Not Your Usual Founding Father
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Selected Readings from Benjamin Franklin
Edited by Edmund S. Morgan
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Format: PaperPrice: $37.00
This engaging book reveals Benjamin Franklin’s human side—his tastes and habits, his enthusiasms, and his devotion to democracy and the people of the United States. Three hundred years after his birth, we may remember Franklin’s famous Autobiography, or his status as framer of the Declaration of Independence and the peace with Great Britain, or his experiments in electricity, or perhaps his sage advice on diligence and thrift. But historian Edmund S. Morgan invites us to meet the man himself, a sociable, good-natured, and extraordinary human being with boundless curiosity about the natural world and a vision of what America could be. Drawing on lifelong research in the vast Franklin archives, Morgan assembles both famous and lesser-known writings that offer insights into this founding father’s thinking. The book is organized around four major themes, each with an introduction. The first section includes journal excerpts and letters revealing Franklin’s personal tastes and habits. The second is devoted to Franklin’s inexhaustible intellectual energy and his scientific discoveries. The third and fourth chronicle his devotion to serving the people who became the United States both before and after the Revolution and to advancing his democratic vision of their future. Franklin’s humanity and genius have never seemed more real than in the pages of this appealing anthology.
"A fine collection, greatly enhanced by Morgan's sprightly and readable introductions."—Gordon S. Wood, Brown University
“What James Boswell did for Samuel Johnson, Edmund Morgan has now done for Benjamin Franklin, here allowing us into a conversation that brings the great man to life in all his Protean splendor.”—Joseph J. Ellis, author of Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
“Of all the truly great American historians, Edmund S. Morgan comes closest to capturing the spirit of Benjamin Franklin's prose in his own work: enlightening, plain, witty, democratic, cosmopolitan, and crafty in the best sense of the word. Here he arranges an expert's tour through Franklin's writings, offering readers a continual Christmas.”—Sean Wilentz, author of The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln
"There is perhaps no man in America as suited to selecting a single volume’s worth of Benjamin Franklin’s works than Yale historian Edmund S. Morgan. . . . A fine collection of Franklin’s writings that serves as a more-than-adequate introduction to the man or as a delightful complement to a good biography. This volume includes some of the writings with which those who read Franklin are fairly familiar, but also some unexpected gems. It is well-measured proportionally to give a sense of Franklin’s widely-varying interests and the many roles he took on throughout his long career. Morgan’s introductory notes and commentary on each section are useful without being overly analytical. . . . A most useful and appropriate collection."—Jeremy Dibbel, PhiloBiblos
"[Morgan] has expertly chosen letters and other items that best reveal the inner Franklin. . . . Morgan’s witty and insightful introductions to each section are a match for Franklin’s own masterful way with words. He manages to combine scholarly erudition with humor and stylistic grace, making this book a sheer delight. Highly recommended for all public libraries."—Library Journal (starred review)
"Edmund Morgan, who is the dean of Benjamin Franklin scholars, has done it again with Not Your Unusual Founding Father, a rich volume of Franklin’s writings."—Dennis Lythgoe, Deseret Morning News
“Mr. Morgan takes us on a journey as Franklin’s youthful mind—full of questions, speculations and juvenile skepticism—evolves, matures and expands like some galactic supernova.”—James Srodes, Washington Times
Publication Date: December 11, 2007
14 b/w illus.
