Rating: 
Summary: A Great Book
Review: I read Franklin's Autobiography years ago and loved every word. Now my interest led me to Van Doren's work and a truely wonderful book. Filled with Franklin's whitty quotes and substantive research, Van Doren gives you a great book packed full of interesting facts and a great view of history. It is a very long book, as the preface tells you in its first line, but a page turner which reads quickly and envelopes you into Franklin's life. One of my favorite biographies I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Here! Here!
Review: In my many years studying the history of our great nation and others, a carelessness of sorts followed my endeavors on Benjamin Franklin. As I finally considered closely examining the great philosopher/politician's life and accomplishments, I set out to find something written from a point of view somewhat unbiased yet informative. Carl Van Doren's accomplishments here should be considered in a manner befitting high esteem by any colleague serious enough to take the time out to comprehend his work. The facts of Franklin's life are grounded in traceable formatting, generously unbound with a sense of Mr. Van Doren's recurrent commitment to uphold a standard sometimes arguably overlooked by today's historians. Although I would have enjoyed added information on Franklin's later Constitutional convention involvement, enough was presented to obtain the idea of his role in shaping our important beginning. You will not be disappointed if you were to add this fine book to your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Homage to the greatest of men and son of liberty
Review: Mr. Van Doren has given us a gift. The gift of enlightenment into the life and experiences of one of our nation's finest citizens, the first great citizen of our country. Dr. Franklin, the journalist, philosopher, inventor, diplomat, politician, and great human being are revealed in this fine literary work.
Few men have been gifted with such a wealth of diverse talents, and have put those talents to such good and meaningful use. Merci M. Van Doren, tres magnifique.
Rating:
Summary: Homage to the greatest of men and son of liberty
Review: Mr. Van Doren has given us a gift. The gift of enlightenment into the life and experiences of one of our nation's finest citizens, the first great citizen of our country. Dr. Franklin, the journalist, philosopher, inventor, diplomat, politician, and great human being are revealed in this fine literary work.
Few men have been gifted with such a wealth of diverse talents, and have put those talents to such good and meaningful use. Merci M. Van Doren, tres magnifique.
Rating:
Summary: I could not wait to come home and read this book!!!!
Review: My summer project was to read biographies of our Founding Fathers. I was not looking forward to this rather daunting book and have never been so completely turned around on a subject. Van Doren masterfully handles an immense amount of factual information in such a way that makes this biography read like a novel. I love Ben Franklin! Thank you Carl Van Doren.
Rating:
Summary: Exhaustive detail, excellent writing
Review: Sure, this book was written before my parents were born, but it seems to stand the test of time very well. If I hadn't checked the copyright date when I bought it, I might have thought this worek had been published only recently. The detailed information the author provides is fascinating and is presented in such a way that it avoids clouding the writing or boring the reader. One gets a feel not only for what Franklin did, but for what sort of man he was. The author is sympathetic to the object of his study, but not to the point where it becomes distracting. All in all, a wonderful read which contains an immense amount of fascinating information.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo!
Review: This remarkable, scholarly, and readable book brings the reader face-to-face with what seems an impossible life. The usual picture we get in school is intriguing, but here we meet a man whose range is staggering. Franklin the young, self-educated adventurer, writer, apprentice. Franklin the printer, entrepreneur, community activist. Franklin the pioneering scientist, delegate, historical visionary. Franklin the publisher, the spy, the sometimes invisible hand steering the birth of the modern republic. The inventor of a musical instrument that Mozart and others composed for. The outrageous wit who shocked Abigail and John Adams. Franklin the friend, free-thinker, and moralist. Creator of the stove, the lightning rod, the watertight compartment for ships' hulls. The first to understand how weather systems move, and ocean currents, and continents. Designer of roadways to connect the colonies and then the nation. Richly incorporating excerpts of Franklin's own voluminous writing, Van Doren's account is clearly factual, yet appropriately awed and inspired by a man "unsurpassed . . . in the range of his gifts or the important to which he put them."
Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary biography by an extraordinary author!
Review: Van Doren's biography of Franklin is nothing short of remarkable. While the author may be faulted for the near veneration of his subject, Franklin's continuing reputation supports the author's obvious admiration of Franklin. Franklin's life is reviewed from start to finish almost as a metaphor for the 18th Century enlightenment, the early colonlial life in America, the beginnings of the industrial revolution, the decadence and decline of British Imperialism, as well as the making and maturation of a true genius and renaissance man. Parallel with the swiftly changing account of the myriad activities of Franklin is the story of a truly fine human being; a man whose essentially humble and self deprecating nature belied his strength of character and integrity. Anyone who reads this book will come away awed by this unique individual and the question: Where are the Franklins of our time?
Rating:
Summary: The Original American Renaissance Man!
Review: Van Doren's biography, long the definitive biography of Franklin, is rich in detail (sometimes exhaustingly so), yet accurately portrays the life of this fascinating multi-faceted man. From the statesman's humble beginnings in Boston, to his journeys to Philadelphia and ultimately abroad, Franklin is seen in very human terms, yet within the rich tapestry of the historical period.The author's style is typical of many historians of the 1930's, very linear, precise and detailed with a wealth of background information on every facet of Franklin's life. This may be a difficulty for many readers; the book is so comprehensive that many will be put off by its sheer volume. I found myself reading the book in starts and stops, only because of my personal time limitations. After the first 400+ pages, I found myself skipping over sections to get to portions of Franklin's life I found more fascinating. Fortunately, Van Doren's writing is such that one can do this without any significant loss of continuity.
Rating:
Summary: The Original American Renaissance Man!
Review: Van Doren's biography, long the definitive biography of Franklin, is rich in detail (sometimes exhaustingly so), yet accurately portrays the life of this fascinating multi-faceted man. From the statesman's humble beginnings in Boston, to his journeys to Philadelphia and ultimately abroad, Franklin is seen in very human terms, yet within the rich tapestry of the historical period. The author's style is typical of many historians of the 1930's, very linear, precise and detailed with a wealth of background information on every facet of Franklin's life. This may be a difficulty for many readers; the book is so comprehensive that many will be put off by its sheer volume. I found myself reading the book in starts and stops, only because of my personal time limitations. After the first 400+ pages, I found myself skipping over sections to get to portions of Franklin's life I found more fascinating. Fortunately, Van Doren's writing is such that one can do this without any significant loss of continuity.
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