What The Federalist Papers is about
A detailed argument for constitutional government, federal power and institutional restraint. Hamilton, Madison and Jay wrote it in 1787 to 1788. It sits in the politics shelf of the library.
The edition you read
The original text is the McLean edition, 1788, a public domain edition. The text is complete and keeps its own chapter structure, so every reading points back to the same place in the book.
Where to start
The book opens with these readings, in order. The first one is free in the app.
- Federalist No. I
- Federalist No. II
- Federalist No. III
- Federalist No. IV
How the readings are split
The 93 readings follow the book's own divisions, grouped into 7 parts. Each reading is a sitting of a few minutes, and the reader remembers the paragraph where you stopped.
Reading it in plain English
Every reading has a plain English draft written paragraph by paragraph, and a short guide with context, an explanation, takeaways and a question to think about. The drafts are labeled Unreviewed plain English draft. Drafts, guides and the readings after the first one need Athenaeum Membership.
Questions about The Federalist Papers
Is The Federalist Papers free to read?
The McLean edition, 1788 is in the public domain. In Athenaeum the first of its 93 readings is free, and Athenaeum Membership opens the rest.
How long is The Federalist Papers?
Athenaeum splits it into 93 readings. Short books take a week of evenings, and long ones work best a reading or two at a time.
Read The Federalist Papers in Athenaeum
Athenaeum puts twenty classic books beside a sourced atlas of the Greek world. The first reading of every book is free.
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