Customer Reviews

Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography, Poor Richard, and Later Writings (Library of America)

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This fine volume from the wonderful Library of America, is a collection of the great Benjamin Franklin's later writings. It is the second volume of what used to be a single huge book from the LOA. This volume begins with Franklin's letters from his time as a diplomat in London, and then his pamphlets, political satires, and other writings when he represented our Revolutionary Government from 1776-1785 from Paris at the doomed court of Louis VI. His writings from the Constitutional Convention and writings from Philadelphia after his return to the United States are also included. Probably the most popular items included will be the Preface and Maxims of the Poor Richard's Almanac and the FOUR parts of his autobiography. Franklin is simply an amazing man.

Benjamin Franklin is one of the great icons of the American Founding. He is truly one of the essential men who built our nation and deserves every praise we can heap on him. When we see images of the founders, they are all shown as old men, not how old they were in 1776. Franklin was really a generation older than most of the firebrands who led the Revolution. He was seventy when he signed the Declaration of Independence (John Adams was 41, George Washington 44, and Thomas Jefferson 33 on July 4, 1776) and eighty-one when he signed our Constitution as a member of the delegation from Pennsylvania. He was an amazing man. He was a successful printer, inventor, philanthropist, revolutionary, diplomat, and all around student of the world.

This book is interesting to dip into and read just those portions that interest you, as well as reading its more than 800 pages front to back. It has great notes on the text that provide contextual and translation help as well as sources, a most interesting chronology of Franklin's long and productive life, and an index.

This certainly is a must have for your shelf on the history of America's Founding.

What a guy! I truly enjoyed this collection of writings by Benjamin Franklin, written with wisdom, humor and keen insite on the nature of man.

The Library of America edition of B.Frank's autobiography, almanac, and later writings physically outclasses all the other books I own.

The pages are so smooth and thin without feeling cheap-- they feel precise or fine, like an aluminum mac computer as opposed to a squeaky plastic model from a competitor.

The hard covers are some sort of fine cloth, which has the perfect texture to interest my fingers and hands while I'm holding it. I believe I prefer it to leather.

It really makes me feel like I'm holding the amazing product of the amazing brain that produced it. But am I indulging my senses in senseless luxury, or enjoying the wholesome stimulation of a well made object? Yeah, I'm not quite as smart as mr Franklin was... when I bought this book I def. couldn't afford it, and would have done well to keep reading what he wrote for free on [...]