Customer Reviews

The Autobiography and Other Writings (Penguin Classics)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

I find the Autobiography a fascinating look into the everyday life of our country's Colonial age! Franklin's narration is clean and descriptive and totally engrossing! The story of his early life and how he came to be a businessman and statesman is well worth 5 stars but also included in this gem is "The Selected Writings" which includes "The Way to Wealth" as well as five more sections (Essays to Do Good, Franklin the Scientist, Franklin and the Revolution, The Family Man, and Something of His Religion) all include various letters and essays and are an entertaining look into Franklin and his view of the world! For an American History buff this is a must book for the collection and for Children... this book is a fantastic way to introduce any Child to History and the REAL Life of one of our beloved Signers of the Declaration of Independence!

Benjamin Franklin's autobiography is the story of one man's efforts to integrate certain principles and habits - integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty - into his life and to embed them deep within his nature. Franklin was a scientist, philosopher, statesman, inventor, educator, diplomat, politician, humorist and man of letters who led a very full life. He was also a moralist and humanitarian who was happy to be considered unconventional by doing things the way he thought they should be done. His was a life well lived and a model from which we can learn much. In the introduction we are told: "Himself a master of the motives of human conduct, Franklin did not set out to reveal himself in his autobiography. Rather, he intended to tell us (insofar as we, the nation, are the 'posterity' to whom he addressed himself) how life was to be lived, good done, and happiness achieved - how the ball was to be danced."

Franklin did not have an easy life as the tenth son of a candle maker whose education ended at the age of ten. But by hard work and careful planning he was able to retire from business at the age of forty-two and devote his time to science and politics. He was sent to England in 1764 to petition the King to end the proprietary government of the colony. Soon after the Revolution began he was sent to France to negotiate an alliance with Louis XVI. He was a member of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. It is difficult to image anyone not coming away richer from reading this book.

I can think of many reasons to read the Autobiography. I came away with many things after I was done. The detailed way in which Franklin covers his material (what material he does cover in the broken narrative) must be a delight for historians. Moreover, I found that Franklin's personality shone so strongly through the text that I had to laugh out loud on several occasions.

I gave the book four stars because I found that the other writings included were a bit stingy. Some were so delightful ("Advice to a Friend on Choosing a Mistress") and the period that's not covered by the autobiography is so large, that I think a wider selection would have been helpful.

Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography and Other Writings has a multitude of interesting and historic events that are described by Bejamin Franklin himself. Although the information is great, the order in which it is written is somewhat confusing. This is mostly due to the fact that the autobiography wasn't written in one definite period of time, but throughout the years of Franklin's adult life. Another occurence in the book is the absence of any information on perhaps what was Franklin's most spectacular achievement: his role in the Declaration of Independence the the Revolutionary War era. In spite of these things, I still think that this book deserves four stars because of the simple historic significance and insight of a great American founding father.
The book covers much of Franklin's life as a child and as an adult. He describes many events in his life such as his short time as a military colonel and his work in discovering the origin of electricity and dabbling in politics. In the "other writings" portion of the book, there are several letters that Franklin had written himself to various colleagues and friends. After reading this book, I assure you that you will have a different and more in depth view on this iconic American figure.

The print is small and hard to read, but the information about and by Benjamin Franklin is incredible that one man could be that involved and informative, inventive and so unique.

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.

For many this is this Letter of advice from Franklin to his son is the perfect embodiment of wisdom of American business success. For D.H.Lawrence however it showed the 'shop-keeping ' lack of soul, of Franklin and he mocked him in his 'Classic Studies on American Literature'.
In this work Franklin creates and promotes the legend of himself. He is a great inventor, a fabulous pragmatist. He also tells the story of his own rise , and shows how hard work and going through times of difficulty with determination and strength are important.
The work contains much of the kind of pithy wisdom Franklin made himself known with in America through 'Poor Richard's Almanac'
It is not a full biography, and it of course omits many other sides of the mind and character of this complex genius.

Personal letters of Franklin to his son which recounts his experiences in the fledgling republic which became America. Limited scope of writings prevent true insight and understanding of Franklin, but what is present shows the more personal side of him. Following his autobiography, a compilation of his other writings is included. As with any autobiography, caution against vanity is needed when reading, but not in Franklin's case. He does attempt to glorify his actions or a better image.

One of the great icons of American history, Benjamin Franklin is a fascinating and timeless individual. Through the pages of his autobiography, he teaches the value of character, the satisfaction of constant improvement and basic financial lessons that are as applicable in today's world as they were in the eighteenth century.

While he is perhaps best known for his experiments with electricity (most remember the kite) or his involvement in the formation of the United States of America (the only person to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Treaty Alliance with France and the Treaty of Peace with England), Benjamin Franklin's autobiography is of a much less grandiose nature than his myriad of accomplishments. Benjamin Franklin: the Autobiography, is the 171 page musing and recollections of a great man about the specific path and choices he took that ultimately led to his success. While not a single one of the choices made was large enough to make a lasting impact on his life and legacy, Franklin instead imparts a mindset that, when followed, is destined to create nothing short of lasting excellence.

FAVOURITE TAKEAWAY: Lexus gets it. So much so that they've branded their entire business around the idea: Lexus, the pursuit of perfection. The pursuit. Not the attainment. The journey, not the final destination. Franklin not only spends a great deal of time discussing the pursuit of perfection (both of morals and of reputation), but truly embodies the spirit of the chase. Every major accomplishment for which he is remembered is the outcome of a desire to improve - to improve himself, his community and the world at large. By his own admittance, he fell short on most (if not all) occasions of attaining perfection but, as he realizes in later life, the pursuit was all that really mattered anyway. In his constant, daily determination to make himself and his world better, he accomplished more than most of us could ever imagine. And he did so with a sense of humility, service, and adventure.

"Benjamin Franklin; The Autobiography" has been referred to as the original personal development book and, having now read it, I can say I fully understand why. In addition to (and perhaps the cause of) his many varied and splendid accomplishments, Benjamin Franklin was a man dedicated to improvement, starting with his own character. His book is filled with tangible personal development activities and programs he created and tested; programs that would be worth exploring today. That a man's self recollection would live on this long, in the popularity it has, is a testament to the public's respect for Franklin's character and the timelessness of his message. Benjamin Franklin; The Autobiography is a classic in every sense of the word.

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