PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Random House plans to release hardcover editions of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Federalist Papers.
👥 Who’s Involved: Random House, publisher Andrew Ward, historian Jon Meacham, and Circana analyst Brenna Connor.
📍 Where & When: New York; books to be published in July and November.
💬 Key Quote: “One way to address the chaos of the present time… is to re-engage with the essential texts that are about creating a system that is still worth defending.” — Jon Meacham.
⚠️ Impact: The release comes amid a market surge for foundational U.S. documents, with sales currently at their highest since 2004.
IN FULL:
Random House has announced plans to publish special hardcover editions of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Federalist Papers. These editions, to be released through Random House’s Modern Library imprint, will include introductions by historian Jon Meacham. The decision to publish these texts comes amid surging interest in foundational U.S. documents.
Andrew Ward, a publisher at Random House, acknowledged the importance of revisiting these core documents of American history, expressing a desire to make them readily available to the public. The decision coincides with a spike in sales of these materials, as reported by Circana, a firm that tracks a significant portion of the print retail market.
Circana notes that sales of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Federalist Papers have reached a peak not seen since 2004. To date, about 162,000 copies have been sold this year alone, as opposed to 58,000 in the same timeframe last year, and just 33,000 in 2023.
Historian Jon Meacham remarked on the enduring relevance of these materials. “One way to address the chaos of the present time, what Saint Paul would call the ‘tribulations’ of the present time, is to re-engage with the essential texts that are about creating a system that is still worth defending,” he said. Despite being in the public domain, allowing for free online access, these texts continue to be popular in print form.
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