55. The | Federalist: | A Collection | Of | Essays, | Written In Favour Of The | New Constitution, | As Agreed Upon By The Federal Convention, | September 17, 1787. | In Two Volumes | Vol. I. | New-York: | Printed And Sold By J. And A. M'Lean, | No. 41, Hanover-Square. | M,DCC,LXXXVIII.
"The papers under the title of "Federalist," and signature of "Publius," were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, in the latter part of the year 1787 and the former part of the year 1788. The immediate object of them was, to vindicate and recommend the new Constitution to the State of New York, whose ratification of the instrument was doubtful, as well as important. The undertaking was proposed by A. Hamilton (who had probably consulted Mr. Jay and others) to J. M., who agreed to take a part in it. The papers were originally addressed to the people of N. York, under the signature of a "Citizen of New York." This was changed for that of "Publius," the first name of Valerius Publicola. A reason for the change was, that one of the writers was not a Citizen of that State; another, that the publication had diffused itself among most of the other States. The papers were first published at New York in a newspaper printed by Francis Childs, at the rate, during great part of the time, at least, of four numbers a week; and notwithstanding this exertion, they were not compleated till a large proportion of the States had decided on the Constitution. They were edited as soon as possible in two small volumes, the preface to the first volume, drawn up by Mr. Hamilton, bearing date N. York, March, 1788...." This from Madison in a letter to Mr. Paulding at Washington, dated July 24, 1818.
The first seven papers appeared under the title The Fœderalist. No. 1. To the People of the State of New York, in The Independent Journal, and many of the succeeding numbers first came out in that paper: some were issued in The New York Packet, two appeared in The Daily Advertiser, six appeared simultaneously in two or more papers, and nine were not published until the whole was collected in book form.
Mr. Paul Leicester Ford, in his Bibliotheca Hamiltoniana, gives Jay credit for five numbers; "Madison numbers 10, 14, 37 to 48 inclusive; numbers 18, 19 and 20 are the joint work of Madison and Hamilton; numbers 49 to 58, 62 and 63 are claimed by both Madison and Hamilton; the rest of the numbers are by Hamilton."
Duodecimo.
Collation: Two volumes. Volume I, vi, 227 pp. Volume II, vi, 384 pp.