Customer Reviews

Benjamin Franklin

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I have to confess to being almost totally ignorant about Benjamin Franklin, the subject of this lovely book by Edmund Morgan. My knowledge of Franklin stopped with the basics--trained as a printer in colonial Boston, made his way to Philadelphia while still very young, published Poor Richard's Almanac, proved that lighting was electrical, represented the American colonies in England and newly independent America in France.

In slightly more than 300 elegantly written pages, Yale historian Morgan transformed this skeleton into a living, breathing man. Although Morgan based this brief history on a wealth of source documents, he tells Franklin's story effortlessly. I felt as though I had taken a long walk with a very interesting companion, and come away with a whole new understanding of a great and complex figure.

Morgan devotes most of the book to detailing Franklin's central role in the long series of calculations and miscalculations that pushed thirteen loyal and tractable British colonies into revolution and forged them into the United States of America. Franklin, we learn, was there at every step, usually behind the scenes, but always extremely influential, a potent catalyst to change.

It's as fascinating to follow the evolution of Franklin's own thoughts and feelings about the British Empire and the future of America as it is to get to catch a replay of the fateful steps in Britain and the colonies that led to the American revolution. I wish that America were blessed with more statesmen like Franklin; we could certainly use someone like him right now.

Just one caveat--Franklin's scientific accomplishments are mentioned, but really as a side issue. In this, Morgan seems to be following Franklin's own lead; we learn that he viewed the scientific accomplishments that won him universal acclaim as less important than his far-sighted, patient, sometimes personally costly contributions as a politician and statesman.

It's hard to imagine a more readable, edifying or enjoyable introduction to Benjamin Franklin.

Robert Adler
Author of Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation (Wiley, 2002).

Being a Ben Franklin afficionado of sorts and one who enjoys a good biography, I became quite intrigued to learn that Edmund S. Morgan was weighing in with his largess and vaunted knowledge of Franklin. Mr. Morgan, at 86 years of age, still embodies the somewhat sterotypical historian yet has extinguished himself as a gifted biographer. A Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale (he retired from full-time teaching in '86), Mr. Morgan has written more than a dozen books covering various topics and spectrums. His books have been hailed as "groundbreaking" and have won award after award. In 2000, Mr. Morgan was awarded the National Humanities Medal and cited as "one of America's most distinguished historians." If Mr. Morgan's imposing reputation isn't enough, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN has already become the source material for an online history course offered by AllLearn, the triumvirate consortium for continuing education established by Yale, Stanford and Oxford Universities. And, heaping more critical praise, this book has already been named a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and an alternate selection of the History Book Club.

As Mr. Morgan has been fond of saying, "History can be boring." Consequently, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN not only educates, but I found it entertaining as well, a claim many biographies would loved to be tagged with. Mr. Morgan extolls Franklin's intellectual gifts as well as his place in history. Thus, the reader learns a bit more about the man, Ben Franklin, than just his deeds.

Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston although he soon made his way to Philadelphia, where he began his assent into historic laurel. Franklin's public career was nothing less than extraordinary. An author, scientist, politician, diplomat and inventor, he was a member of the 2nd Continental Congress and was instrumental in the creation and writing of the Declaration of Independence. His achievements were innumerable, from founding one of the country's first volunteer fire companies to his infamous discovery of electricity, a discovery founded on the "kite" legend.

Although an incredible man, Morgan goes to great lengths to ensure that the reader understands Franklin's complicated relationship with England and, at times, poor politics. An ardent proponent of Mother England, his attachment to the country became extremely complex in the winter of his life and caused his stellar reputation to be somewhat tarnished. Hardline American statesmen reminded anyone who would listen that Franklin openly described himself as "an Englishman living in America."

It is obvious that Mr. Morgan genuinely appreciates Franklin, his mind and accomplishments. "Intellectual curiosity is one of the rarest gifts and ... he was just loaded with curiosity. He never took things for granted," Morgan says. "He is the most modern of all the Founding Fathers, the oldest in years but the youngest in outlook. He takes you by surprise."

Mr. Morgan's research for this offering was somewhat unorthodox by today's standards. He indicates that he did not read a biography on Franklin, rather he became enthralled by the existence of Franklin's complete papers on CD-ROM. The Packard Humanities Institute created the CD, which, Morgan says, compelled him to write the book.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN is a remarkably "easy" read and one that is quite enjoyable. If I had one gripe, it is Mr. Morgan's depiction of Franklin's personal psyche or, should I say, lack of depiction. In many cases, biographers inundate a reader with a litany of personal information, which, at times, saturates the biography with distracting ideosyncratic nuances. In BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, I believe there was too little description of Franklin's personal life and private persona. This doesn't denigrate the book as a whole, rather it leaves the reader with a "hole" in the inquisitive understanding of Franklin.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in learning more about our Founding Fathers and an incredible man.

Another superb book from Edmund Morgan. While there are other bios of Franklin on the market at twice the size, Professor Morgan's concise treatment of the man's life tells a story in the best sense of that word. You learn about Franklin & come to understand this complicated man as best we can. While there are dozens of major events going on during his lifetime, Morgan mentions them but doesn't waste the reader's time going into unncessary detail. Those are best left for other books.

Morgan's always been known for the quality of his writing and making history come alive with passion and pathos. An even greater skill of the author is being able to write concisely; each word counts for something.

Anyone interested in learning about the great man, Dr. Franklin, should read Morgan's book and become captivated by the man, the story, and the unique character of our remarkable country.

There is probably no American that deserves a big biography more than Benjamin Franklin. To be sure, he has many, as befits a writer, printer, scientist, inventor, pamphleteer, statesman, and Founding Father. Now there is a remarkable small one, _Benjamin Franklin_ (Yale University Press) by Edmund S. Morgan. The author has won various prizes for history writing, but it is clear that he loves this subject. The book was begun as a preface to a digital edition of Franklin's works. Morgan writes that scholars have struggled to come up with every scrap that Franklin wrote, and it will all eventually fill around fifty printed volumes. It is all now "available on one small disk, a product of those inconceivable discoveries he dreamt of." Morgan has read all the disk "but not much else" in order to write a purposely short book (300 pages) as "a letter of introduction to a man worth knowing, worth spending time with." This is not a standard biography; we do not learn about his forebears and his birth, nor do we attend him at his death. There is no speculation about the mother of his son William, and little about his common-law wife Deborah. This is not because of restrictions of length, but more because Morgan has limited himself to what Franklin wrote and did publicly, and his book works perfectly as introduction, or re-introduction.

Morgan says that Franklin is hard to know, in part, because "it is so hard to distinguish his natural impulses from his principles." For a focus on his main endeavors, however, especially his political ones, this biography does very well. Those who think all the founding fathers were firebrands insisting on independence at the first unfair tax will learn that Franklin was England's passionate friend. He wanted America and England to stay together and was reluctant to admit that Parliament was not going to change its ways. Although he had had many friends in Britain, the government did not value him at all. Philadelphians and Americans in general had a closer idea of his original genius. But it was in France that he encountered public adulation from all levels. John Adams preferred more traditional power games, and disliked the French lionization of Franklin as a hero and saint. (Adams really had his vanity bruised; he said that Franklin's life in France was "a Scene of continual Discipation.") Franklin did not like controversy; he thought polemics were wasted energy. He did not join a church (although he was a joiner) for like most of the best-remembered Founding Fathers, Franklin was not a Christian but a deist who, as befits his practical views, knew that gaining morality and virtue was the important thing, and the means by which they are gained (which some said could only be by Christianity) was no matter at all. This was heresy to the religious revival of the time that said faith was everything.

Living with virtue was important, but living usefully was Franklin's great aim. (He also aimed to have fun; long after he had retired from the printing business, for as long as he could physically manage the difficult press machines, he remained his own printer, issuing his sly jokes and bagatelles.) It is hard to imagine anyone who achieved an aim of utility more fully. This volume reports mostly on his political usefulness to the new nation, but almost all aspects of his life were committed to making improvements. His classic _Autobiography_ is a record of self improvement, but it is obviously written with the aim of providing means and an example for the improvements of others. His scientific endeavors were not just theoretical sallies; they produced lightning rods and fireplaces that benefited humanity the world over. His founding of a volunteer corps of firefighters and of a public library are legendary. Concentrating on his political thought and social endeavors, Morgan's book is an attractive introduction to one of the brightest and most lovable minds ever.

I have just finished reading McCullough's "John Adams" and Morgan's "Benjamin Franklin" back-to-back. Franklin is a much easier (and quicker) read, as I think was the intent of the author -- not to overburden the reader with too much scholarly detail.

The difference between the two subjects in each book, and their amazingly opposite treatment of the other, is what caught my interest. In Franklin, Adams is predictably portrayed as a vain, paranoid, peevish second fiddle. However, in Adams, Franklin is portrayed as a detached, dissipated, ill man with a one-man-band attitude and who was not over fond of help in the effort to secure assistance from the French.

I thought McCullough's book was the far more interesting in exposing the private thoughts of the man. That is maybe an indication of the volume of personal correspondence Adams left behind, and in fact Morgan does indicate that any biographer will have a tough time trying to "pierce the veil" of Franklin, to really get to know the inner man.

However, this book by Morgan was not particularly critical of Franklin in any way. The worst handling of him was in the period Franklin misgauged American public opinion to the Stamp Tax and Hillsborough import duties, but even then Franklin is not chastised too severely. The comments about Franklin's actions and behavior in Passy by Lee, Adams, Jay and others are dismissed out of hand by the author.

In my opinion, this book is too short, too soft, too uncritical in judgement to be a serious addition to any biography-lover's bookshelf. It compares unfavorably with the example of McCullough's book on Adams, with which it competes in the bookstores (and on the web).

For the past 50 years, scholars have been collecting every surviving scrap of things written by BF, enough to fill 46 printed volumes. Morgan wrote this book from the computer disc holding these writings - yes, this book is extracted completely from his writings. Being a historian, Morgan wrote a book heavy in history, saturated with the most factual (at least from Franklin's viewpoint) concise summary of BF to be found.

A more recent book by Gordon Wood is also excellent, and is more of a character study, whereas this book is more detail oriented. I recommend both these fine books, as complementary works about a man who possessed unbelievable talents.

While making a fortune for himself in the printing business, BF did for Philadelphia what the government didn't. He organized the development of a fire department, fire insurance, the first American library, a college (now University of Pennsylvania), a military defense against the French and Indians, and numerous other civic endeavors. This was "the ideal outlet for the usefulness he craved in initiating one association after the other, to meet people's need as they arose."

Meanwhile, his insatiable curiosity and experimentation led him to become a world class scientist. He was possibly the first American self-improvement book author, publishing "Poor Richard's Almanac" every year for many, many years.

He retired from active business at the age of 42 but he was in such demand as a public servant that he never really retired until death. He represented Pennsylvania and subsequently other colonies in England until the possibility of compromise was gone. During the war he was sent to France where he secured financial and military aid, a diplomatic feat of vital importance. For the war effort, he was second in significance only to Washington, and had a lot more fun doing it than George did, as Morgan will tell you.

By far the oldest of the founding fathers, he was 69 when he participated in the writing of the Declaration of Independence, and 80 at the time of the Constitutional Convention.

Whether this is a first introduction (other than knowing his name) or a renewal of friendship, do yourself a favor and get to know this remarkable man better. I highly recommend this very excellent book, and am now reading BF's autobiography, which, along with Poor Richard's Almanac, contributed immensely to BF's legacy.

This is a excellant political biography of one of America's greatest and most influencial founders. What is not is a biography of Benjamin Franklin. I was a little disappointed after hoping to learn more about one of my favorite historical figures. The cover description may be a little misleading, but in fairness it never claims to be a full biography and after seeing the compact size I was questioning its content before turning the first page. It only makes vague reference to Franklin's illegimate son and gives almost no detail into the strained relations with his other son. Actually gives very little detail about any of Franklin's personal life. If your interest is the political history of the founding of America and Franklin's accomplishments in England and France during the war this will be a great source. If your interest is more the personal story and life of Franklin, pass this one up.

Morgan's biography, while short, provides a substantial and interesting introduction to the political life of Ben Franklin. Many reviewers compared this book to McCullough's biography of John Adams, which was both much longer and much more interested in the personal details of Adam's life. These criticisms nevertheless miss the point about this book as both a short biography and a work by an academic historian. This is certainly not the definitive work on Franklin's life, but it is nevertheless an interesting read for those who have a serious interest in history. Readers who are expecting a popular history devoted to Franklin's personality and personal life will be seriously disappointed. But those who wish to understand Franklin's place in 18th Century politics on both sides of the Atlantic will be gratified by this biography. Edmund Morgan is one of the best historians of his generation; this latest book lives up to that reputation.

Benjamin Franklin was a notable statesman, inventor, scientist, and an enthusiastic scholar. He had a strong interest in how and why things worked and was eager to improve the state of the world. One of the most interesting aspects of his life was his scientific work, which seemed to take a backseat to his political career. Franklin made a multitude of discoveries and advancements in the field of electricity which set the groundwork for modern science.

What Edmund S. Morgan managed to do was truly unique. Morgan treated Franklin as a human being with human qualities, not just a Founding Father placed on a pedestal. He opened a window into Benjamin Franklin's character. Morgan discussed Franklin's insatiable curiosity, which undoubtedly led to his great scientific career. He noted Franklin's aversion to conflict when the scientist chose not to defend his discoveries against an opponent's claims. This biography, as opposed to a factual novel was more of a character analysis that focused on the meaning behind the facts.

This biography was most certainly not concerned with details. Instead of agonizing over the small issues, Morgan assumed the reader had some background knowledge in the life of Franklin and truly focused on the story of his life. This made the book much more enjoyable as the reader was not bogged down with minute details. Morgan's biography truly celebrated the life of Benjamin Franklin, not just the dull facts surrounding his accomplishments.

Each year, I re-read Franklin's Autobiography because I remain fascinated by the interaction of his ever-curious mind with the political, economic, and social events of the years during which he lived. I have also read other biographies of Franklin, as well as of Washington, Jefferson, and Adams; also, accounts of their era, notably Ellis' Founding Brothers, Ferling's Setting the World Ablaze, and Bailyn's To Begin the World Anew. In my opinion, Morgan provides in this volume the single best source of information to answer questions such as these: "Which of Franklin's experiences as a child and young man had the greatest influence on his development? How to explain his insatiable curiosity? What was he like as a husband and father? Why was he so reluctant to draw public attention to himself? Given the times, was he a legitimate scientist or merely a clever tinkerer? What were his unique contributions to the creation, establishment, and development of a new nation? Why was he so popular in Europe, especially in France? As his death drew near, what was Franklin's own estimate of his achievements?" Morgan offers answers to these and other questions.

It is indicative of Morgan's erudition as well as his writing skills his narrative seems as if it were an eyewitness account such as James Boswell's of Samuel Johnson. There are hundreds of anecdotes included, many of them previously unfamiliar to most readers. Morgan also makes generous but appropriate use of Franklin's own written works as well as of sources contemporary with him. In the final chapter, however, Morgan quotes one of Franklin's best-known maxims, "let all men know thee, but no man know thee thoroughly." Franklin's actions always spoke much louder than his words. Indeed, he was renowned for his silence in the Pennsylvania Assembly, in the Continental Congress, in the Constitutional Convention, and throughout countless meetings with government officials in England and France.

Lest we misunderstand what motivated this pattern of silence, Morgan observes that Franklin "knew how to value himself and what he did without mistaking himself for something more than one man among many. His special brand of self-respect required him to honor his fellow men and women no less than himself." I was intrigued by Morgan's account of what seems to be an essential contradiction in Franklin: his self-confidence and his humility. Franklin was guided by a spirit which can never be confined to any one religious denomination. He recognized strengths and weaknesses in himself as well as in others, "in a spirit that another wise man in another century called 'the spirit which is not too sure it is right.' It is a spirit which weakens the weak but strengthens the strong. It gave Franklin the strength to do what he incredibly did, as a scientist, statesman, and man." In this context, I am reminded of Voltaire's advice that we should cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.

Although we will never know Franklin "thoroughly," Morgan has helped us to know him well.