Am interested in reading the various Federalist/Anit-Federalist papers, but its confusing with the various collections out there. Not sure if there is a true ‘complete’ collection, or what books I should get.
Signet has 2 massmarket paperbacks of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. I think some other publisher has a similiar set of MMP.
Library of America has 2 hardback books on the ‘Debates on the Constitution’.
Liberty Fund has a couple, but they seem incomplete: “The Federalist” Gideon Ed, “The Pacificus-Helvidius Debate”, and “The Anti-Federalist Writings of the Melancton Smith Circle”.
Although incomplete, I really learned a lot from Ralph Ketchum’s “The Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates” , one of the 2 Signet editions you mentioned- it is a very good introduction[before delving into the complete writings] , I think, with plenty of “Brutus” plus “The address of the Pennsylvania minority” [my 2 favorites].
Yes, the “Secret Proceedings” book was on my list of post-Debate works to also get. The Pacificus-Helvidius Debate book would fall into that, along with a few others I’ve heard of.
In reviewing the list of works in the LOA books, I did note several items missing (about half the Federalists, and assorted items from other anonymous writers). It looks like the Gideon ed of “The Federalist” is a complete collection, and the Liberty Fund books on the “Melancton Smith Circle” and the “Writings of the ‘other’ Federalists” are more complete, including many items left out in the 2 LOA works (tho the LOA works have stuff, like state debates and such).
You say “post-debate” but if my memory serves me well, Yates and Lansing attended the debates, but left half way through the proceedings, disgusted with what they had witnessed. Like I said, _if_my memory serves me well[:)]