Benjamin Franklin - A Biography

it is a very nice book as we cam to know about ben's life . i ho you will also like the book after reading it..

IT IS A INTRERESTING BOOK..Boston-born Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is one of the key figures in the birth of the United States. Apprenticed as a printer while still quite young, Franklin found considerable success in the publishing world. Franklin's mind was always hungry throughout his life and in addition to his career in publishing, he held many other important roles. Indeed, at various times he worked as a pioneering inventor and scientific researcher, a trusted and admired diplomat to France, and a dedicated participant in key political entities during the nation's formative years. Many of Franklin's life experiences and philosophical ideas can be found in his remarkable Autobiography. Aside from this key work, his Poor Richard's Almanack is full of Franklin's trademark wit and wisdom

If you have any interest in historical figures, I recommend this book. It grants a view of Benjamin Franklin that goes beyond the standard textbook portrait of an older statesman. Sure, he was certainly that, but at one point he was a young man just starting out too. It shows how he faced various challenges in life, learned from his mistakes, and how he developed into the statesman with whom most Americans are familiar.
Part I is written as a letter to his son and contains information on the Franklin ancestry as well as Benjamin’s uncles and siblings. There is a great deal that I had never heard. For example, Benjamin’s father intended him for the church – “the tithe of his sons” (page 10) but then went into his father’s business for several years – “that of a tallow-chandler and soap-boiler.” (11) As a youth, Benjamin Franklin had a strong desire to go to sea; that was of course discouraged by his parents. Eventually, his father realized that he disliked the family business enough that he might run off to sea if something else wasn’t found. He was apprenticed to his brother; this had a separate set of problems which the book goes into in more details. The relationship between the brothers does not improve until much later.
There is just so much more to this man than I was ever aware. I understand that schools can only go into so much detail, but it is amazing what little is covered about this particular man. He was apparently quite good with boats and swimming, was a leader among the kids around him growing up, and got into scrapes. He also details methods he used to develop his writing, which I found very interesting. I won’t give them away here because I think that is one of the most interesting parts of the book, along with the details about various lessons learned about true friends, business practices, and so on.
Part II contains two letters from acquaintances requesting that Benjamin finish writing his autobiography. Abel James says, “…what will the world say if kind, humane, and benevolent Ben. Franklin should leave his friends and the world deprived of so pleasing and profitable a work; a work which would be useful and entertaining not only to a few, but millions?” (page 46) Benjamin Vaughn wrote, ” …Sir, I solicit the history of your life from the following motives: Your history is so remarkable, that if you do not give it, somebody else will certainly give it; and perhaps so as nearly to do as much harm, as your own management of the thing might do good. It will moreover present a table of the internal circumstances of your country, which will very much tend to invite to it settlers of virtuous and manly minds. …I do not know of a more efficacious advertisement than your biography would give.” (page 46)
From this section, I learned that Benjamin Franklin had a part in establishing lending libraries. He had established, with a group of like minded men, a “club of mutual improvement” (page 39) called “the junto.” They met Friday evenings and each member was required, in turn, to produce one or more “queries on any point of morals, politics, or natural philosophy,” which would be discussed by the group. Each member would also produce his own essay and read it once every three months; these would be on any subject. Eventually, it was agreed by the members to pool their books in the rooms in which they were meeting. THis worked so well for the group for a length of time that Franklin proposed expanding the idea to a larger group, sharing the benefits. He wanted to start a public subscription library. He drew up a plan, including rules that would be necessary, and made an agreement that each subscriber “engaged to pay a certain sum down for the first purchase of books, and an annual contribution for increasing them”. (page 50) The books were ordered from London and the library opened one day a week for lending to subscribers. Donations eventually increased the size of the library and the idea took hold.
Something else I found in the second section of his autobiography was his “Virtues.” At about 24 or so, he decided to tackle a new project: moral perfection. He said, “As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by

If you have any interest in historical figures, I recommend this book. It grants a view of Benjamin Franklin that goes beyond the standard textbook portrait of an older statesman. Sure, he was certainly that, but at one point he was a young man just starting out too. It shows how he faced various challenges in life, learned from his mistakes, and how he developed into the statesman with whom most Americans are familiar.
Part I is written as a letter to his son and contains information on the Franklin ancestry as well as Benjamin’s uncles and siblings. There is a great deal that I had never heard. For example, Benjamin’s father intended him for the church – “the tithe of his sons” (page 10) but then went into his father’s business for several years – “that of a tallow-chandler and soap-boiler.” (11) As a youth, Benjamin Franklin had a strong desire to go to sea; that was of course discouraged by his parents. Eventually, his father realized that he disliked the family business enough that he might run off to sea if something else wasn’t found. He was apprenticed to his brother; this had a separate set of problems which the book goes into in more details. The relationship between the brothers does not improve until much later.
There is just so much more to this man than I was ever aware. I understand that schools can only go into so much detail, but it is amazing what little is covered about this particular man. He was apparently quite good with boats and swimming, was a leader among the kids around him growing up, and got into scrapes. He also details methods he used to develop his writing, which I found very interesting. I won’t give them away here because I think that is one of the most interesting parts of the book, along with the details about various lessons learned about true friends, business practices, and so on.
Part II contains two letters from acquaintances requesting that Benjamin finish writing his autobiography. Abel James says, “…what will the world say if kind, humane, and benevolent Ben. Franklin should leave his friends and the world deprived of so pleasing and profitable a work; a work which would be useful and entertaining not only to a few, but millions?” (page 46) Benjamin Vaughn wrote, ” …Sir, I solicit the history of your life from the following motives: Your history is so remarkable, that if you do not give it, somebody else will certainly give it; and perhaps so as nearly to do as much harm, as your own management of the thing might do good. It will moreover present a table of the internal circumstances of your country, which will very much tend to invite to it settlers of virtuous and manly minds. …I do not know of a more efficacious advertisement than your biography would give.” (page 46)
From this section, I learned that Benjamin Franklin had a part in establishing lending libraries. He had established, with a group of like minded men, a “club of mutual improvement” (page 39) called “the junto.” They met Friday evenings and each member was required, in turn, to produce one or more “queries on any point of morals, politics, or natural philosophy,” which would be discussed by the group. Each member would also produce his own essay and read it once every three months; these would be on any subject. Eventually, it was agreed by the members to pool their books in the rooms in which they were meeting. THis worked so well for the group for a length of time that Franklin proposed expanding the idea to a larger group, sharing the benefits. He wanted to start a public subscription library. He drew up a plan, including rules that would be necessary, and made an agreement that each subscriber “engaged to pay a certain sum down for the first purchase of books, and an annual contribution for increasing them”. (page 50) The books were ordered from London and the library opened one day a week for lending to subscribers. Donations eventually increased the size of the library and the idea took hold.
Something else I found in the second section of his autobiography was his “Virtues.” At about 24 or so, he decided to tackle a new project: moral perfection. He said, “As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by

If you have any interest in historical figures, I recommend this book. It grants a view of Benjamin Franklin that goes beyond the standard textbook portrait of an older statesman. Sure, he was certainly that, but at one point he was a young man just starting out too. It shows how he faced various challenges in life, learned from his mistakes, and how he developed into the statesman with whom most Americans are familiar.
Part I is written as a letter to his son and contains information on the Franklin ancestry as well as Benjamin’s uncles and siblings. There is a great deal that I had never heard. For example, Benjamin’s father intended him for the church – “the tithe of his sons” (page 10) but then went into his father’s business for several years – “that of a tallow-chandler and soap-boiler.” (11) As a youth, Benjamin Franklin had a strong desire to go to sea; that was of course discouraged by his parents. Eventually, his father realized that he disliked the family business enough that he might run off to sea if something else wasn’t found. He was apprenticed to his brother; this had a separate set of problems which the book goes into in more details. The relationship between the brothers does not improve until much later.
There is just so much more to this man than I was ever aware. I understand that schools can only go into so much detail, but it is amazing what little is covered about this particular man. He was apparently quite good with boats and swimming, was a leader among the kids around him growing up, and got into scrapes. He also details methods he used to develop his writing, which I found very interesting. I won’t give them away here because I think that is one of the most interesting parts of the book, along with the details about various lessons learned about true friends, business practices, and so on.
Part II contains two letters from acquaintances requesting that Benjamin finish writing his autobiography. Abel James says, “…what will the world say if kind, humane, and benevolent Ben. Franklin should leave his friends and the world deprived of so pleasing and profitable a work; a work which would be useful and entertaining not only to a few, but millions?” (page 46) Benjamin Vaughn wrote, ” …Sir, I solicit the history of your life from the following motives: Your history is so remarkable, that if you do not give it, somebody else will certainly give it; and perhaps so as nearly to do as much harm, as your own management of the thing might do good. It will moreover present a table of the internal circumstances of your country, which will very much tend to invite to it settlers of virtuous and manly minds. …I do not know of a more efficacious advertisement than your biography would give.” (page 46)
From this section, I learned that Benjamin Franklin had a part in establishing lending libraries. He had established, with a group of like minded men, a “club of mutual improvement” (page 39) called “the junto.” They met Friday evenings and each member was required, in turn, to produce one or more “queries on any point of morals, politics, or natural philosophy,” which would be discussed by the group. Each member would also produce his own essay and read it once every three months; these would be on any subject. Eventually, it was agreed by the members to pool their books in the rooms in which they were meeting. THis worked so well for the group for a length of time that Franklin proposed expanding the idea to a larger group, sharing the benefits. He wanted to start a public subscription library. He drew up a plan, including rules that would be necessary, and made an agreement that each subscriber “engaged to pay a certain sum down for the first purchase of books, and an annual contribution for increasing them”. (page 50) The books were ordered from London and the library opened one day a week for lending to subscribers. Donations eventually increased the size of the library and the idea took hold.
Something else I found in the second section of his autobiography was his “Virtues.” At about 24 or so, he decided to tackle a new project: moral perfection. He said, “As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by

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