James Madison on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights by Robert J. Morgan is as the author says a work where, "Madison provided us with an unmistakable key to understanding his thought and actions as a constitutional reformer, when he said that the rights of man are the foundation of just governments, but manknd had deduced only defective superstructures of government as of 1776."

The book is divided into two parts, as such each has chapters grouped according to relevance. Part one labeled Power, with chapters of: To Improve and Perpetuate the Union, A Proper Energy in the Executive, The True Principles of Republican Government, and Supporting and Restraining the Executive.

Part two labeled Rights with chapters of: Political Liberty, A Few Obvious Truths, The Very Essence of Free and Responsible Government, and The Framer's Muse.

James Madison was kind of unique in that he believed in a republican form of government like Thomas Jefferson, but he also became a constitution reformer because he wanted to expand the federal powers, but only, to preserve this republican government as to keep this form of government strong enough to fulfill America's unique destiny. Madison had a very keen grasp, an insight if you will, of the enormous difficulties entailed in creating the office of president and maintaining it over time. This, I believe, was one of the downfalls Madison had with his own Presidency. Madison struggled as President. He believed and would later say, "would any single person be endowed with such singular talents and superior devotion to the common good as to be chosen to excerise power without challenge by his peers."

Madison as with Jefferson were both well read, especially with the European thinkers, Hume, Adam Smith, Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant. With Thomas Paine of Virginia espousing his anti-constitutional views, holding a lot of political backing, Madison at first didn't want the Bill of Rights. But, Madison was a man of reflection, and in order to get a greater backing for the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights was adopted.

This book gives the reader insight into the thinking of Madison, his motives and meanings, and gives us that Madison's political thought as clear and gives us a simple interpretation that Madison speculated very little. The book is well documented and written with an easy readable style and explains Madison.

John Adams and James Madison both believed in the misfortune of history... how would they be remembered... by deeds and the handling of great events.

I have read that there is a second series of the Encyclopedia of Presidents, which I look forward to seeing these informative juvenile biographies redone with better production values. These volumes always look to me like they were printed in the Fifties, which is actually three decades off of the reality. The cover paintings are rather cartoonish and all of the illustrations inside are in black & white so there is able room for improvement in how the book looks. However, if you are looking for information about a particular president, this is a very solid series.

All of the books in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series begin in media res, with a highpoint from the President's career. In the case of James Madison we are talking about his role in American history as the Father of the Constitution. This means that Madison's greatest achievement in life was accomplished long before he was elected President, a truth usually reserved for war hero generals (e.g., Zachary Taylor and James Garfield) and Herbert Hoover (best Secretary of Commerce we have ever had). This is also reflected by the fact that Clinton devotes only two of the book's ten chapters to Madison's two terms in the White House, one for the First Term and the other for the defining event of his Presidency, The War of 1812.

The illustrations are mostly etchings and paintings contemporary to the life of Madison, including a couple of political cartoons, which are always a treat. But the chief strength here is the biographical detail. Clinton does a good job of contextualizing the Constitutional Convention and emphasizing the pivotal role played by Madison in the writing and adoption of the nation's most important political document. As far as juvenile biographies go this is not the first book I would recommend to a student, particularly a younger one, but once they have picked up a basic understanding of Madison's life and times from a smaller book, then this one is great for providing additional details and a more advanced understanding of Madison's importance as a Founding Father.

I think that James Madison is going to be the next Founding Father to be rediscovered by historians and Hollywood, replacing the current fascination with John Adams. When Madison's turn in the historical spotlight comes around this juvenile biography by Ann Graham Gaines for the Our Presidents series will be useful for younger students. All of the volumes in this series consist of just four chapters and the general rule has been to devote one chapter to each term served as President. However, Madison's life does not fit that model. A Thoughtful Leader does cover Madison's youth, but focuses mostly on his political involvement during the American Revolution. Father of the Constitution is the most significant chapter proving he deserves the title, while A New War shows why Madison's two terms in the White House are essentially reduced to the impact of the War of 1812. The final chapter, Honored Leader is atypical for the series since it devotes an entire chapter to the actions of the former President.

After reading this I was struck by how few Presidents have noteworthy careers after leaving the White House. John Quincy Adams was elected to the House of Representatives, Andrew Johnson briefly returned to the Senate, and William Howard Taft served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, but they are rare exceptions. While not as active as Jimmy Carter, or even Herbert Hoover for that matter, Madison did attain a sort of enhanced dignity out of office that few former Chief Executives have enjoyed.

Gaines does a nice job of providing the basic information for understanding the importance of Madison's career in public service. The book is illustrated with historic paintings and etchings, including a couple of choice political cartoons from the period and an actual photograph taken of Dolley Madison when she was 70; look at those eyes and that smile and you can understand why she was one of the most charming and popular First Ladies in our nation's history. There are sid bars on Dolley Madison, The White House Ablaze, and the Star Spangled Banner, and the margins of the book are filled with Interesting Facts such as the origins of Uncle Sam and calling the president's mansion The White House. There are always nice production values with the Our Presidents books, but they are also solid sources of information and illustrations about their subjects.

As an art student, I am fascinated by the way artists put media to paper, in the most basic way, and draw. In this book, 'Jim Dine: Drawings from the Glyptotech' we are shown the true art of drawing. By taking a pretty straightforward model, e.g. a statue, Dine renders something quite unique. How can one artist lay open the heart and soul of something so static as a statue? But, surprisingly, he does this with economy of line and media. The drawings show strength and depth and you are left with a knowledge of real people and their lives, in a two-dimensional sense. The text is concise and you immediately understand the points Dine is making in relation to his drawings. The reproductions of his drawings are exceptional. This book should be in every art students' (and artists, for that matter) bookcase as an essential reference point from where to start drawing. I have learnt so much from Jim Dine in this book that I just want to spend years exploring the art of putting down good lines on paper.

This is not a review, simply a correction of your listing of this book--it is not by Alexander Hamilton, it is by Hamilton and James Madison, being an exchange of arguments between them.

I am a recent transplant to Nashville (yeah, I play the guitar) and I was eager to read about the literary history of Nashville. There is so much more to the history of this city than Garth Brooks and Vandy fever. The editor has done a great job in seeking out "high" and "low"--the Fugitives to John Berendt--to present a well-balanced picture of this city. Funny, serious, old, and new--this is probably the defiitive history of Nash Vegas' literary scene.

Swami Vivekananda, the primary disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (one of the greatest of the Hindu sages), has a style immediately accessible to all. He died in 1901, but his teachings are as valid and truthful today as they were then. This book consists mostly of short quotations and paragraphs Vivekananda wrote or said, carefully selected from other books and talks. If you're interested in Nonduality (Advaita) in the context of Hinduism, this book comes highly recommended. Vivekananda comes across as soft and delicate as a flower, and as grand and thunderous as a roaring lion.

This book is a day by day process from symptoms thru diagnosis to solving problem as they arise. An excellant self-help book by a spouse that has lived with the problem for 14 years. It is a story of loving one's mate to the bitter end by keeping the "sickness" part of the marriage vows. I highly recommend this book to any caregiver that needs comfort, support and suggestions to make their lives and their loved ones more comfortable.

As an opening, i just have to say i love this book, i searched for it on the site because i wanted a new copy because mine is very old, brown and in two peices. This book is great, i read it when i was little and i now found it again in my bookshelf and it's still funny. It touches EVERY aspect of advertisment in a funny sarcastic way. The book contains alot of fake adds that touch the different subjects the book speaks about. Even thou the book is very old, Some things never change. Too bad i can't get a new one.