The Federal Statutes Annotated: Containing All the Laws of the United States of a General and Permanent Nature in Force on the First Day of January, 1903

Published in the early 20th century, this multi-volume set was commissioned to serve as a comprehensive codification of American federal law. During this era, the rapid expansion of federal legislation necessitated a more accessible and organized reference for the legal profession than the fragmented session laws previously in use. The set was meticulously curated to provide practitioners with a centralized, reliable repository of all permanent statutes current as of the start of 1903.

The publication was produced by the Edward Thompson Company, a prominent publisher of legal texts during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their editorial approach emphasized systematic annotation, incorporating judicial interpretations and case law references directly alongside the statutes to clarify legislative intent. This design choice solidified the set's reputation as an indispensable tool for judges and attorneys, remaining a fixture in law libraries for decades as a precursor to modern, digitally integrated legal research systems.