Compilation of Messages and Papers of the Presidents is an eleven-volume series that includes proclamations, special messages, and inaugural addresses from several U.S. presidents throughout history. Ten of the volumes are numbered, each covering several presidents between 1787 and 1902, and there are also eleven volumes of indexes.

Compilation of Messages and Papers of the Presidents
By James D. Richardson

The Evolution of U.S. Currency

Core content and scope

Included documents: A comprehensive collection of official documents from all U.S. presidents, starting with the first president, George Washington, including inaugural addresses, State of the Union addresses (annual addresses), special addresses, diplomatic statements, executive orders, and armistice declarations.
Time span: The original basic edition covers 1789 to 1902. The 1903 set was usually a 10-volume set (later editions expanded to 11, 18, or even 20 volumes as new presidents took office).

Compilation of Messages and Papers of the Presidents 1903 Version

Version

Original version first Book (The book (volume 1) was printed in 1899 by the U.S. Government Printing Office, with only 6,000 copies printed and distributed to members of Congress and the Senate. Of these, 2,000 copies were for the Senate and 4,000 for Congress.

1903 version. At that time, the series published by the Bureau of National Literature paid great attention to the binding craftsmanship, and common features included:

1. Made of high-grade black or dark green pebbled leather or cloth.

It is available in various binding styles, the most classic being a half-leather binding paired with a hardcover design featuring marbled paper.
The front and back covers are usually embossed with a beautiful gold-plated “Great Seal” of the President of the United States for the leather edition.

2. The book usually features a “Top Edge Gilt” design, and the inner pages are decorated with exquisite illustrations of presidential portraits and protective lining paper.

3. Richly illustrated: This edition features exquisite steel-engraving portraits, historical scene illustrations, and color plates, with each important illustration typically accompanied by a protective backing paper with an explanation.

* In addition, a supplementary edition provides a more in-depth introduction to the past presidents, also published by the National Literary Bureau in 1917. The typical booklet cover and back cover both feature [printed with...].Presidential Seal.

Value of 1903 Version

1903 Edition (or a special edition covering 1902 or 1903). It is a classic leather- or cloth-bound hardcover edition officially published by the Bureau of National Literature and Art. It is considered the most valuable edition in academic circles and occupies a highly controversial and crucial position in American political history documents.

A historic milestone: the birth of modern U.S. copyright law

This book series is very famous in American legal history and sparked the "Richardson Affair", and the copyright in such works was banned in 1895 (the Print Act of 1895).

Former U.S. House of Representatives member James D. Richardson was commissioned by Congress to compile a monumental work of American history: *A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents*. Richardson abused his power to compile government documents through Congress, privately applying for personal copyrights on federal government documents that should have belonged to the public domain and selling them for profit. This political and legal controversy angered the U.S. Congress, directly prompting the U.S. to amend laws to strictly prohibit anyone from applying for copyright protection for U.S. federal government works, laying the legal foundation for the modern principle that all federal documents are freely available.

Content

Compilation of Messages and Papers of the Presidents contains the complete inaugural addresses, annual communications (now known as the State of the Union address), special communications, and important pronouncements of the following founding fathers and early presidents of the United States:

Volume One

George Washington, 1789–1797 (including his famous Farewell Address),
John Adams, 1797–1801,
Thomas Jefferson, 1801–1809,
James Madison, 1809–1817,
Appendix: Founding Documents: Includes the foundational texts of the nation, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution,
The 1903 version includes valuable first-hand documents on the Spanish-American War from the presidency of William McKinley, as well as early official reports from Theodore Roosevelt during the early years of his presidency.

Volume Two