Between 1771 and 1790, American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin sat down to record the important events of his life, from his childhood in Boston to his work as a printer in Philadelphia, to his trips to Paris and his plans for the first public library. The story of the invention of the Franklin stove, the first Poor Richard's Almanac, and his experiments with electricity are all included here. His "Project for Moral Perfection"—a list of desirable virtues and steps to achieve them—influenced the modern self-help genre. Hundreds of years later, Franklin's account of his rise from middle-class obscurity to become a world-renowned scholar and civic figure continues to promote the American Dream. First published in 1791, this unabridged version of Franklin's autobiography is taken from the 1909 copyright edition.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR NPR • Time Magazine • The Washington Post • Entertainment Weekly • The Boston Globe A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK From one of our most accomplished and widely admired historians—a revelatory portrait of Benjamin Franklin's youngest sister, Jane, whose obscurity and poverty were matched only by her brother’s fame and wealth but who, like him, was a passionate reader, a gifted writer, and an astonishingly shrewd political commentator. Making use of an astonishing cache of little-studied material, including documents, objects, and portraits only just discovered, Jill Lepore brings Jane Franklin to life in a way that illuminates not only this one extraordinary woman but an entire world.

Historian and biographer James Srodes tells Benjamin Franklin's incredible life story, making full use of the previously neglected Franklin papers to provide the most riveting account yet of the journalist, scientist, polilician, and unlikely adventurer. From London, Paris, Philadelphia to his numerous romantic liaisons, Franklin's life becomes a panorama of dramatic history.

Collects Benjamin Franklin's best-known writings, both personal and public, arranged by period and place, and includes scholarly notes.

The first full-scale biography of Franklin in over 60 years! This fully documented account of the most versatile man of his age paints a lively portrait of the writer who invented the lightning conductor; the politician who spent years as an emissary in London trying to prevent the Revolutionary War; and the statesman who served as the US representative in Paris during the war, intriguing for French aid and American victory. A masterly work. The first full-scale biography of Franklin in over 60 years! This fully documented account of the most versatile man of his age paints a lively portrait of the writer who invented the lightning conductor; the politician who spent years as an emissary in London trying to prevent the Revolutionary War; and the statesman who served as the US representative in Paris during the war, intriguing for French aid and American victory. A masterly work.

Draws on Franklin's extensive writings to provide a portrait of the statesman, inventor, and Founding Father.