The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
1791
- wills
- scientists
- printers
- american maxims
- inventors
- correspondence
- philosophers
- politics and government
- statesman
- maxims
The story
Few men could compare to Benjamin Franklin. Virtually self-taught, he excelled as an athlete, a man of letters, a printer, a scientist, a wit, an inventor, an editor, and a writer, and he was probably the most successful diplomat in American history. David Hume hailed him as the first great philosopher and great man of letters in the New World. Written initially to guide his son, Franklin's autobiography is a lively, spellbinding account of his unique and eventful life. Stylistically his best work, it has become a classic in world literature, one to inspire and delight readers everywhere.
What it’s like
Plain, conversational eighteenth-century prose that reads like a friendly older man talking across a table: dry, self-deprecating, full of small practical anecdotes about printer's shops, ink-stained hands, Philadelphia streets, and sea voyages in creaking ships. The voice is wry and unhurried, with the occasional sly aside and a habit of stopping to explain how a lesson was learned, so the sentences feel candid rather than ornate. Its world is tactile and domestic (type cases, pamphlets, a kite in a thunderstorm, the bustle of a colonial print shop) and the pages carry the warm, workmanlike smell of an old printing house. Pacing is leisurely and episodic, dipping into chapters of self-improvement and sly humor, so it suits a slow weekend afternoon, a quiet evening with tea, or dipping in for a few pages at a time. Its emotional register is gentle and reflective, with a quiet pride in self-education and a playful honesty about his own vanity and mistakes. There is no violence or cruelty to speak of, and no sexual content; the stakes are personal and modest. It suits readers who want a thoughtful, witty voice, an inventive mind at work, and an easy, low-stakes read about a life spent learning.
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