Printed on thick paper, and bound in the original calf, gilt backs, marbled endpapers. Initialled by Jefferson at sig. I and T in both volumes. With the Library of Congress 1815 bookplate. Now enclosed in a blue morocco solander case.

On the fly-leaf of vol. I Jefferson has written in ink:

N ^o. 2. 3. 4. 5. 64. by m ( ^~ r) Jay.

N ^o. 10. 14. 17. 18. 19. 21. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 62. 63. by m ( ^~ r) Madison.

the rest of the work by Alexander Hamilton.

This copy at one time belonged to Mrs. Alexander Hamilton, and has her autograph signature, Elizabeth Hamilton, on both title-pages. It then passed to her sister Angelica Church, who has written above Mrs. Hamilton’s signature in vol. I: For M ^rs. Church from her sister [Elizabeth Hamilton].

Elizabeth Hamilton and Angelica Church were the daughters of General Philip Schuyler. Angelica Church was a close friend of Jefferson, of Mrs. Cosway, and of Madame Corny, and others of their circle in Paris, and was in frequent correspondence with Jefferson.

Below Jefferson’s analysis of the authors written on the fly-leaf is a statement signed N. Harrison and dated Jany. 13. 1829: The foregoing I believe to be in the hand writing of M ^r. Jefferson former President of the United States .

This is followed by a statement signed by Joseph Nourse, on the same date: I concur in opinion with M ^r Harrison that the above is in the hand writing of Thomas Jefferson formerly President of the United States .

Various markings in pen and pencil appear in the text, and the names of the authors have been added in pencil in the Contents list in each volume.

This is the first edition in book form of this work, containing eighty-five essays which originally appeared in three New York newspapers, The Independent Journal , The New York Packet , and The Daily Advertiser , from October 27, 1787, to October 16, 1788. Few copies were printed on thick paper.

On November 18, 1788, Jefferson wrote from Paris to James Madison: “ . . . m( ^~ r) Carrington was so kind as to send me the 2 ^d. vol. of the Amer. phil. transactions, the federalist, and some other interesting pamphlets; and I am to thank you for another copy of the federalist . . . with respect to the Federalist, the three authors had been named to me. I read it with care, pleasure & improvement, and was satisfied there was nothing in it by one of those hands, & not a great deal by a second. it does the highest honor to the third, as being, in my opinion, the best commentary on the principles of government which ever was written. in some parts it is discoverable that the author means only to say what may be best said in defence of opinions in which he did not concur. but in general it establishes firmly the plan of government. I confess it has rectified me in several points . . . ””

In a letter to Thomas Mann Randolph, dated from New York, May 30, 1790, with advice as to the books to be read for the study of the law, Jefferson wrote: “ . . . descending from theory to practice: there is no better book than the Federalist . . .”

To Joseph Priestley in a letter from Washington November 29, 1802, concerning Alexander of Russia, Jefferson mentioned the Federalist as one of the books that “ would furnish the principles of our constitution.”

Jefferson’s analysis of the authors should be compared with that of others, see the authorities cited.