Rating: 
Summary: A must read!!!
Review: I have read this book several times, and I consider it a must read. His outlook/approach on life was simply amazing and I was particularly impressed with his creation of the "Junto" and his code to live by. The audio version is also very good! Move from this to "The First American"... also enjoyable!
Rating: 
Summary: Read a biography
Review: I must agree with all of the previous reviwers who acknowlegde that Franklin is a facisnating man and played a major role in the creation of this nation, but you would never know from this book. It completely ignores his affect on the Declaration of Independence, his influence on American thinking, and most of his key inventions are skimmed over in a sentance or two. His writing style is certainly antiquated (which is understandable) but it makes it a difficult read, especially since it is boring to begin with. I think it would be a much better plan to read a biography by someone else who read through this book, save yourself the agony of getting through this story and learn more about the man then you do here.
Rating:
Summary: Chuckles, Wisdom, and Talent
Review: I was surpris'd to find myself so much fuller of Faults than I had imagined . . . " says Ben Franklin, upon entering a quest for moral perfection. True and yet somewhat humorous. This book constantly "surpris'd" and amused, particularly with its pithy observations delivered in a mildly humorous good natured tone. Included are his candid confessions of "errata" in which he tells how he propositioned his best friend's wife and was rightly rebuffed by her. When she told her husband, he refused to pay debts he owed Ben Franklin. (BF decided to forget about the money and move on, sans former friend.) He also recounts his chagrin and dishonor at spending money entrusted to him. For me, the most interesting part was the quest for moral perfection in which he listed 13 virtues: Temperance; Silence; Order; Resolution; Frugality; Industry; Sincerity; Justice; Moderation; Cleanliness; Tranquillity; Chastity; and Humility. He worked on one of these per week, and gave himself a black mark in his book each time he became aware he committed a violation. While this sounds grim, BF's approach was so laden with humor and acceptance of human frailties, it was delightful. For example, he says regarding Pride: "For even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my Humility." There are so many good points in this writing I can only list a few: Want of Modesty is Want of Sense: Early, BF was fond of argument and disputation, but he observed that men of good sense rarely engaged in it. He struck the words "certainly", "undoubtedly", etc., and used words such as "I should think it so" or "I imagine it so" or "If I am not mistaken". He retained the habit of speaking with "modest Diffidence". He says this has been of great advantage to him in persuading men. He says "I wish well-meaning sensible men would not lessen their Power of doing good by a Positive assuming Manner that seldom fails to disgust, tends to create Opposition, and to defeat everyone of those Purposes for which Speech was given us, to wit, giving or receiving Information or Pleasure. Croakers: "There are Croakers in every Country always boding its ruin." BF's point was that one should not listen to unfounded pessimism which seems to be rampant and discourages constructive activities. How to Solicit: When BF was soliciting donations for his library, he first said he had the idea for a library, but met with resistance from potential donors. He then switched to leaving himself out of the picture as much as possible, and said others had this the idea for a library. Solicitations then went much better. He said "The present little Sacrifice of your Vanity will afterwards be amply repaid. If it remains a while uncertain to whom the Merit belongs, some one more vain than yourself will be encouraged to claim it, and then even envy will be dispos'd to do you Justice, by plucking those assum'd Feathers, and restoring them to their right Owner." Morale: BF was assigned to build a fort in hostile country, and observed that while the men were working hard to build the fort, which they did very quickly, they were happy. However, once it was done and they were idle, they quickly became discontented and mutinous. He said this is why sea captains keep the crew busy, even if it is only to polish the anchor. Much of the book's charm comes from it's very clear use of language and subtle humor, which is difficult to capture without a great deal of direct quotation. A case in point is the speckled ax anecdote - which is wonderful, but needs to be read directly from BF. I see some of the other reviewers noted it was boring - which is true in places, particularly at the start. I urge everyone to read this book, but skim the first ten or twenty pages dealing with family history, and also skim or skip other places that may bog down. I still find things of interest that I skipped over previously, even after reading this several times. I give this my highest five-star rating but for reasons other than one might think. The historical significance is substantial, recounting and communicating of feel of the times of the formation of America is outstanding, and the political significance of BF is undeniable. However, I gave it its highest rating because the book speaks to me on a very personal basis, I loved reading it, and delighted in its humor and wisdom.
Rating:
Summary: Franklin's informal account of his remarkable life
Review: In many ways, this is, to someone coming to it for the first time, a very surprising book. For one thing, it is amazingly incomplete. Franklin is, of course, one of the most famous Americans who ever lived, and his accomplishments in a wide array of endeavors are a part of American lore and popular history. A great deal of this lore and many of his accomplishments are missing from this account of his life. He never finished the autobiography, earlier in his life because he was too busy with what he terms public "employments," and later in life because the opium he was taking for kidney stones left him unable to concentrate sufficiently. Had Franklin been able to write about every period of his life and all of his achievements, his AUTOBIOGRAPHY would have been one of the most remarkable documents every produced. It is amazingly compelling in its incomplete state. As a serious reader, I was delighted in the way that Franklin is obsessed with the reading habits of other people. Over and over in the course of his memoir, he remarks that such and such a person was fond of reading, or owned a large number of books, or was a poet or author. Clearly, it is one of the qualities he most admires in others, and one of the qualities in a person that makes him want to know a person. He finds other readers to be kindred souls. If one is familiar with the Pragmatists, one finds many pragmatist tendencies in Franklin's thought. He is concerned less with ideals than with ideas that work and are functional. For instance, at one point he implies that while his own beliefs lean more towards the deistical, he sees formal religion as playing an important role in life and society, and he goes out of his way to never criticize the faith of another person. His pragmatism comes out also in list of the virtues, which is one of the more famous and striking parts of his book. As is well known, he compiled a list of 13 virtues, which he felt summed up all the virtues taught by all philosophers and religions. But they are practical, not abstract virtues. He states that he wanted to articulate virtues that possessed simple and not complex ideas. Why? The simpler the idea, the easier to apply. And in formulating his list of virtues, he is more concerned with the manner in which these virtues can be actualized in one's life. Franklin has utterly no interest in abstract morality. One of Franklin's virtues is humility, and his humility comes out in the form of his book. His narrative is exceedingly informal, not merely in the first part, which was ostensibly addressed to his son, but in the later sections (the autobiography was composed upon four separate occasions). The informal nature of the book displays Franklin's intended humility, and for Franklin, seeming to be so is nearly as important as actually being so. For part of the function of the virtues in an individual is not merely to make that particular person virtuous, but to function as an example to others. This notion of his being an example to other people is one of the major themes in his book. His life, he believes, is an exemplary one. And he believes that by sharing the details of his own life, he can serves as a template for other lives. One striking aspect of his book is what one could almost call Secular Puritanism. Although Franklin was hardly a prude, he was nonetheless very much a child of the Puritans. This is not displayed merely in his promotion of the virtues, but in his abstaining from excessiveness in eating, drinking, conversation, or whatever. Franklin is intensely concerned with self-governance. I think anyone not having read this before will be surprised at how readable and enjoyable this is. I think also one can only regret that Franklin was not able to write about the entirety of his life. He was a remarkable man with a remarkable story to tell.
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry, I liked it
Review: It is Franklin's "regularness"--his down-to-earth regularity--that makes this such a great story. Here is a great man who was accomplished in many fields showing us that he is just a regular guy who worked hard. I, for one, don't need to be drowned in pedantry to consider a work valid. He was not attempting to make a philisophical treatise, he was just telling his life's story for the benefit of his son. It is an inspriing story of success filled with amusing anecdotes and common-sense. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Benjamin Who?
Review: No one is going to argue about Fanklins' personal greatness. Still fewer are going to dispute the great impact his work had on this country. While reading this review, however, I found myself lost several times due to the meandering nature of the narritive. As he was a printer, and a person that prided himself for having a lot of "follow through", I was suprised to find the autobiography irrelevant, mainly because of the lack of thought devoted to the constuction of the work. Also, I found it stoic, and hard to get to know Franklin as a man.
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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.
Rating:
Summary: Read as a companion to Isaacson
Review: Ten years ago, I purchased the paperback and could not get past the first few chapters. Five years ago, I bought the cassette version and could not get much further. After finishing and enjoying Walter Isaacson's Franklin bio immediately prior to this third attempt, I was finally able to enjoy "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin". Fredd Wayne brings Franklin to life with what seems like a perfect portrayal. He *performs* rather than narrates. Without the insight from Issacson, or, I suspect, from any decent biography of Franklin, the autobiography is disjointed, as he wrote different sections at different times of his life, and some time periods are eliminated completely. And it seems to have multiple personalities, struggling between the subjects of self-help, biography, history and simple meanderings and ruminations of an old man. As a companion book - 5 stars; as a standalone - 2-3 stars
Rating:
Summary: Gives you just enough to want more...
Review: The book is divided into four parts, and is ultimately unfinished; that is the largest disappointment you will find as you read the last sentance. However, the book gives you a true feel for the life and times this great man lived through. The writing is very arbitrary, almost (but not quite) stream-of-conscious, and anecdotal, but enjoyable. Another disappointment is the lack of discussion of the American Revolution and his role in it. But it did give me the desire to read more of this amazing individual, and renewed my sense of pride in my country, as well as its interesting history. Read this book as a beginning, with expectations of it taking your mind to a different level of interest...
Rating:
Summary: More a history book than an autobiography!
Review: The book starts very well with the description of Franklin's childhood. You get to know that he has a special character and that he will have success in the future. There are some nice anecdotes about the life in the 18th century as well. But as the book continous to outline the life of Franklin there are more and more descpriptions of military decisions made by him. The book looses the soul of an autobiogrphy (no more info on how he felt, on what was on his mind during that time). It even seems to be put together in a hurry (which is believable, due to the fact that Franklin had a very busy life).
However, it is still worth reading because of Franklin's positive attitude towards life which everyone should be able to copy.
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