Short description
Franklin is perhaps the most remarkable figure in American history: the greatest statesman of his age, he played a pivotal role in the formation of the American republic. Unraveling the enigma of Franklin's character, Morgan shows that he was the rare individual who placed the public interest before his own desires. Includes a new Introduction by the author.
Long description
Translated into a dozen languages, printed in hundreds of editions, and read by millions of people, Franklin's autobiography has had an influence perhaps unequalled by any other book by an American writer. Written ostensibly as a letter to his son William, the autobiography offers Franklin's reflections on philosophy and religion, politics, war, education, material success and the status of women. This edition of the autobiography, prepared by the editors of "The Papers of Benjamin Franklin", is drawn with care from the original manuscript in Franklin's handwriting now in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. The introduction by Leonard Labaree places the autobiography in literary and historical contexts. In the foreword, Edmund Morgan writes about Franklin's dual allegiance as an American and a subject of an English king, and his emergence as a leader of the American Revolution. This edition also includes biographical notes, a chronology of Franklin's life, and an updated bibliography.
Review
"The best and most beautiful edition of the Autobiography." J. H. Plumb, New York Review of Books
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