Robert's Rules of Order

Originally published in 1896, "Robert's Rules of Order," remains to this day the manual of choice when it comes to conducting orderly productive proceedings. As General Henry M. Robert describes in his preface to the work, "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 his 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." Whatever the intent of an assembly may be it needs some formalized procedure to conduct its business in an orderly fashion. In the absence of an established set of procedures for assembly meetings "Robert's Rules of Order" provides an effective set of rules for conducting orderly proceedings. This edition follows the revised 1915 edition.