The Federalist Papers in Modern
Language Edited by Mary E. Webster
This book takes a painstaking look at the
original Federalist Papers, written by our founding fathers John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. Placed in plain language, it is a must for those of us who find the
original language difficult to digest. While I would recommend comparing and contrasting the original with this book, this book is definitely a worthwhile addition to the library for those budding political scientist who could use a little extra help.
The book is organized in much the same fashion as the original Federalist Papers, save the indexing and labeling of sections for clarity. Here Webster goes to a great deal of trouble to red light those sections particularly noteworthy in study. The book begins with not a
translation (much to her credit) as a literal reprint of the actual Constitution.
While no author can make The Federalist Papers anything other than a heavy read (as it should be) Webster does try to make it understandable and precise. What would have been preferable in this instance would be an annotated version complete with the original Federalist Papers wording alongside Webster’s. Here we are forced to take her translation at face value. This takes away from the value of the book. While the value of the book is obviously evident her translation is just that – a translation. There is no attempt here to clear up any uncertainties one might have in interpreting the Federalist Papers. This book is much like a dictionary or encyclopedia – handy, useful, and important even –but certainly not a page-turner. Use it when you have to, when you need that clarity, but don’t expect it to make the Federalist Papers fun. This book is bearable perhaps, but certainly no page turner. Just keep it on the shelf for those times when clarity is needed.