Gideon Edition. This edition of “The Federalist” was published by Jacob Gideon with the assistance of James Madison, who provided his personal copies of the essays and corrections. This new edition included a new listing of authored essays which varied from Hamilton’s list and disputed the authorship of a dozen essays. “The Federalist” is a collection of eight-five essays written anonymously under the pseudonym “Publius” by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay; it was first published in book form in 1788. The essays (seventy-seven of the eight-five) first appeared consecutively in the “Independent Journal” and the “New York Packet” between October 1787 and August 1788. The remaining eight were published when the essays were compiled into book form.

The essays were written to promote and garner support for the ratification of the United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, which would replace the Articles of Confederation, which was ratified in 1777. The Articles placed restrictions on the central government which rendered it ineffective and left many states and their citizens unsatisfied. With the help of “The Federalist” and its commentary, the Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788.