Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

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Summary: You will be richer from reading this book
Review: Benjamin Franklin's autobiography is the story of one man's efforts to integrate certain principles and habits - integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty - into his life and to embed them deep within his nature. Franklin was a scientist, philosopher, statesman, inventor, educator, diplomat, politician, humorist and man of letters who led a very full life. He was also a moralist and humanitarian who was happy to be considered unconventional by doing things the way he thought they should be done. His was a life well lived and a model from which we can learn much. In the introduction we are told: "Himself a master of the motives of human conduct, Franklin did not set out to reveal himself in his autobiography. Rather, he intended to tell us (insofar as we, the nation, are the 'posterity' to whom he addressed himself) how life was to be lived, good done, and happiness achieved - how the ball was to be danced."

Franklin did not have an easy life as the tenth son of a candle maker whose education ended at the age of ten. But by hard work and careful planning he was able to retire from business at the age of forty-two and devote his time to science and politics. He was sent to England in 1764 to petition the King to end the proprietary government of the colony. Soon after the Revolution began he was sent to France to negotiate an alliance with Louis XVI. He was a member of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. It is difficult to image anyone not coming away richer from reading this book.

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Summary: Franklin in his own words. What more could you want?
Review: I find the Autobiography a fascinating look into the everyday life of our country's Colonial age! Franklin's narration is clean and descriptive and totally engrossing! The story of his early life and how he came to be a businessman and statesman is well worth 5 stars but also included in this gem is "The Selected Writings" which includes "The Way to Wealth" as well as five more sections (Essays to Do Good, Franklin the Scientist, Franklin and the Revolution, The Family Man, and Something of His Religion) all include various letters and essays and are an entertaining look into Franklin and his view of the world! For an American History buff this is a must book for the collection and for Children... this book is a fantastic way to introduce any Child to History and the REAL Life of one of our beloved Signers of the Declaration of Independence!

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Summary: A Book Of Firsts
Review: Said to be the first work of American literature, by America's first citizen: Ben Franklin's autobiography has certainly drawn a lot of praise.

Written in several pieces, it takes his life just past his electrical experiments, ending with his ambassadorial trip to London in 1757 on behalf of the Pennsylvania Assembly to argue that the Proprietors (the descendants of William Penn) should accept a tax to fund the raising of a militia.

Ben's early life story is familiar to all, coming penniless from Boston to Philadelphia, etc. particularly these days when new Franklin biographies seem to appear almost monthly. It is an interesting book, particularly because it was written by Franklin himself. But the breathless praise that is everywhere showered upon it seems a bit over done. First of all, it's incomplete, and secondly, it's not nearly as witty as Poor Richard.

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Summary: Franklin's life as the prototype of the American character
Review: The prevailing conception of the American character found its apotheosis in the persona of Benjamin Franklin. In early American culture Franklin was considered the typical American whose life philosophy exemplified American attitudes towards life, wealth, and happiness. The proof of this philosophy was found in Franklin's life and both are interwoven in his autobiography.

Certainly Franklin became omnipresent in American history (the greatest president who was never president, as I recall) partly because of his own efforts at self-promotion, of which "The Autobiography" is a prime example along with the constant reprinting of "Poor Richard's Almanac" (see the preface to the last edition in 1758 entitled "The Way to Wealth," which presages the autobiography). Franklin was first and foremost a moralist concerned with the personal, social, and civic improvement of his fellow citizens. The book opens with a letter, written to his son William in 1771. Of course, William, the Royal Governor of New Jersey, is forty years old, so the advice being offered is not to his literal (illegitimate) son but rather to any and all "youth." The book is intended as an exemplar for moral action and virtues.

Part I has Franklin describing his ancestry and lineage, covering his precocious childhood where he learned the virtues and morals that would serve him in good stead as an adult. Indeed, the story of Franklin becoming a successful businessman and important citizen in Philadelphia is a series of anecdotes in which he uses his intelligence and wit to solve any and all challenges. As autobiography we know this account to be flawed, for Franklin recreates his life to suit his purpose, but as rhetorical exemplar it is impressive. Part II reinforces this point by beginning with a pair of letters from Abel James and Benjamin Vaughn, who praise Part I for having celebrated the frugality, industry, and temperance necessary for a man's character to develop as a prelude to success. This section was written ten years after the first, when Franklin was in France. Here Franklin discusses moral perfection and the importance of industry and frugality in achieving success. Part III was written when Franklin returns home to Philadelphia in August of 1788, and continues the detailing his long career of public service, from publisher "Poor Richard's Almanac" to becoming Postmaster of the United States. Part IV is something of a fragment devoted to an episode in London in 1747 when Franklin became an early proponent of American rights. Ironically, this section, which would have contained the autobiographical information we would most want to hear with regards to the fight for Independence, is the briefest.

Ultimately, what becomes most important about "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" is that it serves as the genesis of the aristocracy of merit in the United States. Franklin's life is the model for the stories of Horatio Alger a century later and instantiates the idea that America is the land of opportunity where it is by merit that we can earn success. That idea has been expressed in countless ways since this book was first published in all its myriad forms, but the life of Franklin is the font from which it all springs.

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Summary: Enlightening and Written in the Style of the Times
Review: This "Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" does not contain the type of finished material one has come to expect in a finished coherent autobiographical writing covering the whole life span of the individual written by single author over a continuous period of time. This is really source material partially written over distinctly separate periods of time wherein the author, Benjamin Franklin, wrote on two different continents without access to the other parts of his text. With that said, I still think that this book is a wonderful and enlightening piece of work. It should, in my opinion, be considered for placement in every high school and college library, and it should perhaps be wise to consider it for required reading in those institutions. The book tells of the life and times in which Mr. Franklin lived, the attitudes of the colonists and of the British and the ways that things were accomplished in colonial America. It is truly amazing to me to hear first hand how a single individual with only two years of formal education can educate himself as this man did and to rise to make such truly great contributions to society, science, engineering, and politics. I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: Living On Purpose, On Purpose -- And having fun too!
Review: This book came to me based on a recommendation by Anthony Robbins in his book "Awaken the Giant Within." And upon reading it, it occurs to me how many gurus have built on, or simply stolen, Ben Franklin's ideas for living a life with purpose, on purpose. (Cheers to Robbins for identifying his mentors and sources so openly.) "The Autobiography of Ben Franklin" is a quick easy read with many rewards. Learn about the man, discover the seed of modern self-help ideas, and see America though a unique set of eyes.

About the writing. . . When Franklin took pen to paper his motivation was to share ideas with his son. In other words, he was writing a letter, and what a joy that it survived as a letter to each of us. Enjoy this book as insights offered by a dynamic individual. And, have the flexibility to enjoy writing that certainly isn't in the pop-culture mold of our century. I myself found this refreshing! If you like ideas and value the role mentors can play in our lives, then read this book today.