The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- written 1771-1790, published 1791
- Language
- English
- Length
- Medium · 200 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Approachable1 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinYale University Press, 2003The Yale text edited by Leonard Labaree and others, from the manuscript; Penguin and Norton editions are also sound.
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Franklin's unfinished account of his life, begun as a letter to his son in 1771 and continued in three later instalments, ending in 1757. He describes his Boston boyhood, his apprenticeship in his brother's print shop, his flight to Philadelphia, his years in London, his rise as a printer and newspaper owner, and his civic projects, the library, the fire company, the academy and the militia. The most famous section lays out his plan for arriving at moral perfection by keeping a chart of thirteen virtues.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
