The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin, Frank Woodworth Pine

Summary

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a record of the life of one of the most impressive people in the American history. Franklin's autobiography, although unfinished, represents one of the most famous and influential examples of an autobiography ever written. His book is the record of an unusual life told in his own unexcelled conversational style. The Autobiography is Franklin's longest work, and yet it is only a fragment of it. The account of Franklin's life is divided in a manner that reflects the different periods in which he wrote them. The first part, written as a letter to his son, William Franklin, was not intended for publication; the composition is more informal and the narrative more personal than in the second part, from 1730 onward, which was written with a view to publication.   
Contents:  
Ancestry and Early Life in Boston 
Beginning Life as a Printer 
Arrival in Philadelphia 
First Visit to Boston 
Early Friends in Philadelphia 
First Visit to London 
Beginning Business in Philadelphia 
Business Success and First Public Service 
Plan for Attaining Moral Perfection 
Poor Richard's Almanac and Other Activities 
Interest in Public Affairs 
Defense of the Province 
Public Services and Duties 
Albany Plan of Union 
Quarrels with the Proprietary Governors 
Braddock's Expedition 
Franklin's Defense of the Frontier 
Scientific Experiments 
Agent of Pennsylvania in London 
Electrical Kite 
The Way to Wealth 
The Whistle 
A Letter to Samuel Mather

Available since: 05/27/2018.

Other books that might interest you

Conversations with the Conroys -...

Walter Edgar

“Portrays a deeply troubled family struggling to survive amidst terrifying abuse . . . a page-turner, as engrossing as any of Conroy’s novels.” —Robert H. Brinkmeyer Jr., University of South Carolina

A New York Times–bestselling author of eleven novels and memoirs, Pat Conroy is one of America’s most beloved storytellers and a writer as synonymous with the South Carolina lowcountry as pluff mud or the Palmetto tree. As Conroy’s writings have been rooted in autobiography more often than not, his readers have come to know and appreciate much about the once-secret dark familial history that has shaped Conroy’s life and work.

Conversations with the Conroys opens further the discussion of the Conroy family through five revealing interviews conducted in 2014 with Pat Conroy and four of his six siblings: brothers Mike, Jim, and Tim and sister Kathy. In confessional and often comic dialogs, the Conroys openly discuss the perils of being raised by their larger-than-life parents, USMC fighter pilot Col. Don Conroy (the Great Santini) and southern belle Peggy Conroy (née Peek); the complexities of having their history of abuse made public by Pat’s books; the tragic death of their youngest brother, Tom; the chasm between them and their sister Carol Ann; and the healing, redemptive embrace they have come to find over time in one another. With good humor and often-striking candor, these interviews capture the Conroys as authentic and indeed proud South Carolinians, not always at ease with their place in literary lore, but nonetheless deeply supportive of Pat in his life and writing.

“[A] small gem of a book . . . For fans of Conroy’s books, this is a must-read.” —Publishers Weekly

Show book

Forensic Files Now - Inside 40...

Rebecca Reisner

Perhaps no other television show captures our innate fascination with crime and criminals better than the original Forensic Files. Examining true crime cases from murders to insurance fraud, hit-and-runs to kidnappings, every case featured on the show is solved in large part with the help of forensic science like DNA evidence. 
 
In Forensic Files Now, author Rebecca Reisner shares her own gripping retellings of 40 favorite cases profiled on the show along with fascinating updates adapted from her popular blog, ForensicFilesNow.com. Featuring classic cases like the Tennessee brothers who terrorized locals for years until the feds rode into town, the Texas lovebirds who robbed a grave in an insurance fraud plot that made international headlines, the Ivy League-educated physician who attempted a fresh start by burying his wife in the basement, and some cases so captivating that they have sparked spinoff miniseries or documentaries of their own, the book will enthrall readers with its vivid recaps and detailed updates. 
 
Also featuring an in-depth interview with Forensic Files creator Paul Dowling and a profile on the show’s beloved narrator, Peter Thomas, Forensic Files Now is a must-read for diehard Forensic Files fans and a welcome find for true crime readers who are always looking for more riveting and well-told stories.

Show book

American Patriots - Answering...

Rick Santorum

It's time to answer the call. 
The United States of America was founded by ordinary citizens who willingly sacrificed their lives and fortunes in order to hand down the precious legacy of freedom we enjoy today. 
In American Patriots, Rick Santorum shares the true-life accounts of 25 unsung heroic men and women from the Revolutionary War era. These citizen patriots fought valiantly and made significant sacrifices to secure our God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - not only for themselves, but also for countless future generations. 
Their stories provide stirring reminders of the extraordinary faith, courage, and determination that set this country on the path to greatness centuries ago, as well as continued inspiration for generations of American patriots to come.

Show book

Success After Failure

Tavis Smiley

Is there success after failure? Talk show greats Tavis Smiley and Phil Donohue discuss.

Show book

Hitchin' - A memoir

Alex Silberman

In 2015, when Alex Silberman was twenty-seven years old, he hitchhiked alone from East Coast America's chilly Boston Harbor, north and west past Southern Ontario, before finally materializing from a desert mirage in California's balmy Santa Cruz.
Alex describes his colorful and often eye-opening experiences in transit, with an eclectic cast of characters willing to pick up a total stranger. Drawings, photographs, tips, tricks and anecdotes abound as Alex makes his way across the North American continent with just his wits and a thirst for adventure to keep him company. A frenzied man, a lovable donkey, families in conflict, unconventional relationships and even a handful of death threats pepper his life-affirming journey.
Hitchin' is a nostalgic tribute to the almost lost art of hitting the road and traveling for free (most of the time).
Alex Silberman is an outdoor educator that has worked within and outside the United States.

Show book

The Strength Within

Annie Pateman

In 1979, I was three months pregnant with my second child and in excruciating pain, pain I’d been dealingwith every day for almost 15 months. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t stand, I couldn’t sleep. In just a year, I’dgone from being an active young woman to being almost entirely incapacitated. Everything was pain.Trying to find the cause was almost as bad as the diagnosis. At every turn, I was told nothing was wrong.Nobody was helping.Another three months passed and I went in for my six-month check-up with my obstetrician. He, too, toldme everything was fine… but it definitely was not. I broke down in tears in his office. I couldn’t do itanymore. The agony was too much and I was at my wit’s end. He took me seriously and what happenednext would change my life forever.After 18 months, I finally had a diagnosis - 1st April 1980 - It was a tumour the size of a tennis ball on myknee. It was Cancer. Almost in the same breath they said that I would have to have my leg amputatedabove the knee and oh by the way, he said, highly probable that I would lose the baby as it wouldn’t survivethe trauma of the surgery. I was 26 years old and 26 weeks pregnant.After 40 years since diagnosis, I’m still here… and that wasn’t the only time I was told I had cancer. Yes, I’ve survived a lot,but I’m just like anyone else. The strength is within us all. You just have to reach for it. There is light at theend of the tunnel, even when you can’t see it. You just have to keep going, especially when it seems likeyou have nothing left.

Show book