Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but not the one to get
Review: I feel bad saying this, but the reality is that if you are interested in learning about one of history's most interesting and influential men, you'll be better served reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Franklin. Isaacson's is more comprehensive, more detailed, more incisive, but most of all, is a total pleasure to read, whereas I found Morgan's sometimes difficult to plow through. "Plowing through" would be worth it if this book offered perspectives and facts not found in the Isaacson book, but that is not the case.As I said, this one isn't bad, but why get it, when the Isaacson one is superior?
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I found this book condescending and quite dull. It was less a biography than it was a platform for Morgan's views on religion and politics. If you want a non-biased, factual account of Franklin's life, this is not the book to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting comparison between Franklin and Adams
Review: I have just finished reading McCullough's "John Adams" and Morgan's "Benjamin Franklin" back-to-back. Franklin is a much easier (and quicker) read, as I think was the intent of the author -- not to overburden the reader with too much scholarly detail. The difference between the two subjects in each book, and their amazingly opposite treatment of the other, is what caught my interest. In Franklin, Adams is predictably portrayed as a vain, paranoid, peevish second fiddle. However, in Adams, Franklin is portrayed as a detached, dissipated, ill man with a one-man-band attitude and who was not over fond of help in the effort to secure assistance from the French. I thought McCullough's book was the far more interesting in exposing the private thoughts of the man. That is maybe an indication of the volume of personal correspondence Adams left behind, and in fact Morgan does indicate that any biographer will have a tough time trying to "pierce the veil" of Franklin, to really get to know the inner man. However, this book by Morgan was not particularly critical of Franklin in any way. The worst handling of him was in the period Franklin misgauged American public opinion to the Stamp Tax and Hillsborough import duties, but even then Franklin is not chastised too severely. The comments about Franklin's actions and behavior in Passy by Lee, Adams, Jay and others are dismissed out of hand by the author. In my opinion, this book is too short, too soft, too uncritical in judgement to be a serious addition to any biography-lover's bookshelf. It compares unfavorably with the example of McCullough's book on Adams, with which it competes in the bookstores (and on the web).
Rating: 
Summary: A great introduction to Benjamin Franklin
Review: I have to confess to being almost totally ignorant about Benjamin Franklin, the subject of this lovely book by Edmund Morgan. My knowledge of Franklin stopped with the basics--trained as a printer in colonial Boston, made his way to Philadelphia while still very young, published Poor Richard's Almanac, proved that lighting was electrical, represented the American colonies in England and newly independent America in France. In slightly more than 300 elegantly written pages, Yale historian Morgan transformed this skeleton into a living, breathing man. Although Morgan based this brief history on a wealth of source documents, he tells Franklin's story effortlessly. I felt as though I had taken a long walk with a very interesting companion, and come away with a whole new understanding of a great and complex figure. Morgan devotes most of the book to detailing Franklin's central role in the long series of calculations and miscalculations that pushed thirteen loyal and tractable British colonies into revolution and forged them into the United States of America. Franklin, we learn, was there at every step, usually behind the scenes, but always extremely influential, a potent catalyst to change. It's as fascinating to follow the evolution of Franklin's own thoughts and feelings about the British Empire and the future of America as it is to get to catch a replay of the fateful steps in Britain and the colonies that led to the American revolution. I wish that America were blessed with more statesmen like Franklin; we could certainly use someone like him right now. Just one caveat--Franklin's scientific accomplishments are mentioned, but really as a side issue. In this, Morgan seems to be following Franklin's own lead; we learn that he viewed the scientific accomplishments that won him universal acclaim as less important than his far-sighted, patient, sometimes personally costly contributions as a politician and statesman. It's hard to imagine a more readable, edifying or enjoyable introduction to Benjamin Franklin. Robert Adler
Author of Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation (Wiley, 2002).
Rating: 
Summary: I liked it.
Review: I liked it because it was short.
Rating:
Summary: Clear, concise and illuminating
Review: I'm just starting to get into History, so for me this book was a bit of a revelation. Morgan's analysis and explanation of what caused the American Revolution is step-by-step crystal clear, beautifully written and spelled out. As a primer on the Revolutionary War and it's genesis (at least from Franklin's point of view), I can't imagine any book topping this one. As a definitive biography of Franklin, it's a bit lacking. Morgan has purposefully kept things short, and repeatedly qualifies that there's not much in his book about the day to day life of Franklin (particularly the young Franklin) because not much exists in the historical record. Fair enough, but one gets the sense that with a bit more effort, Franklin's story could have been better fleshed out. In any event, this is a terrific read, informative and quite entertaining. So glad I got it.
Rating: 
Summary: What?!
Review: If you read the preface to decide if you should purchase a book, be sure to read this book's. Read between the lines and you will decipher that the author understands he is not the foremost expert on Franklin. Nor does he intend this book to be a reference for history majors. He also says that he tries to use the quotes from the volumes of letters written by Franklin as the basis for this book. What?! Then why did I read this book? That's my fault. However, I will say that the author delivers on his promise. He clumsily intertwines the quotes. Adds his own inconsistent opinions based on his lack of expert knowledge. And says he respects Franklin, but I'm not sure if he really knows. I couldn't wait to finish this book.
Rating:
Summary: Benjamin Franklin
Review: It is unsettling to find in the first few pages of Benjamin Franklin by Edmund S. Morgan that its noted author refers to the Gulf Stream as being a "western flow of current that slowed down ships traveling eastward". How much confidence can I place in the factual content of the rest of the book?
Rating:
Summary: I Quit!
Review: Last year, I read McCulloch's John Adams, which I found fascinating and hard to put down. Recently I had seen Edmund Morgan, author of Benjamin Franklin, on television, and bought this book, hoping for something similar to John Adams. Last night, I finally quit reading the book at about the 2/3 point. I found the book to be very dull, and too full of detailed history, while actually telling the reader very little about Franklin himself. I rarely quit reading a book, but this one was a snoozer!
Rating:
Summary: Political History
Review: Morgan's biography, while short, provides a substantial and interesting introduction to the political life of Ben Franklin. Many reviewers compared this book to McCullough's biography of John Adams, which was both much longer and much more interested in the personal details of Adam's life. These criticisms nevertheless miss the point about this book as both a short biography and a work by an academic historian. This is certainly not the definitive work on Franklin's life, but it is nevertheless an interesting read for those who have a serious interest in history. Readers who are expecting a popular history devoted to Franklin's personality and personal life will be seriously disappointed. But those who wish to understand Franklin's place in 18th Century politics on both sides of the Atlantic will be gratified by this biography. Edmund Morgan is one of the best historians of his generation; this latest book lives up to that reputation.
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