A Benjamin Franklin Reader

A great reference work, keep it in easy reach to quote some Franklin!

Very, very interesting. Benjamin Franklin, while definitely a strange fellow, was certainly a genius and one of the best writers of all time. What scares me is that because he's so good, he almost made me believe some bizarre things.And Walter Isaacson did an amazing job of putting it all together and into context. It's an amazing read (it just takes a looong time) that'll give you plenty of information on all the aspects of Benjamin Franklin's long and full life.

"Wonderful book about a fascinating life that did so much to create the American character and shape a nation."

Old fashioned writing can be challenging to read. But the Silence Dogood letters are funny. I really LIKE Old Ben.

This splendid and thorough collection gathers in one place the most essential self publications of the greatest and most important self publisher in American history, Benjamin Franklin. The most important, and best, is The Autobiography, a breezy recollection of his curious mind and the rationality behind many of his best inventions, some of which are only recollected in that book. But several of the works collected here detail his other achievements in wit and reason, including a healthy collec [...]

It took a long time, but I finally finished! I didn't read the autobiography, which is the last section of the book, since I've read that in the past. Reading the letters of other people is quite different than simply reading about history, and takes some getting used to. However, if you have an interest in the early history of this country, this is an interesting window into that time.

Franklin of course was very smart, but reading him in his own words dispels the widely-held notion that he was some kind of unparalleled genius. I mainly appreciated his humility and his ability to good-naturedly poke fun at the haughty and the tyrranical.If only benevolent and humble people like him could be found in our political system today.

What better way to spend Ben Franklin's 300th birthday than to fly into Philly reading a copy of this book?This omnibus simply reinforces my opinion that Ben Franklin clearly qualifies as The Greatest American (or at least one of)

Our impish American Da Vinci at his finest. People should read more of his actual stuff, or they risk losing the marvelous nuance he brings when we see his life as a whole.

Hmmm - such a life, so many contradictions, good, bad, blindspots, insights. BF deserves something better. Am happy to say this is a start and has some moments. I look forward to reading more.

Just picked it up from the library. As a new Philadelphian I thought it was my duty. I definitely won't read everything in here.

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