Benjamin Franklin (Yale Nota Bene) [Paperback]

Edmund S. Morgan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 2003 | Series: Yale Nota Bene

The greatest statesman of his age, Benjamin Franklin was also a pioneering scientist, a successful author, the first American postmaster general, a printer and a bon vivant. In addition, he was a man of vast contradictions. This biography offers a compact and provocative portrait of America's most extraordinary patriot.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Excellent. . . . Sublime. . . . [An] illuminating portrait of a quintessential, and perennially contemporary, American spirit. -- Malcolm Jones, Newsweek

[An] excellent portrait . . . by the distinguished Yale historian Edmund Morgan. -- Jay Tolson, U.S. News and World Report

From the Publisher

Chosen as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times Book Review and as a best book for 2002 by the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, and Publishers Weekly, A finalist for the 2003 National Book Critics Circle Award for biography, A New York Times Bestseller

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1st PAPERBACK edition (September 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300101627
• ISBN-13: 978-0300101621
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #691,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( F ) > Franklin, Benjamin

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to Benjamin Franklin December 11, 2002

By Robert Adler

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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).

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great expose on our most interesting Founding Father. October 13, 2002

By R. Shaff VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

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.

58 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Benjamin Franklin August 27, 2002

By paul kelly

Format:Hardcover

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.