During his 84-year life Benjamin Franklin was America's best scientist, inventor, publisher, business strategist, diplomat, and writer. He was also one of its most practical political thinkers. America's first great publicist, he carefully crafted his own persona, portrayed it in public and polished it for posterity. In this riveting new biography Walter Isaacson provides readers with a full portrait of Franklin's public and private life - his loyal but neglected wife, his bastard son with whom he broke over going to war with England, his endless replacement families and his many amorous, but probably unconsummated, liaisons. But this is not just a biography of Benjamin Franklin but rather a fascinating look at American and European political history at that time. Isaacson examines the run up to the Revolutionary War, the intimate relations between Britain, France and the colonies and the decisive events that led to America's independence. Just as David McCullough brought life to the historic figure of John Adams, Isaacson portrays Franklin in the flesh, showing readers how this radical man helped define America's national character and personality.
Arvustused
The Washington Post Book World The most readable full-length Franklin biography available. The New Yorker Energetic, entertaining, and worldly. The New York Times In its common sense, clarity and accessibility, it is a fitting reflection of Franklin's sly pragmatism....This may be the book that most powerfully drives a new pendulum swing of the Franklin reputation. The New York Times Book Review A thoroughly researched, crisply written, convincingly argued chronicle.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
Benjamin Franklin and the Invention of America
CHAPTER TWO
Pilgrim's Progress: Boston, 1706-1723
CHAPTER THREE
Journeyman: Philadelphia and London, 1723-1726
CHAPTER FOUR
Printer: Philadelphia, 1726-1732
CHAPTER FIVE
Public Citizen: Philadelphia, 1731-1748
CHAPTER SIX
Scientist and Inventor: Philadelphia, 1744-1751
CHAPTER SEVEN
Politician: Philadelphia, 1749-1756
CHAPTER EIGHT
Troubled Waters: London, 1757-1762
CHAPTER NINE
Home Leave: Philadelphia, 1763-1764
CHAPTER TEN
Agent Provocateur: London, 1765-1770
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Rebel: London, 1771-1775
CHAPTER TWELVE
Independence: Philadelphia, 1775-1776
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Courtier: Paris, 1776-1778
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Bon Vivant: Paris, 1778-1785
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Peacemaker: Paris, 1778-1785
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Sage: Philadelphia, 1785-1790
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Epilogue
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Conclusions
Cast of Characters
Chronology
Currency Conversions
Acknowledgments
Sources and Abbreviations
Notes
Index
Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane and was CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023. Visit him at Isaacson.Tulane.edu.
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