Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies.; Part 1: Rules of Order; A Compendium of Parliamentary Law, Based upon the Rules and Practice of Congress; Part II: Organization and Conduct of Business. A Simple Explanation of the Methods of Organizing and Conducting the Business of Societies, Conventions, and other Deliberative Assemblies

Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1904. This appears to be the Third Edition, which was copyrighted in 1904. Hardcover. Good. 218 pages. Contains Table of Rules Relating to Motions, Preface, and Introduction. Part I covers Rules of Order; Part II covers Organization and Conduct of Business; Part 3 covers Miscellaneous. Also includes Index. The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish in the best possible manner the work for which it was designed. To do this it is necessary to restrain the individual somewhat, as the right of an individual, in any community, to do what he pleases, is incompatible with the interests of the whole. Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in is own eyes, there is the least of real liberty. Experience has shown the importance of definiteness in the law ; and in this country, where customs are so slightly established and the published manuals of parliamentary practice so conflicting, no society should attempt to conduct business without having adopted some work upon the subject as the authority in all cases not covered by its own special rules. While it is important that an assembly has good rules, it is more important that it be not without some rules to govern its proceedings. This has been well expressed by one of the greatest of English writers on parliamentary, law: "Whether these forms be in all cases the most rational or not is really not of so great importance. It is much more material that there should be a rule to go by than what that rule is; that there may be a uniformity of proceeding in business, not subject to the caprice of the chairman or captiousness of the members. It is very material that order, decency, and regularity be preserved." An example of Rules evolution. Henry Martyn Robert (May 2, 1837 - May 11, 1923) was an American soldier, engineer, and author. In 1876, Robert published the first edition of his manual of parliamentary procedure, Robert's Rules of Order, which remains today the most common parliamentary authority in the United States. Robert was nominated to West Point from Ohio, and graduated fourth in his class in 1857. He became a military engineer. He built the fortifications on San Juan Island. In the American Civil War, he was assigned to the Corps of Engineers and worked on the defenses of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and several New England ports. Robert was president of the Board of Engineers from 1895 to 1901. He received a tombstone promotion to brigadier general on April 30, 1901, and was appointed Chief of Engineers. He served until May 2, 1901, when he retired from the Army. Following his retirement, he chaired a board of engineers that designed the Galveston, Texas seawall following the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. He is most famous for his Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies (later known as "Robert's Rules of Order")—a collection of rules regarding parliamentary procedure, published in 1876. He wrote the manual in response to his poor performance in leading a church meeting that erupted into open conflict because of concerns about local defense at the First Baptist Church, 149 William Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He resolved that he would learn about parliamentary procedure before attending another meeting. The rules are loosely based on procedures used in the United States House of Representatives, but the rule book was not intended for use in national and state legislatures. Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, commonly referred to as Robert's Rules of Order, RONR, or simply Robert's Rules, is a political book written by Henry Martyn Robert. It is the most widely used manual of parliamentary procedure in the United States. It governs the meetings of a diverse range of organizations—including church groups, county commissions, homeowners associations, nonprofit associations, professional societies, school boards, and trade unions—that have adopted it as their parliamentary authority. The manual was first published in 1876 by U.S. Army officer Henry Martyn Robert, who adapted the rules and practice of Congress to the needs of non-legislative societies. Eleven subsequent editions have been published, including major revisions in 1915 and 1970. The copyright to Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised is owned by the Robert's Rules Association, which selects by contract an authorship team to continue the task of revising and updating the book. The 12th and current edition was released on September 1, 2020.