Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Amazon.com

Benjamin Franklin, writes journalist and biographer Walter Isaacson, was that rare Founding Father who would sooner wink at a passer-by than sit still for a formal portrait. What's more, Isaacson relates in this fluent and entertaining biography, the revolutionary leader represents a political tradition that has been all but forgotten today, one that prizes pragmatism over moralism, religious tolerance over fundamentalist rigidity, and social mobility over class privilege. That broadly democratic sensibility allowed Franklin his contradictions, as Isaacson shows. Though a man of lofty principles, Franklin wasn't shy of using sex to sell the newspapers he edited and published; though far from frivolous, he liked his toys and his mortal pleasures; and though he sometimes gave off a simpleton image, he was a shrewd and even crafty politician. Isaacson doesn't shy from enumerating Franklin's occasional peccadilloes and shortcomings, in keeping with the iconoclastic nature of our time--none of which, however, stops him from considering Benjamin Franklin "the most accomplished American of his age," and one of the most admirable of any era. And here's one bit of proof: as a young man, Ben Franklin regularly went without food in order to buy books. His example, as always, is a good one--and this is just the book to buy with the proceeds from the grocery budget. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble. In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character.

In a sweeping narrative that follows Franklin's life from Boston to Philadelphia to London and Paris and back, Isaacson chronicles the adventures of the spunky runaway apprentice who became, during his 84-year life, America's best writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, as well as one of its most practical and ingenious political leaders. He explores the wit behind Poor Richard's Almanac and the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence, the new nation's alliance with France, the treaty that ended the Revolution, and the compromises that created a near-perfect Constitution.

Above all, Isaacson shows how Franklin's unwavering faith in the wisdom of the common citizen and his instinctive appreciation for the possibilities of democracy helped to forge an American national identity based on the virtues and values of its middle class.

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"Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father who winks at us. An ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings, he seems made of flesh rather than of marble. In bestselling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin seems to turn to us from history's stage with eyes that twinkle from behind his new-fangled spectacles. By bringing Franklin to life, Isaacson shows how he helped to define both his own time and ours. He was, during his 84-year life, America's best scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, and business strategist, and he was also one of its most practical -- though not most profound -- political thinkers. He was the only man who shaped all the founding documents of America: the Albany Plan of Union, the Declaration of Independence, the treaty of alliance with France, the peace treaty with England, and the Constitution. And he helped invent America's unique style of homespun humor, democratic values, and philosophical pragmatism. But the most interesting thing that Franklin invented, and continually reinvented, was himself. America's first great publicist, he was, in his life and in his writings, consciously trying to create a new American archetype. In the process, he carefully crafted his own persona, portrayed it in public, and polished it for posterity. In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin's amazing life, from his days as a runaway printer to his triumphs as a statesman, scientist, and Founding Father. He chronicles Franklin's tumultuous relationship with his illegitimate son and grandson, his practical marriage, and his flirtations with the ladies of Paris. He also shows how Franklin helped to create the American character and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century. "

Customer Reviews:

Underwhelming.......2007-10-10

This biography had its moments, but Isaacson was far too enamored of Franklin, and did not present a balanced view. He was overly critical of Adams, but failed to be objectively critical of Franklin (or the other Founding Fathers) in return. Franklin is the Founding Father I'd most like to meet, but this biography is far too flattering, and really, rather dull. Isaacson is a serviceable writer, but does not make the story really come alive.

Franklin was ahead of his time.......2007-10-03

Many of the reviews already give the praise to this book that I would give. As I kept reading I found it amazing that this man was actually born 300 years ago. Many of his views are still so relevant today. I kept finding myself saying, "Yes, I totally agree with Franklin's opinion on that." I can imagine Franklin living in 2007 and being fascinated with things like the Internet and communication. However, I bet he would be the type of person who would still find time to write a letter and sit back and relax with some friends and tea which we so often fail to do today. Great book!

Great Book!.......2007-09-15

This bio was thoroughly enjoyable. I expected it to be informative and educational, but what I didn't expect was to be entertained. Franklin was a very complex man, both deep and shallow. He had very shallow relationships with his family, mainly his wife and son, very flirtaceous with other women, while being a deep thinker, an entrepreneur, American statesman, diplomat and genius. There's a lot of American history in the book with out being slow and boring.

I simply loved this book.

Thoroughly enjoyable........2007-09-13

I read elsewhere that Franklin was about 70 years of age before going to France as Embassador. He was quick witted to be sure but a bit unpredictable for his French caretakers. He left nothing for them in his will. Isaacson did a wonderful job of reporting on Frankin's irascible character.

Entertaining and Enlightening.......2007-08-29

Walter Issacson is a very meticulous and loquacious writer. I found myself looking for the dictionary while trying to decipher the meaning of his writing. The book is very verbose, very detailed, and gives an accurate and balanced view into Franklin's personal and political life.

The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

Average customer rating:

A model citizen and person, not just for Americans
An absolute joy of a biography
Very informative
The Man Behind The Country
Not Only the First, but One of the Greatest

The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
H.W. Brands
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0385493282
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Amazon.com

Benjamin Franklin may have been the most remarkable American ever to live: a printer, scientist, inventor, politician, diplomat, and--finally--an icon. His life was so sweeping that this comprehensive biography by H.W. Brands at times reads like a history of the United States during the 18th century. Franklin was at the center of America's transition from British colony to new nation, and was a kind of Founding Grandfather to the Founding Fathers; he was a full generation older than George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry, and they all viewed him with deep respect. "Of those patriots who made independence possible, none mattered more than Franklin, and only Washington mattered as much," writes Brands (author of a well-received Teddy Roosevelt biography, T.R.: The Last Romantic). Franklin was a complex character who sometimes came up a bit short in the personal virtue department, once commenting, "That hard-to-be-governed passion of youth had hurried me frequently into intrigues with low women that fell in my way." When he married, another woman was already pregnant with his child--a son he took into his home and had his wife raise.

Franklin is best remembered for other things, of course. His still-famous Poor Richard's Almanac helped him secure enough financial freedom as a printer to retire and devote himself to the study of electricity (which began, amusingly, with experiments on chickens). His mind never rested: He invented bifocals, the armonica (a musical instrument made primarily of glass), and, in old age, a mechanical arm that allowed him to reach books stored on high shelves. He served American interests as a diplomat in Europe; without him, France might not have intervened in the American Revolution. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He possessed a sense of humor, too. In 1776, when John Hancock urged the colonies to "hang together," Franklin is said to have commented, "We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately." Franklin's accomplishments were so numerous and varied that they threaten to read like a laundry list. Yet Brands pours them into an engrossing narrative, and they leap to life on these pages as the grand story of an exceptional man. The First American is an altogether excellent biography. --John J. Miller

Book Description

In the first comprehensive biography of Benjamin Franklin in over sixty years, acclaimed historian H. W. Brands brings vividly to life one of the most delightful, bawdy, brilliant, original, and important figures in American history.

A groundbreaking scientist, leading businessman, philosopher, bestselling author, inventor, diplomat, politician, and wit, Benjamin Franklin was perhaps the most beloved and celebrated American of his age, or indeed of any age. Now, in a beautifully written and meticulously researched account of Franklin's life and times, his clever repartee, generous spirit, and earthy wisdom are brought compellingly to the page.

His circle of friends and acquaintances extended around the globe, from Cotton Mather to Voltaire, from Edmund Burke to King George III, from Sir Isaac Newton to Immanuel Kant. Franklin was gifted with a restless curiosity, and his scientific experiments with electric currents and the weather made him the leading pioneer in the new field of electricity on both sides of the Atlantic; among his many inventions were the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, and the harmonica, a musical instrument that became the rage of Europe.

From his humble beginnings in Boston as a printer's apprentice, he became, within two decades, the leading printer and one of the most important businessmen in the Colonies. A longtime Philadelphia civic leader, he created Philadelphia's first fire department, wrote the bestseller Poor Richard's Almanac, served as Postmaster General for the Colonies, and in the process, completely modernized the mail service. A bon vivant and ladies' man throughout his life, he matched wits with Parliament and the Crown during the decade leading up to the Stamp Act; and as the official agent to Parliament, representing several of the Colonies, he helped push the Colonies into open rebellion.

Tracing Franklin's gradual transformation from reluctant revolutionary to charismatic leader in the fight for independence, Brands convincingly argues that on the issue of revolution, as Franklin went, so went America. During the Revolutionary War, Franklin was charged by Congress with wooing the King of France to the American cause, and it was the diplomatic alliances he forged and funds he raised in France that allowed the Continental Army to continue to fight on the battlefield. In his final years, as president of the Constitutional Convention, it was Franklin who held together the antagonistic factions and persuaded its members to sign the Constitution.

Drawing on previously unpublished letters to and from Franklin, as well as the recollections and anecdotes of Franklin's contemporaries, H. W. Brands has created a rich and compelling portrait of the eighteenth-century genius who was in every respect America's first Renaissance man, and arguably the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America. A fascinating and richly textured biography of the man who was perhaps the greatest of our Founding Fathers, The First American is history on a grand scale, as well as a major contribution to understanding Franklin and the world he helped to shape.

Customer Reviews:

A model citizen and person, not just for Americans.......2007-09-17

An apt title, as the book successfully shows Franklin to have possessed the spirit, work ethic, independence, secularism, tolerance, aptitude and passion that are so quinessentially American (or I should say, allegedly American).

True, the book did drag a bit, and at the least expected times---during the revolution!; I wearied of reading about the subtle seductions and other flirtations between Franklin and his various French hosts' wives. Even more laborious and frustrating was plodding through some of the actual writings themselves---all while conscious of far more riveting exploits occurring elsewhere---namely, the Revolution itself! Still, I was grateful to gain a fresh insight on the war, from the perspective of this unexpected but indispensable, behind-the-scenes hero.

On the whole, I did find the book very enjoyable and interesting. Reading about Franklin's life inspires emulation, however daunting and futile such an undertaking might be.

An absolute joy of a biography.......2007-08-20

This is a very impressive biography of a very important American. Brands does an absolutely woderful job in taking Franklin's unbelievably full and eventful life and organizing it in such a way that it is a fast and enjoyable read.

What makes for this to be such a fascinating biography is Franklin himself, a lot of which he himself wrote in his autobiography. Yet Brands does an amazing job of interweaving what others thought of Franklin through their correspondence with him and others, as well as telling the history that revolves around virtually everything that Franklin did. This is what has made this biography such an amazing read, because we are given such a complete and full picture of the man and era that we feel as though we are there with Franklin.

I can really find nothing bad with this biography, nor with Brands. He writes in such a way that you want to continue reading, which is the mark of good writing. I would definitely recommend both this book as well as this author to everyone. An absolute joy of a biograohy.

5 stars.

Very informative.......2007-07-10

very informative yet enjoyable read on the man many consider to be more infulential then any other single person in the creation of this country.

The Man Behind The Country .......2007-07-02

'The First American' is an amazing book about the most amazing character ever to live in America. Benjamin Franklin is the hands-down leader in the shaping and development of our U.S. country and culture. He is still the most well known scientist of our time. He also contributed to our winning of the Revolutionary War and the development of our democratic process that we hold dear. Our country owes him gratitude for his creation of libraries, universities, and fire fighting. We are touched everyday by his innovations in science. The list of his accomplishments goes on and on. Unfortunately, so does this book. I often found myself struggling to get through fluff and a writer who at times finds it necessary to be long-winded. Yet, this book confirmed my praise to a man that always deserves more credit. The only reason I am giving this book a four is that I believe that the normal American would have a difficult time finishing it. All Americans should read the life story of a man that helped develop the freedom that we cherish. It should be required reading in college, and it should fill high school libraries.

Not Only the First, but One of the Greatest.......2007-04-18

Engagingly written. Filled with insightful details. Altogether a splendid read! Should be on every American's reading list.

Benjamin Franklin's the Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living

Average customer rating:

Love Ben Franklin
Timeless work
Great Buy
The "Right Way"
Looking for a mental challenge? Look no further.

Benjamin Franklin's the Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living
Benjamin Franklin
Manufacturer: Acorn Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Success | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0938399101

Book Description

Benjamin Franklin's The Art of Virtue consists of a collection of Franklin's writings organized around his timeless philosophy on such topics as: goal setting and personal achievement, obtaining wealth and preserving health, human relations and family living, religion and morality, aging and dying, and much, much more.

Full of profound insights, delightful humor, quotable quotes, and plenty of common sense; The Art of Virtue provides wonderful reading for both young and old alike.

Customer Reviews:

Love Ben Franklin.......2007-01-24

Great book on Benjamin Franklin's life. This book will make you a better person. Read it and digest it.

Timeless work.......2006-03-29

When you look at the cover and the preface, the book may appear to be written by Benjamin Franklin, but that is somewhat misleading. Sure, the essence of the book comes from the writings of B.F., but the editor of the book has also done a great job of putting a collection of writings by Franklin into an excellent structure.

Twelve virtues are identified answering key questions about the source of happiness, how to attain it, and many other important aspects of life. Each virtue is supported by B.F.'s writings. I especially liked the summaries at the end of each chapter that would emphasize the essential points of the corresponding virtue.

This is a very accessible book, and a great companion for anyone who thinks life should be more than pursuing selfish goals and satisfying petty pleasures.

Perhaps, this work is more useful in understanding B.F.'s wisdom than his autobiography, which is another great classic.

I was slightly confused as to why the book was presented to be merely a book by B.F., given that the editor has contributed quite a bit in terms of organization and explanations. Perhaps to improve the sales?

In any event, this is a great work that, I bet, will improve the perspective of anyone who reads it actively.

Great Buy.......2002-12-05

An inspiring book written by an amazing author. Ok, so he is my dad, but he didn't pay me to say any of this stuff:)

The "Right Way".......2000-10-17

A book like this should be mandatory reading for everyone. Particularly people who represent other people's interests for a living, such as World Leaders, Presidents, Kings, etc., would find it absolutely useful; a kind of constant tool, a compass that keeps them on the right track once and again. This is a book that shows not only Franklin's wit and wisdom, but also his vulnerability, that wonderful human quality, thus making it enchanting and insightful. Buy this book, learn and practice these principles, and enjoy the new breath of fresh air you'll experience in your life.

Looking for a mental challenge? Look no further........2000-04-03

I saw this book one day when I was browsing Franklin Covey planners in the mall. It had been awhile since I read something not business related so I thought I'd give this a shot. I'll be honest when I tell you I enjoy a good read but this book took me about one year to read from beginning to end. The first few chapters weren't too bad but then it got into a section about a debate between two philosophers on the definition of virtue and why one should practice a virtuous life. I've never read anything that mentally straining in my life (my degree is in Mechanical Engineering BTW). I enjoy the arts but that one section took me about a month before I could fully digest what the philosophers were saying in the span of less than 2 pages. This one section proved so enlightening that my head hurt for about 2 days after I had a chance to chew on the content. If you had any doubts that the founding forefathers of this great nation were anything but geniuses, this should dispell any and all myths. I must say that I even had to break out the dictionary for some of the diction used in this book in that it was definitely not your everyday conversational english. If you enjoy mental challenges of a higher level and your mastery of the English language is proficient enough to understand the fine nuances of sentence structure and double, sometimes triple meanings, I would recommend this book. If you're looking for something a little more entertaining and easier on the mind, then definitely look somewhere else. But I will admit, when I did finally complete this book one year later, I actually felt a major sense of accomplishment. I guess that makes me just a little more virtuous?

Life and Letters of John Brown (Notable American Authors)

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Life and Letters of John Brown (Notable American Authors)
Franklin Benjamin Sanborn
Manufacturer: Reprint Services Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Atlantic Cousins: Benjamin Franklin and His Visionary Friends

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Vivid Portraits of Franklin's Friends and Influences
A time when politicians were honorable

Atlantic Cousins: Benjamin Franklin and His Visionary Friends
Jack Fruchtman Jr.
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

18th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books
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The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution

ASIN: 1560256680

Book Description

Ben Franklin was at the heart of the Enlightenment. He drew to him some of the greatest minds of that time, people who remain among the most intriguing in history—Americans, Englishmen, and Frenchmen whose ideas continue to shape how we live to this day. Through engaging anecdotes and short histories, Atlantic Cousins includes intimate portraits of Franklin and Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, Voltaire, the Marquis de Condorcet, Georges-Jacques Danton, Camille Desmoulins—and their arch-enemy, William Cobbett, an unrelenting monarchist and anglophile. Plenty of illustrations and maps complement the material.

Aside from the colorful personalities, author Jack Fruchtman documents developments from Thomas Paine's smokeless candles to the founding of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia; the debate that led to the Declaration of Independence; the abolitionist movement both in America and abroad; and Paine's Rights of Man. Atlantic Cousins shows just how Ben Franklin and his circle of friends shaped this unique and remarkable period in history.

Customer Reviews:

Vivid Portraits of Franklin's Friends and Influences.......2006-08-21

The fresh approach of this fine series of short biographies of Benjamin Franklin's international collection of friends and influences is an excellent supplement for anyone who has read a book about Franklin and wants a wider point of view. Last year I read Walter Isaacson's bestselling book on Franklin, but realized that the great man didn't exist in a vacuum and I wanted to read more about some of the diverse circle of great minds around the world who helped shape Franklin's genius. This book provided exactly what I wanted.

A time when politicians were honorable.......2005-10-18

This book was one of the most intriguing, intellectually stimulating, and inspiring that I've ever read. Prof. Fruchtman weaves his profound knowledge of history with entertaining stories, historical facts, and details. The result is a genuine page-turner.

You will read this book amazed at how selfless and societal-thinking the great men and women of the 18th century were. They were true visionaries, and it is a way of thinking that we all must try and return to.

Inventing America: The Life of Benjamin Franklin

Average customer rating:

Wonderful book for young and old
Perfect for teachers , or individual enrichment

Inventing America: The Life of Benjamin Franklin
Mark Essig
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1401602371

Book Description

Although Franklin's contributions to the worlds of science and letters were enough to make him memorable, it was the American Revolution that made him legendary. It has been speculated that if it were not for Franklin's amiable relationship with the French, France would not have come to America's aid.

Using the same Museum in a Book format as the popular Lewis and Clark on the Trail of Discovery and Great Maps of the Civil War, Inventing America brings Benjamin Franklin to life through words and removable documents such as:

Map of Franklin's Philadelphia
Portions of Poor Richard's Almanack
Letters to his illegitimate son, William
Franklin's edits to the Declaration of Independence

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful book for young and old .......2007-07-06

The removable sketches, letters and historical documents add a wonderful touch to a delightful book. We have over a 100 history books in our personal library for the kids and this one is at the top of good ones.

Perfect for teachers , or individual enrichment.......2007-01-19

I love this item! I purchased it 2 years ago, for personal enrichment.It was such an enlightening read!I wish I had this in High School, perhaps I would have enjoyed American History more! My sister is a school teacher, and I gave her a copy as a gift last week, and she just loves it as well, and is looking forward to using it as a supplement in class, during "history week"!!! Nice investment for you, or for the teacher in your life!!!

To Be Useful to the World: Women in Revolutionary America, 1740-1790

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To Be Useful to the World: Women in Revolutionary America, 1740-1790
Joan R. Gundersen
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0807856975

Book Description

Offering an interpretation of the Revolutionary period that places women at the center, Joan R. Gundersen provides a synthesis of the scholarship on women's experiences during the era as well as a nuanced understanding that moves beyond a view of the war as either a "golden age" or a disaster for women. Gundersen argues that women's lives varied greatly depending on race and class, but all women had to work within shifting parameters that enabled opportunities for some while constraining opportunities for others.

Book Description

Witty and wise commentary about money, life, and the events of the day from one of America's first bestselling authors. Featuring a portrait of the author on the front cover with his signature printed below in gold foil, this classic collection of Franklin quotes will inspire anyone who opens its covers.

Customer Reviews:

Benjamin Franklin's Works.......2007-08-26

Densely-packed with primary Franklin sources. Physically hefty. Fairly transparent index, but could be somewhat more plain-spoken. Franklin might not have approved. Takes the average reader far beyond the kite-and-key story and the Franklin sexual escapades stories into the brain of a genius. Book is a best buy regardless of price.

A great volume of a great man for your shelf on the founding.......2005-05-07

Benjamin Franklin is one of the great icons of the American Founding. He is truly one of the essential men who built our nation and deserves every praise we can heap on him. When we see images of the founders, they are all shown as old men, not how old they were in 1776. Franklin was really a generation older than most of the firebrands who led the Revolution. He was seventy when he signed the Declaration of Independence (John Adams was 41, George Washington 44, and Thomas Jefferson 33 on July 4, 1776) and eighty-one when he signed our Constitution as a member of the delegation from Pennsylvania. He was an amazing man. He was a successful printer, inventor, philanthropist, revolutionary, diplomat, and all around student of the world.

This fine volume from the wonderful Library of America is a collection of this great man's writings. From early articles in his brother's newspaper, to the Preface and Maxims of the Poor Richard's Almanac, essays, speeches, letters, the FOUR parts of his autobiography, and much else. You will read about his inventing the two-part spectacles and see his own diagram of his bi-focals, his views on slavery, why paper money was needed to help enliven commerce and the dangers of too much of it, his views on religion, his speech before the Constitutional Convention of the dangers of paying representatives at Congress, and so much more that is fundamental to our founding and all of it is amazingly interesting.

This book is interesting to dip into and read just those portions that interest you, as well as reading its more than 1,500 pages front to back. It has great notes on the text that provide contextual and translation help as well as sources, a most interesting chronology of Franklin's long and productive life, and an index.

This certainly is a must have for your shelf on the history of America's Founding.

Too Long Overlooked.......2003-08-31

This collection of Franklin's writing display his quick mind, mathematical gifts, great sense of humor, detachment in crisis, and the razor-sharp diplomatic mind which did more than supposed for the American cause (more so than than Adams and others thought). An American genius and a true seer of note. A book to be enjoyed again and again.

small book for the price.......2003-06-10

The contents are wonderful. Some are funny and yet they are true! All can be applied in today's world! Yet, the cost is bigger than the book itself! It is a small 'coffee table' book that should be at a cheaper price.

Best Modern Compilation of Franklin's Writings.......2001-03-31

The Library of America should be commended for preserving the works of Benjamin Franklin. This is the finest compilation of Franklin's writings still in print.

The book is organized and presented in chronological order. The first section contains Franklin's writings between 1722-1726. This section contains the famous "Silence Dogood" works. The second section consists of writings between 1726-1757. This section contains the "Busy Body" pieces and the writings from the Philadelphia Gazette, amongst other works. The third section consists of writings which date between 1757-1775. The fourth section consists of writings between 1776-1785. The fifth section consists of writings between 1785-1790. And the final two sections are "Poor Richard's Almanack" and "The Autobiography."

Moreover, the sections contain personal letters between Franklin and other notable men such as David Hume, Lord Kames, John Pringle, Benjamin Rush, etc. Also, religious writings, philosophy, political writings and the like are present in this single volume. In fact, there is about 1500 pages of just Franklin's writings. Additionally, in the back of the book, there is a very detailed chronology of Franklin's life describing notable things which occurred between his birth and death.

This is a great text for those who are wanting a very detailed volume of Franklin's writings. However, it is also a great compilation for those who simply want to sit down and get a sample of the works of Franklin to find out what type of man he was, what he believed, what he taught, his sense of humor and the like.

Book Description

Moral paragon, public servant, founding father; scoundrel, opportunist, womanizing phony: There are many Benjamin Franklins. Now, as we celebrate the tercentenary of Franklin's birth, Jerry Weinberger reveals the Franklin behind the many masks and shows that the real Franklin was far more remarkable than anyone has yet discovered.

Taking the Autobiography as the key to Franklin's thought, Weinberger argues that previous assessments have not yet probed to the bottom of Ben's famous irony and elusiveness. While others take the self-portrait as an elder statesman's relaxed and playful retrospection, Weinberger unveils it as the window to Franklin's deepest reflections on God, virtue, justice, equality, natural rights, love, the good life, the modern technological project, and the place and limits of reason in politics and human experience. Along the way, Weinberger explores Franklin's ribald humor, usually ignored or toned down by historians and critics, and shows it to be charming-and philosophic.

Following Franklin's rhetorical twists and turns, Weinberger discovers a serious thinker who was profoundly critical of religion, moral virtue, and political ideals and whose grasp of human folly constrained his hopes for enlightenment and political reform. This close and amusing reading of Franklin portrays a scrupulous dialectical philosopher, humane and wise, but more provocative and disturbing than even the most hardboiled interpreters have taken Franklin to be-a freethinking critic of Enlightenment freethinking, who played his moral and theological cards very close to the vest.

Written for general readers who want to delve more deeply into the mind of a great man and great American, Benjamin Franklin Unmasked shows us a massively powerful intellect lurking behind the leather-apron countenance. This lively, witty, and revelatory book is indispensable for those who want to meet the real Franklin.

This book is part of the American Political Thought series.

Customer Reviews:

If Franklin were Greek, would he be a zetetic?.......2006-12-21

I am interested in comparing the 5 best biographies of Benjamin Franklin that have been written (thus far) in the new millennia, emphasizing Weinberger's account.

THE BEST 5 BIOGRAPHIES ARE (in order of publication date)
Edmund S. Morgan's Benjamin Franklin (Yale Nota Bene S.)
H. W. Brands's The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Gordon S. Wood's The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin
Jerry Weinberger's Benjamin Franklin Unmasked: On the Unity of His Moral, Religious, and Political Thought (American Political Thought)

The first 4 of these biographies are presented as in the typical historically (and chronologically) biographical approach. There are 24 pictures in Morgan's book, no pictures in Brands's book, 32 pictures in Isaacson's book, 25 pictures in Wood's book, and no pictures in Weinberger's book.
I am not going to write about how great Franklin was or what he did (he was great and he did so much). I want to write primarily about how each of these authors portrays Franklin's character differently by highlighting different aspects of his life.

In London (1725) Franklin wrote "A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain," which seemed to show that Franklin was a young radical Deist. In the pamphlet, he denied free will, denied the existence of vice and virtue and merit, and rejected particular providence. Later, when the pamphlet was reprinted in Boston, Franklin became a social outcast of sorts and he wrote that he was "inclined to leave Boston" because people were calling him "an infidel or atheist." When Franklin fled Boston he was 17 years old. He later wrote about that pamphlet that Ï began to suspect that this doctrine, though it might be true, was not very useful."
Later, after becoming rich from his printing presses, writings, and scientific discoveries, Franklin became a statesman, diplomat, Founding Father, and icon.
At the end of his life he wrote his "Autobiography," where Franklin said that he "never doubted, for instance, the existence of the Deity, that he made the world, and governed it by his Providence; that the most acceptable service to God was the doing of good to man; that our souls are immortal; and that all crime will be punished and virtue rewarded either here or hereafter; these I esteemed the essentials of every religion".

If you've read Leo Strauss's "Persecution and the Art of Writing" then you'll be familiar with Weinberger's hermeneutic. Weinberger sees a contradiction: Franklin seriously doubted as a young man what he says to have never doubted as an old man (compare the 1725 pamphlet to the aforementioned quote from the "Autobiography"). Weinberger notes, "...to my knowledge, this flat contradiction has remained unnoticed by everyone who has written..." on Franklin (pg. 49). According to Weinberger, Franklin's treatment in Boston and his belief that George Whitfield should not have written anything that would leave him open to attack, created a Franklin who wrote subtly for those who take the time to peal back the shades of meaning in his own texts. Indicators are contradictions and contradictions are dissolvable when we find something deeper which ties things together.
Franklin is a "radical skeptic" according to Weinberger. The philosophical Franklin is hidden behind his humor (often debauched). Weinberger's Franklin is a true anomaly among the other historians. He attacks Isaacson's pragmatist-Franklin as "always look[ing] on the bright side of things because they are not really pragmatists" (pg. 289; my brackets). He attacks Wood in a 2 and ½ page footnote, where Wood's presentation of an "angry Franklin" is (somehow) incompatible with Franklin's proposed skepticism (pg. 314-317). Weinberger says that as a philosopher Franklin could not have sustained anger as a part of his political motivations because the skeptical Franklin would be "able to reflect philosophically on the perfect irrationality of anger as the wellspring of moral and political commitments" (pg. 223, see also pg. 288). In fact, Brands might agree, he said that Franklin was a skeptic by temperament (Brands, pg. 94). However, Weinberger sees Franklin's skepticism as "even more radical and more thoughtfully grounded..." (pg. xiii). Because Franklin is supposedly a skeptic he could not agree with Spinoza and Hobbes who appear as dogmatic as the religious leaders (begin with materialist assumptions and end with their conclusions and visa versa for spiritualists...see pg. 75-59 and 277). However, Franklin does follow Hobbes insofar as Hobbes was the protégé of Francis Bacon. Weinberger calls Franklin's politics "political Baconianism: the view that politics is an artful game aimed at getting things to work right and not a matter of setting things `right' in the sense of justice" (pg. 234-235). Hobbes "outlined the most powerful version of political Baconianism" (pg. 235). Yet Franklin could not follow Hobbes all the way because Hobbes became a materialist-dogmatist and Franklin remained a skeptic. Franklin, in a sense, tried to take on Socratic Ignorance, Franklin was "first the careful, dialectical philosopher..." (pg. 290). The historians, on the other hand, who follow loosely Morgan's notion that "charity" was the "guiding principle of Franklin's life" (Morgan, pg. 24) continue along with Wood who says Franklin "came to realize that science and philosophy could never take the place of service in government" (Wood, pg. 66).

One of Weinberger's best summaries of Franklin's quasi-political machinations may be that "for all his real efforts to foster his minimalist `creed' that would not `shock the professors of any religion,' he always included divine punishment in that creed and was quite willing both to shock believers and to side with enthusiasts, whichever prudence required. Franklin's concrete religious politics could be well described as inclined towards `managed enthusiasm'" (pg. 279).

So good I'm telling strangers!.......2006-05-13

This book was recommended to me by a friend. And since reading the book, both she and I have recommended it to everyone we know. All that was left was for me to write a review here and to start recommending it to strangers. I fear though that I cannot do this particular book justice with my meager reviewing abilities. The book is the most enjoyable scholarly biography I have ever read. It is both profound and laugh-out-loud funny. It deftly leads the reader through the complexities of Franklin's philosophy, helping one arrive at a new and deeper respect for one of this country's worthiest heroes. And it allows one a comical glimpse at the whimsical workings of a genius's mind. I'm currently rearranging a course I'm planning to teach in order to make room for this fascinating contribution to the study of our forefathers.

Best Franklin Book and Maybe Best Pol Biography Ever.......2006-04-26

I have read a great many books on the founders-including several on Franklin-and this stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. Weinberger combines historical knowledge with political insight and philosophic depth in a way that I've never seen. The resulting interpetation was a revelation, changing not only how I view Franklin, but how I view the world. If you've never encountered a book of this sort, you owe it to yourself to read it. It's a rare treat to find one first-rate mind exploring and exhibiting the labyrinthian delights to be found in another. Bonus: the book is also extremely funny, perhaps the funniest political biography ever written.

Outstanding Exploration of Franklin's Though.......2006-02-20

Jerry Weinberger has truly revealed the real Franklin behind the masks. First, this book is truly hilarious...Franklin's scatalogical humor, his idea to create sweet-smelling flatulence, or his advice to bed older women who will be more grateful, makes reading this also-serious work a laugh riot!!

Second, Weinberger has taken Franklin more seriously than anyone else to date and lays bare the real intent behind his though. The review by "Dave" here completely misses the point of the book. Franklin mocked everything and everyone, including himself, so one has to look beyond the words written to the true meaning, which is revealed by Weinberger to lie in numerous contradictions, confusing language and re-worded poems. For example, the "contradiction" that "Dave" fails to see is that Franklin at one point in his Autobiography mentions that he never stopped believing in god; something that completely contradicts an earlier claim by Franklin that he did indeed stop believing, only to return to religion later in life. As Weinberger mentions, is it believable or possible that a religious person could forget that he once did not believe, or forget the very moment at which he became a believer? Hardly. Weinberger's task is to unravel this mystery...and he does so masterfully.

If you want to know Benjamin Franklin beyond what is presented in the biographies (and I have read those by Brands and Isaacson) to see the true depth and power of his thoughts, Weinberger's book is excellent!!!

Best Franklin book ever........2006-02-19

This book presents Franklin in a novel and truly compelling light. The style is lucid and witty, the content is persuasive and intriguing. A first-rate tour de force.

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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Walter Isaacson
Manufacturer: SIMON AND SCHUSTER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000OKAN9Y

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