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Benjamin Franklin : An American Life
Benjamin Franklin An American Life
Author: Walter Isaacson
Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father who winks at us. An ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings, he seems made of flesh rather than of marble. In bestselling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin seems to turn to us...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780684807614
ISBN-10: 0684807610
Publication Date: 7/2003
Pages: 608
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 44

4.1 stars, based on 44 ratings
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

iiskipper avatar reviewed Benjamin Franklin : An American Life on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
An absoultely fascinating read about Franklin. This book portrays him to be highly intelligent, innovative, an inventor, a great scientist, a savvy businessman, articulate, witty, vindictive, and a social butterfly with royalty, persons of influence and females in particular. I very much enjoyed this book and the detailed description of the time, Franklin himself, others (such as John Adams), and how the world perceived Franklin as a great man and mind.
reviewed Benjamin Franklin : An American Life on + 203 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is a wonderful, readable biography of the man-of-the-people who shaped the US constitution at the age of 80+. We owe more to Ben Franklin than any of the other Founding Fathers. This book will show you why.
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canadianeh avatar reviewed Benjamin Franklin : An American Life on + 242 more book reviews
This is a huge paperback, filled with all kinds of detail about Franklin's life here and in Europe, as well as 70 pages of sources. A "clever man with a disarming wit and winning smile", the style of the book seems to reflect his character. Really enjoyed this book.
reviewed Benjamin Franklin : An American Life on + 90 more book reviews
learned things about Franklin that you won't find in history books
reviewed Benjamin Franklin : An American Life on + 55 more book reviews
This is a wonderful book. I read it after the book about John Adams to compare the perspectives.
reviewed Benjamin Franklin : An American Life on + 2 more book reviews
Wordy and boring and a lot of politics from the past.
reviewed Benjamin Franklin : An American Life on + 33 more book reviews
History has never been an attention-grabber for me, but recently I've been on a American history kick. I found that washing dishes was the perfect time to listen to this book. There is a lot more to Benjamin Franklin than the kite flyer of my childhood history. A lot of his press was written by him, which I think was a pretty smart move, but the information from contemporary sources also has a positive feeling. When refering to "founding father", you couldn't be more accurate than Benjamin Franklin.
kuligowskiandrewt avatar reviewed Benjamin Franklin : An American Life on + 569 more book reviews
It's taken me approximately 10 years since my visit to Independence Hall to dive into my souvenir from the trip - Walter Isaacson's excellent biography of Philadelphia's favorite son (albeit adopted from his native Boston, I learned), Benjamin Franklin. I was a fool to have waited so long! (I confess: I didn't read the actual book I bought, but instead borrowed the Audio version from the library and listened to the book being read to me on 21 CDs.)

We all know that Ben Franklin was a multifaceted individual, and this book devotes time and space to all of those interests and expertises. Printer (which is how Franklin referred to himself). Author / Philosopher. Scientist / Inventor. Revolutionary / Politician / Diplomat. Incorrigible flirt. And, most importantly, image consultant Franklin was well aware of who he wanted to be perceived as in order to gain the most advantage for himself and his causes.

This is not a short book but it is definitely a worthwhile investment of the time it'll take you to read (or listen to) it.

RATING: 5 stars.


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