The Thornwillow Dispatch Box

As an era of electronic books begins, the Thornwillow Dispatch is dedicated to the belief that physical books—tangible, aesthetically pleasing, letterpress printed, and beautifully bound—have a new and evermore important place in our lives: as repositories of permanence in an increasingly ephemeral world of letters. This monthly subscription features the work of celebrated writers—both established greats and dazzling up-and-comers—of fiction and nonfiction, from prose to poetry. The Thornwillow Dispatch is a growing collection of voices commemorating our times for times to come.

Ongoing subscribers to the Thornwillow Dispatch receive a new letterpress-printed, limited-edition short publication from the Press, as well as a curated collection of engraved and letterpress-printed keepsakes and goods for your study. Each month, your Dispatch Box is sure to surprise and delight.

The January Title
Announcing the next Thornwillow Dispatch

Foundations for Freedom

Three Federalist Papers
by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton

Available for pre-order via subscription to the Thornwillow Dispatch until December 31, 2025.

Dear Friends of Thornwillow,

As the end of the year approaches, we are excited to announce the next Dispatch, which will be the first title to come off the press in 2026 and launch us into a year-long celebration of the semiquincentennial of the United States. In an age when the very foundations of constitutional order are being tested, the next Dispatch is a timely dive into the arguments for the structure of government that has defined the architecture of the American Republic. The first Dispatch of 2026 will feature three essays from The Federalist Papers— Nos. 10, 51 and 78 — each a vital reflection on faction, structure and the rule of law. Together they form a meditation on the enduring model of self-government that has served the nation for 250 years.

These iconic texts emphasize the need to balance competing interests, prevent any one group or branch from gaining too much power, and uphold an independent judiciary to protect the Constitution. These principles—crafted at the nation’s founding—continue to guide and stabilize the American system of government today, reminding us how the framers’ vision still shapes the country.

Our edition is printed letterpress, hand-bound, and presented now for subscription in three collectible versions. As always, this fine press edition is strictly limited and after they are fully subscribed, no more will be made.

With highest regards from the press,

Luke Ives Pontifell Printer & Publisher

This title is available for subscription now until December 31, 2025, at 7 pm EST in three letterpress printed limited editions:

Patrons’ and Centaur Patrons’ Editions will also be individually numbered and signed by the publisher.

*Available only to Centaur Patron subscribers to the Thornwillow Dispatch

 

DISPATCH SUBSCRIBERS

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Alexander Hamilton (Left), James Madison (Center), and John Jay (Right) 

About the Federalist Papers:

The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in 1787–1788 to persuade the states to ratify the newly drafted U.S. Constitution. Published under the shared pseudonym “Publius,” the essays explain the principles behind the proposed government, address fears about federal power, and outline how the Constitution’s structure—especially its separation of powers and system of checks and balances—would protect liberty. Today, they remain foundational texts for understanding the framers’ intentions and the philosophical roots of American constitutional government.

No. 10, by James Madison, opens the sequence. He diagnoses “the mischiefs of faction” in a large republic and argues that the union, by extending the sphere of interests, will safeguard liberty against majoritarian tyranny. This essay, so often taught, is less a relic of 1787 than a mirror for our contemporary condition—where polarization and sectional grievance threaten civic cohesion. It reminds us that the problem is not simply government, but how government channels passion and interest.

No. 51 also by Madison continues the argument: with the famous line “If men were angels, no government would be necessary,” Madison clarifies the art of designing a constitution that assumes imperfect men and equips government not to crush liberty but to contain power. Separation of powers and checks and balances thus become moral as well as institutional virtues. In placing this essay second we invite readers to move from diagnosis (factions) to design (structure).

No. 78, by Alexander Hamilton, presents through his argument for an independent judiciary, a model to safeguard the system. He explains why the least dangerous branch may in fact be the essential guardian of democracy—a tribunal insulated from passion, yet capable of giving effect to the fundamental law. He believes that civic expectation should require that even majorities stand before principle.