The Reading Room

The Federalist Papers, a Reading Room essay

On The Federalist Papers

Michael Fowler

The Federalist Papers were written at speed, under deadline, to win an argument.

On The Federalist Papers

Michael Fowler

The Federalist Papers were written at speed, under deadline, to win an argument.

The Anti-Federalist Papers, a Reading Room essay

On The Anti-Federalist Papers

Michael Fowler

History is written by the winners, and the Federalists won, so their essays became a classic and the other side's became a footnote. That is a loss, because the Anti-Federalists...

On The Anti-Federalist Papers

Michael Fowler

History is written by the winners, and the Federalists won, so their essays became a classic and the other side's became a footnote. That is a loss, because the Anti-Federalists...

Autobiography, a Reading Room essay

On Autobiography

Michael Fowler

Benjamin Franklin turned his own life into the first American success story and then wrote it down, inventing an archetype the country has never stopped retelling.

On Autobiography

Michael Fowler

Benjamin Franklin turned his own life into the first American success story and then wrote it down, inventing an archetype the country has never stopped retelling.

The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, a Reading Room essay

On The Writings of Thomas Jefferson

Michael Fowler

Thomas Jefferson is the most eloquent contradiction in the American founding, and his collected writings are where the contradiction lives in full.

On The Writings of Thomas Jefferson

Michael Fowler

Thomas Jefferson is the most eloquent contradiction in the American founding, and his collected writings are where the contradiction lives in full.

Reflections on the Revolution in France, a Reading Room essay

On Reflections on the Revolution in France

Michael Fowler

Edmund Burke is the founder of modern conservatism, and the strange thing about him is that he defended the American Revolution and condemned the French one, and thought he was...

On Reflections on the Revolution in France

Michael Fowler

Edmund Burke is the founder of modern conservatism, and the strange thing about him is that he defended the American Revolution and condemned the French one, and thought he was...

The Wealth of Nations, a Reading Room essay

On The Wealth of Nations

Michael Fowler

The Wealth of Nations is the most cited and least read book in economics, and the gap between the two has produced a caricature that would have startled its author.

On The Wealth of Nations

Michael Fowler

The Wealth of Nations is the most cited and least read book in economics, and the gap between the two has produced a caricature that would have startled its author.