Michigan Law Review Volume 83 Issue 4 1985 The Political Theory of the Federalist and The Authority of Publius Michigan Law Review Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr Part of the Legal History Commons, and the Public Law and Legal Theory Commons Recommended Citation Michigan Law Review, The Political Theory of the Federalist and The Authority of Publius, 83 MICH. L. REV. 1088 (1985). Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol83/iss4/43 This Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Michigan Law Review at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Michigan Law Review by an authorized editor of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. THE POLITICAL THEORY OF THE FEDERALIST. By David F. Epstein. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 1984. Pp. ix, 197. $22. THE AUTHORITY OF PUBLIUS. By Albert Furtwangler. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press. 1984. Pp. 148. $14.95. INTRODUCTION The Federalist Papers are perhaps the most widely researched and discussed work in American political thought. 1 Since their publica tion in 1787,2 legal and political scholars have closely scrutinized the documents, seeking insights into the principles underlying the Ameri can polity. These eighty-five essays, originally published in serial form at the height of the debate over ratification of the Constitution, have arguably taken on a greater importance in political thought than ever envisaged by their authors;3 James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.