be done, without sacrificing utility to dispatch."
Dr. Quentin P. Taylor takes up Publius' challenge by making The Federalist an understandable and usable resource. This book will be essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the roots of American government.

About this title

About the Author:

Quentin P. Taylor is author of The Other Machiavelli: Republican Writings by the Author of "The Prince" and The Republic of Genius: A Reconstruction of Nietzsche's Early Thought.

From Library Journal:

Taylor (The Other Machiavelli: Republican Writings by the Author of "The Prince," Univ. of America, 1998) offers a genuinely new and intriguing approach to The Federalist?the 85 articles written in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to persuade Americans to ratify the new Constitution. He notes that The Federalist ranks in importance with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and yet is rarely read today by average citizens because of its length and its dense, archaic language. He has therefore culled the most important sections and pasted them together by topic in nine different chapters. Purists might object to this Reader's Digest approach, but Taylor is a scrupulous scholar who organizes the material carefully. The book contains a lengthy, informative introduction as well as substantial endnotes. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.?Thomas J. Schaeper, St. Bonaventure Univ., NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0945612605
• ISBN 13: 9780945612605
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192