About this title: This biography of Ben Franklin sees him as both a representative of the new man--the American--and an agent of historical change, whose participation was central to the debates that shaped the new nation. This book was a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: 1st Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc., New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780385493284ISBN:0385493282
Description: Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Book shows moderate wear/ spine tight, pages clean/ boards show moderate edge wear/ corners and spine bumped. read more
Description: Fine. Trade Paperback. Anchor, 2002. Fine Book. Aside from a light crease to front cover, overall a clean and tight, lightly read copy. Media mail packed in protective bubble lined shipping bags, Priority in a Flat Rate Envelope. Shipped quickly. Prompt response to questions. read more
Edition: 1st Printing
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780385495400ISBN:0385495404
Description: Very Good + This 5.5 x 7.5 trade paperback book has gold and white lettering on the black spine and illustrated cover. Benjamin Franklin, perhaps the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America, comes vividly to life in this masterly biography. 765 pages. Pulitzer prize finalist. Front end page marking. Some underlining and markings. Tight binding. Very Good + condition. read more
Edition: 1st
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Anchor, N. Y.
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780385495400ISBN:0385495404
Description: Cover Art. Very Good. Trade Paperback. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. The soft cover has very light shelf wear..............We are very careful when we list our books, but sometimes something minor may get by. read more
Edition: 1st Edition
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books, New York
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780385495400ISBN:0385495404
Description: Near Fine. 5 x 8 trade paperback book. Gold and white lettering on the black and red spine with a color illustrated cover. A much needed reminder of Franklin's greatness and humanity, The First American is a work of meticulous scholarship that provides a magnificent tour of a legendary historical figure, a vital era in American life, and the countless arenas in which the protean Franklin left his legacy. 765 pages. 1st Edition. Front page corner curled. Slight cover wear. Tight binding. Near ... read more
Description: Shelf 863. 6.25 by 9.5 inches. Hardcover with dj. Published by Doubleday 2000. 1st printing. Very Good book in vg dj. Dj light edge wear. Name label inside cover. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Anchor Books
Date Published: 2002-03-01
ISBN-13:9780385495400ISBN:0385495404
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780385495400. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Anchor
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780385495400ISBN:0385495404
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
"This book was excellent, but long. It took a while to get through it, but it was very interesting. Ben Franklin was an amazing person who accomplished amazing things, including rescuing our country!"
"I haven't read any of the author's other works, so I can't comment on how his style and craft may be evolving, but this book is well-written, well-thought-out, and as far as I can discern, well-researched.
Like most people, I've known of Franklin all my life (well, less about 6 years). And, like most people, I also knew he flew a kite in an electrical storm (which seems rather foolhardy to down-right-dangerous, if you understand what the quantity of power in a typical lightning strike is), invented the lightning rod, was a printer by trade, wrote and published "Poor Richard's Almanac", invented the "Franklin stove", had something to do with the U.S. Postal System, and was a diplomat in France (at some point).
Unlike most people, I also knew that he was honored by having his name engraved into the assembly hall of the Boston Latin School and in the 7th grade was required to read "The Autobiography of Ben Franklin" along with another colonial thriller, "Johnny Tremain".
What I learned from this book was a great deal. To go over all of the specifics would probably take a sizable fraction of the book itself. So, I'll restrict my comments to a few choice morsels.
Franklin spent years in both England and France. I mean years. (Ok, I knew about when he was young and drank water while all his co-workers drank lots of beer in a print shop in England.) He was there for extended visits in both countries. England first (before actual armed rebellion) and then France. Heck, he even planned on living in England permanently because he was so well accepted and so pleased with the culture, intellectual environment and big-city life.
Franklin's experiment with the kite was well-designed to minimize risks to the experimenter, but others repeated it and at at least one got a serious shock (chalk one up to the stunningly obvious). But, the kite experiment was one of a series that helped define that various phenomena were all interrelated and described the same basic, underlying principle (or forces).
All of Franklin's real innovation and contribution to the organization and operation of the Postal Service came during decades of (part-time) effort as a Royal appointee. His work with the post-revolutionary USPS was basically to restore the fine operation that he had already created.
Franklin did not patent and essentially gave away the plans for the Franklin "fireplace" (i.e. stove) to help people heat the homes with less fuel and with less money.
I could go on and on, but if anything I've written here intrigues you, go out and read the book!
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