Books with title The Life of Benjamin Franklin

A biography of the life of Benjamin Franklin. This audiobook tells the extraordinary life tale of Benjamin Franklin in a fun way, offering an excellent introduction for younger listeners. This edition also includes a timeline of events surrounding Franklin's life and study questions, which can be used both in the classroom or at home to further engage the listener in the story. This new edition is specifically tailored to engage and educate young listeners with some of the greatest works ever written, while still thrilling older listeners who have loving memories of this series of old. Each book of the series contains dedicated theme discussions and study questions to further develop the listener's understanding and enjoyment of the work at hand.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the unfinished record of Benjamin Franklinâ??s life written by Franklin himself and is one of the most influential examples of an autobiography ever written. Franklinâ??s account of his life is divided into four parts, reflecting the different periods at which he wrote them.The first publication of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part One, was published in Paris, in French in 1791. It wasn't until 1818 that the full version of Franklinâ??s autobiography was published by his grandson, William Temple Franklin, who did not include Part Four because he has previously traded away the original holograph of the Autobiography for a copy that contained only the first three parts. In addition, Franklinâ??s grandson felt free to make stylistic revisions to his grandfatherâ??s autobiography. W.T. Franklin's text was the standard version of the Autobiography for half a century, until John Bigelow purchased the original manuscript in France and in 1868 published the most reliable text that had yet appeared, including the first English publication of Part Four.This edition of Autobiography of Ben Franklin comes from the original manuscript of Ben Franklinâ??s Memoirs and is presented in its entirety for enjoyment by all English speakers.

Pulitzer Prize FinalistBenjamin Franklin, perhaps the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America, comes vividly to life in this masterly biography. Wit, diplomat, scientist, philosopher, businessman, inventor, and bon vivant, Benjamin Franklin was in every respect America’s first Renaissance man. From penniless runaway to highly successful printer, from ardently loyal subject of Britain to architect of an alliance with France that ensured America’s independence, Franklin went from obscurity to become one of the world’s most admired figures, whose circle included the likes of Voltaire, Hume, Burke, and Kant. Drawing on previously unpublished letters and a host of other sources, acclaimed historian H. W. Brands has written a thoroughly engaging biography of the eighteenth-century genius. A much needed reminder of Franklin’s greatness and humanity, The First American is a work of meticulous scholarship that provides a magnificent tour of a legendary historical figure, a vital era in American life, and the countless arenas in which the protean Franklin left his legacy.

Recommended by: The American Library Association The Child Study Association National Council for the Social Studies Details the life of this famous American from his boyhood as one of the youngest of seventeen children, to his teen years as an apprentice in his brother's print shop and his later years as an inventor, statesman, diplomat, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Children and adults alike will enjoy learning about the fascinating life Franklin led from the lively text and beautiful illustrations of this d'Aulaire classic. Folk art style illustrations are enhanced with pert aphorisms from Poor Richard's Almanac on each page. Sayings include Franklin s originals like, Don t throw stones at your neighbors if your own windows are glass and Better slip with foot than by tongue and Well done is better than well said. Readers will learn that Benjamin's father wanted him to be a candlemaker and that "it was a piece of luck that his kite experiment had not killed him." They will also come to know the inventor whose thirst for knowledge led him to constantly seek to improve the lives of his fellow men. Follow his life as a leader in the American Revolution and ambassador to both Britain and France and learn why the French hailed him as the man who "tore the lightning from the sky and the scepter from the tyrants."

Before the United States of America even existed, the first American celebrity was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). In his career, Franklin was an author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. After having his hand in all kinds of community service in Philadelphia, and inventing important devices like lightning rods, Franklin used his unique status as an international celebrity to become the colonies' best diplomat, first as an ambassador to Britain and then as an ambassador to France during the American Revolution. Franklin was particularly revered in Enlightened France, where he skillfully negotiated French entry into the Revolutionary War in a manner that practically bankrupted them, a critical step that helped the colonists win their independence. After negotiating the Treaty of Paris, Franklin played a role at the Constitutional Convention in his adopted home town of Philadelphia during the twilight of his life. Like other Founding Fathers, Franklin's lengthy career and magnificent exploits have been heavily embellished, to the point that some of the myths of Franklin's life are better known than the man himself. In addition to highlighting his life and legacy, American Legends: The Life of Benjamin Franklin also humanizes the First American, a charming ladies' man who had a bitter falling out with his son over the Revolution.

In the first comprehensive biography of Benjamin Franklin in over sixty years, acclaimed historian H. W. Brands brings vividly to life one of the most delightful, bawdy, brilliant, original, and important figures in American history.A groundbreaking scientist, leading businessman, philosopher, bestselling author, inventor, diplomat, politician, and wit, Benjamin Franklin was perhaps the most beloved and celebrated American of his age, or indeed of any age. Now, in a beautifully written and meticulously researched account of Franklin's life and times, his clever repartee, generous spirit, and earthy wisdom are brought compellingly to the page. His circle of friends and acquaintances extended around the globe, from Cotton Mather to Voltaire, from Edmund Burke to King George III, from Sir Isaac Newton to Immanuel Kant. Franklin was gifted with a restless curiosity, and his scientific experiments with electric currents and the weather made him the leading pioneer in the new field of electricity on both sides of the Atlantic; among his many inventions were the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, and the harmonica, a musical instrument that became the rage of Europe. From his humble beginnings in Boston as a printer's apprentice, he became, within two decades, the leading printer and one of the most important businessmen in the Colonies. A longtime Philadelphia civic leader, he created Philadelphia's first fire department, wrote the bestseller Poor Richard's Almanac, served as Postmaster General for the Colonies, and in the process, completely modernized the mail service. A bon vivant and ladies' man throughout his life, he matched wits with Parliament and the Crown during the decade leading up to the Stamp Act; and as the official agent to Parliament, representing several of the Colonies, he helped push the Colonies into open rebellion.Tracing Franklin's gradual transformation from reluctant revolutionary to charismatic leader in the fight for independence, Brands convincingly argues that on the issue of revolution, as Franklin went, so went America. During the Revolutionary War, Franklin was charged by Congress with wooing the King of France to the American cause, and it was the diplomatic alliances he forged and funds he raised in France that allowed the Continental Army to continue to fight on the battlefield. In his final years, as president of the Constitutional Convention, it was Franklin who held together the antagonistic factions and persuaded its members to sign the Constitution.Drawing on previously unpublished letters to and from Franklin, as well as the recollections and anecdotes of Franklin's contemporaries, H. W. Brands has created a rich and compelling portrait of the eighteenth-century genius who was in every respect America's first Renaissance man, and arguably the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America. A fascinating and richly textured biography of the man who was perhaps the greatest of our Founding Fathers, The First American is history on a grand scale, as well as a major contribution to understanding Franklin and the world he helped to shape.

In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character—available on Encore at a great low price!Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble. In a sweeping narrative that follows Franklin’s life from Boston to Philadelphia to London and Paris and back, Walter Isaacson chronicles the adventures of the runaway apprentice who became, over the course of his eighty-four-year life, America’s best writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, as well as one of its most practical and ingenious political leaders. He explores the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac and the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence, the new nation’s alliance with France, the treaty that ended the Revolution, and the compromises that created a near-perfect Constitution. In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin’s amazing life, showing how he helped to forge the American national identity and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century.

In "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" the life story of one of the most important figures in American history is recounted. The book tells the story of Franklin's early days as a printer, publisher and inventor through to the year 1757 where the Autobiography ends uncompleted. Franklin wrote this autobiography during three different periods in his life and it is supposed that it is left unfinished due to his dying before its completion. There may be no greater figure in American history than Benjamin Franklin and here the reader will delight in an intimate portrait of the man.

In “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” the life story of one of the most important figures in American history is recounted. Franklin was more than just a founding father of the country; he was also a prolific writer, tradesman, scientist, diplomat, and philosopher. His autobiography tells the story of his life from childhood through the year 1757 where it ends uncompleted. The work begins by detailing many of the personal aspects of his childhood including his contentious relationship with his brother James, from whom he would learn the printing business as an apprentice. A falling out with his brother would lead to him setting out on his own as a printer, where he ultimately would find great financial success in publishing the “Philadelphia Gazette” and “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” Largely absent from the work is much discussion regarding his role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. Readers will find instead more of a focus on his own personal life and exposition of his moral philosophy. There may be no greater figure in American history than Benjamin Franklin and here the reader will delight in an intimate portrait of the man in his own words. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and includes an introduction by Henry Ketcham.

In “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” the life story of one of the most important figures in American history is recounted. Franklin was more than just a founding father of the country; he was also a prolific writer, tradesman, scientist, diplomat, and philosopher. His autobiography tells the story of his life from childhood through the year 1757 where it ends uncompleted. The work begins by detailing many of the personal aspects of his childhood including his contentious relationship with his brother James, from whom he would learn the printing business as an apprentice. A falling out with his brother would lead to him setting out on his own as a printer, where he ultimately would find great financial success in publishing the “Philadelphia Gazette” and “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” Largely absent from the work is much discussion regarding his role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. Readers will find instead more of a focus on his own personal life and exposition of his moral philosophy. There may be no greater figure in American history than Benjamin Franklin and here the reader will delight in an intimate portrait of the man in his own words. This includes an introduction by Henry Ketcham.

Unabridged student-sized 8.5"x11" value reproduction of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. This classic is a must read because Franklin writes as if the reader is right there with him, relating his story, feeling his success and his pains. The writing is an honest self-evaluation of the man who drafted the Declaration of Independence and negotiated the peace treaty with Britain. Read of his inspirational life in this slim volume with full text at an affordable price.