Rating: 
Summary: Well worth my time
Review: Although I had trouble starting it, I ended up liking this book quite a bit. Franklin's style is less direct than the easy reading I'm accustomed to, but the content makes it well worth the effort. What I enjoyed most was the example that Franklin sets, offering us a practical method to create the indistriousness of character that brought him so much success. His anecdotes are fantastic. One comes away with a greater understanding of revolutionary America and a fervent desire to learn more. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Dover Thrift Edition ----Franklin's first choice!
Review: As a gift to recent graduates, the gift I give the most is B. Franklin's Autobiography. Without any misgivings, Franklin offers American youth a guide to practical living. The Dover Thrift Edition is well organized and it is a professional publication. To be totally frank, I had some reservations when I first purchased Dover's edition of Franklin's Autobiography. Considering the price ..., I thought I would end up with a poorly put together publication. When it arived, I soon found out, I was totally wrong! It's better [and cheaper] than several other editions offered by different publishers. If Franklin were alive today, this surely would be his top pick. It is a good publication at a very good price.
Rating:
Summary: The Junto lives again!
Review: Ben Franklin's concepts on being successful are still applicable in today's (much different?) society. This book will help young people - like myself - find clear guidance and purpose in life. Hopefully it will also help young minds expand... let the Junto meetings begin! A short read for the long (less traveled) Road ahead.
Rating: 
Summary: Recommended high school history
Review: Benjamin Franklin is regarded as one of the finest minds of colonial America. Franklin explored many interests, allowing him to play many roles during his lifetime (as P.M. Zall states): "inventor, scientist, entrepreneur, political activist, statesman, diplomat, cultural gurr, social revolutionist." However, until his death, Franklin thought of himself as merely a printer and a writer. In his Autobiography, he recounts much of his life, beginning with his genealogy and ending unfinished at a point prior to the Revolutionary War. Essentially, Ben Franklin's Autobiography contains "unstructured" structure, in which the narrative meanders along different episodes of Franklin's life. The division of the Autobiography into four Parts, solely a modern addition by critics, is not extremely helpful in partitioning the events in the book into easily understandable parts for the reader. What the reader sees are blocks of text occaisionally separated by poetic or witty verses Franklin has included, an obstacle that sometimes allows the experience of reading the Autobiography to be monotonous. The content, and by association, the themes, are somewhat obscured to modern readers by the structure of the book as well as Franklin's language. However, the organization of the book is not completely ineffective for the reason that it lends to the reader's understanding of four different mindsets of Benjamin Franklin, allowing for a more multifaceted understanding of Franklin himself. All four of these mindsets contain similar themes of acheiving the American Dream and becoming a better person with age. While Franklin's Autobiography has high historic value, its other value is the documented story about the man behind the myth. Much of why I liked reading Franklin's memoirs was due to the subject matter itself. In this book, he is able to provide a picture of success of a man who possessed many admirable qualities, as well as many vices. Interestingly, Franklin's best material is the anecdotal text in Part One. These anecdotes, apparently to Franklin "of no Importance to others," are what lends a human quality to the man whom history has magnified to mythical proportions. I feel that the bulk to the work, with the exception of Part Two, is a rather dry account of Franklin's accomplishments. Had Franklin continued his memoirs as advice for hig son (as originially intended) rather than write for the public, the tone of the work might have been different. Here, then, is the opinion of a high school student who chose this book to read for school: Through no fault of his own, Franklin has written a work that contains a weak structure and is difficult for modern readers to understand. It is for these two reasons that I would not recommend the Autobiography for light beach reading. However, I would strongly recommend it for historical research. Franklin's accounts of incidents in history provide excellent primary sources. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography will please those who are avid history buffs and who have the patience to wade through the language of colonial America. Also highly recommended as an enlightening book. Aside from his political achievements, he was a scientist/ inventor, a humanitarian, a founder of the first library, fire station, and university in the American colonies. It's not easy to get through, but once you do, you'll see how amazing Franklin was.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended high school history
Review: Benjamin Franklin is regarded as one of the finest minds of colonial America. Franklin explored many interests, allowing him to play many roles during his lifetime (as P.M. Zall states): "inventor, scientist, entrepreneur, political activist, statesman, diplomat, cultural gurr, social revolutionist." However, until his death, Franklin thought of himself as merely a printer and a writer. In his Autobiography, he recounts much of his life, beginning with his genealogy and ending unfinished at a point prior to the Revolutionary War. Essentially, Ben Franklin's Autobiography contains "unstructured" structure, in which the narrative meanders along different episodes of Franklin's life. The division of the Autobiography into four Parts, solely a modern addition by critics, is not extremely helpful in partitioning the events in the book into easily understandable parts for the reader. What the reader sees are blocks of text occaisionally separated by poetic or witty verses Franklin has included, an obstacle that sometimes allows the experience of reading the Autobiography to be monotonous. The content, and by association, the themes, are somewhat obscured to modern readers by the structure of the book as well as Franklin's language. However, the organization of the book is not completely ineffective for the reason that it lends to the reader's understanding of four different mindsets of Benjamin Franklin, allowing for a more multifaceted understanding of Franklin himself. All four of these mindsets contain similar themes of acheiving the American Dream and becoming a better person with age. While Franklin's Autobiography has high historic value, its other value is the documented story about the man behind the myth. Much of why I liked reading Franklin's memoirs was due to the subject matter itself. In this book, he is able to provide a picture of success of a man who possessed many admirable qualities, as well as many vices. Interestingly, Franklin's best material is the anecdotal text in Part One. These anecdotes, apparently to Franklin "of no Importance to others," are what lends a human quality to the man whom history has magnified to mythical proportions. I feel that the bulk to the work, with the exception of Part Two, is a rather dry account of Franklin's accomplishments. Had Franklin continued his memoirs as advice for hig son (as originially intended) rather than write for the public, the tone of the work might have been different. Here, then, is the opinion of a high school student who chose this book to read for school: Through no fault of his own, Franklin has written a work that contains a weak structure and is difficult for modern readers to understand. It is for these two reasons that I would not recommend the Autobiography for light beach reading. However, I would strongly recommend it for historical research. Franklin's accounts of incidents in history provide excellent primary sources. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography will please those who are avid history buffs and who have the patience to wade through the language of colonial America. Also highly recommended as an enlightening book. Aside from his political achievements, he was a scientist/ inventor, a humanitarian, a founder of the first library, fire station, and university in the American colonies. It's not easy to get through, but once you do, you'll see how amazing Franklin was.
Rating:
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Didacticism at its finest
Review: Benji Franklin is a fascinating guy. He really is. Unfortunately, you really don't get to know him through his autobiography (it was written for the moral instruction of his son, first of all). Half the book reads like a "Mrs. Manners" column and the other half reads like a resume. Franklin lists all his numerous contributions to American society fairly coldly and not a little pretentiously (but we can allow him the pretention) and fills in the blank spaces with moral and philosphical instruction. ] While he was a great inventor and statesman and had a knack for collecting and spitting out trite "truisms," Benny just isn't that interesting a moral philospher. If you're really interested in getting to know Ben Franklin, check out a scholar's biography--if anything, you get to learn all the juicy stuff about his disgustingly promiscuous sex life.
Rating: 
Summary: Blue Unicorn Editions
Review: Blue Unicorn Editions publishes the most complete, unabridged, uncensored texts of the world's greatest literary works, in English and/or their original languages.
Rating:
Summary: Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Review: Far from a "boring read", Franklin's work gives an unique insight into the 18th century working class people. Much that has been written about Franklin is absolute rubbish. His autobiography puts the man in real perspective. Granted he was a bit self centered and, at times, self congradulating, but his accomplishments were many. His wit is often stinging. I was surprised to read about his military activities and yet he was influenced by the Quakers. It's also significant that he talks of his belief in the deity and the fact that he was a presbetyrian. Many "revisionist historians" claim that Franklin was an atheist. This certainly suggests otherwise. Franklin will always be controversial, but never "dull". Another book to peruse is titled FART PROUDLY, also a Franklin work.
Rating: 
Summary: booooring
Review: Forgive me America, but I could not stand this book. If his life was so great, it seems it would be alot more interesting than this book shows. The only good, somewhat inspirational part was that part about moral perfection. Unfortunately, it did not change my life. (Of course, I had to read the book for school, so that may be part of my anger towards it)
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