Book Review: The Early Republic: Documents Decoded

Abstract

This is the newest release in ABC-CLIO’s Documents Decoded series, a range of works devoted to collecting noteworthy primary resources. The subjects covered in the series are wide-ranging and include Women’s Rights, Presidential Power, the Abolitionist Movement, and the Death Penalty. What makes Documents Decoded books stand out among the plethora of primary resource collections available is that expert commentary and analysis are presented literally alongside the text of seminal primary resources. That is, scholarly observation and historical background annotations are actually printed in the margins of the primary resource text. This is a unique approach that seems more accessible and user-friendly than traditional endnotes, footnotes, or isolated explanations.