Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin
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''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'' is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
from 1771 to 1790; however, Franklin himself appears to have called the work his ''Memoirs''. Although it had a tortuous publication history after Franklin's death, this work has become one of the most famous and influential examples of an
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
ever written. Franklin's account of his life is divided into four parts, reflecting the different periods at which he wrote them. There are actual breaks in the narrative between the first three parts, but Part Three's narrative continues into Part Four without an authorial break. In the "Introduction" of the 1916 publication of the ''Autobiography'', editor F. W. Pine wrote that Franklin's biography provided the "most remarkable of all the remarkable histories of our self-made men" with Franklin as the greatest exemplar.


Summary


Part One

Part One of the ''Autobiography'' is addressed to Franklin's son
William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, at that time (1771) Royal Governor of New Jersey. While in England at the estate of the Bishop of St Asaph in Twyford, Franklin, now 65 years old, begins by saying that it may be agreeable to his son to know some of the incidents of his father's life; so with a week's uninterrupted leisure, he is beginning to write them down for William. He starts with some anecdotes of his grandfather, uncles, father and mother. He deals with his childhood, fondness for reading, and service as an apprentice to his brother James Franklin, a
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
printer and publisher of the '' New-England Courant''. After improving his writing skills through study of the ''Spectator'' by
Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard S ...
and
Sir Richard Steele Sir Richard Steele (bap. 12 March 1672 – 1 September 1729) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine ''The Spectator''. Early life Steele was born in Du ...
, he writes an anonymous paper and slips it under the door of the printing house by night. Not knowing its author, James and his friends praise the paper and it is published in the ''Courant'', which encourages Ben to produce more essays (the " Silence Dogood" essays), which are also published. When Ben reveals his authorship, James is angered, thinking the recognition of his papers will make Ben too vain. James and Ben have frequent disputes, and Ben seeks a way to escape from working under James. Eventually James gets in trouble with the colonial assembly, which jails him for a short time and then forbids him to continue publishing his paper. James and his friends come up with the stratagem that the ''Courant'' should hereafter be published under the name of Benjamin Franklin, although James will still actually be in control. James signs a discharge of Ben's apprenticeship papers but writes up new private
indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...
papers for Ben to sign which will secure Ben's service for the remainder of the agreed time. But when a fresh disagreement arises between the brothers, Ben chooses to leave James, correctly judging that James will not dare to produce the secret indenture papers. ("It was not fair in me to take this Advantage", Franklin comments, "and this I therefore reckon one of the first Errata of my life".) James does, however, make it impossible for Ben to get work anywhere else in Boston. Sneaking onto a ship without his father or brother's knowledge, Ben heads for
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, but the printer William Bradford is unable to employ him; however, he tells Ben that his son
Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
, a
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
printer, may be able to use him since one of his son's principal employees had just died. By the time Ben reaches Philadelphia, Andrew Bradford has already replaced his employee but refers Ben to Samuel Keimer, another printer in the city, who is able to give him work. The Governor, Sir William Keith, takes notice of Franklin and offers to set him up in business for himself. On Keith's recommendation, Franklin goes to
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
for printing supplies, but when he arrives, he finds that Keith has not written the promised letter of recommendation for him, and that "no one who knew him had the smallest Dependence on him". Franklin finds work in London until an opportunity arises of returning to Philadelphia as an assistant to
Thomas Denham Thomas Denham was a Philadelphia merchant who plays an important role in ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'', as a father figure, friend, and benefactor who helps the young Benjamin Franklin during and after his first trip to England in 1724 ...
, a
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
merchant; but when Denham takes ill and dies, he returns to manage Keimer's shop. Keimer soon comes to feel that Franklin's wages are too high and provokes a quarrel which causes the latter to quit. At this point a fellow employee, Hugh Meredith, suggests that Franklin and he set up a partnership to start a printing shop of their own; this is subsidized by funds from Meredith's father, though most of the work is done by Franklin as Meredith is not much of a press worker and is given to drinking. They establish their business, and plan to start a newspaper, but when Keimer hears of this plan, he rushes out a paper of his own, the ''Pennsylvania Gazette''. This publication limps along for three quarters of a year before Franklin buys the paper from Keimer and makes it "extremely profitable". (The ''
Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' traces its lineage to Franklin's ''Pennsylvania Gazette''.) The partnership also receives an appointment as printer for the
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
assembly. When Hugh Meredith's father experiences financial setbacks and cannot continue backing the partnership, two friends separately offer to lend Franklin the money he needs to stay in business; the partnership amicably dissolves as Meredith goes to
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, and Franklin takes from each friend half the needed sum, continuing his business in his own name. In 1730 he marries Deborah Read, and after this, with the help of the
Junto Junto may refer to: * Whig Junto (c. 1700), English political leaders' group, that began to dominate the ministry from 1693 and held onto power intermittently until 1717 when members of the group fell out * Junto (club) The Junto, also known as ...
, he draws up proposals for
Library Company of Philadelphia The Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia. Founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin as a library, the Library Company of Philadelphia has accumulated one of the most significant collections of hist ...
. At this point Part One breaks off, with a memo in Franklin's writing noting that "The Affairs of the Revolution occasion'd the Interruption".


Part Two

The second part begins with two letters Franklin received in the early 1780s while in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, encouraging him to continue the ''Autobiography,'' of which both correspondents have read Part One. (Although Franklin does not say so, there had been a breach with his son William after the writing of Part One, since the father had sided with the
Revolutionaries A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...
and the son had remained loyal to the British Crown.) At Passy, a suburb of Paris, Franklin begins Part Two in 1784, giving a more detailed account of his public library plan. He then discusses his "bold and arduous Project of arriving at moral Perfection", listing thirteen virtues he wishes to perfect in himself. He creates a book with columns for each day of the week, in which he marks with black spots his offenses against each virtue. Of these virtues, he notices that Order is the hardest for him to keep. He eventually realizes that perfection is not to be attained, but feels himself better and happier because of his attempt.


Part Three

Beginning in August 1788 when Franklin had returned to Philadelphia, the author says he will not be able to utilize his papers as much as he had expected since many were lost in the recent Revolutionary War. He has, however, found and quotes a couple of his writings from the 1730s that survived. One is the "Substance of an intended Creed" consisting of what he then considered to be the "Essentials" of all
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
s. He had intended this as a basis for a projected sect but, Franklin says, did not pursue the project. In 1732, Franklin first publishes his ''
Poor Richard's Almanack ''Poor Richard's Almanack'' (sometimes ''Almanac'') was a yearly almanac An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes inform ...
'', which becomes very successful. He also continues his profitable newspaper. In 1734, a preacher named Rev. Samuel Hemphill arrives from
County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...
Ireland; Franklin supports him and writes
pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...
s on his behalf. However, someone finds out that Hemphill has been plagiarizing portions of his sermons from others, although Franklin rationalizes this by saying he would rather hear good sermons taken from others than poor sermons of the man's own composition. Franklin studies languages, reconciles with his brother James, and loses a four-year-old son to
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
. Franklin's club, the
Junto Junto may refer to: * Whig Junto (c. 1700), English political leaders' group, that began to dominate the ministry from 1693 and held onto power intermittently until 1717 when members of the group fell out * Junto (club) The Junto, also known as ...
, grows and breaks up into subordinate clubs. Franklin becomes Clerk of the General Assembly in 1736 thus entering politics for the first time, and the following year becomes Comptroller to the
Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsib ...
, which makes it easier to get reports and fulfill subscriptions for his newspaper. He proposes improvements to the city's watch and fire prevention regulations. The famed preacher
George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an Anglican cleric and evangelist who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke College at th ...
arrives in 1739, and despite significant differences in their religious beliefs, Franklin assists Whitefield by printing his sermons and journals and lodging him in his house. As Franklin continues to succeed, he provides the capital for several of his workers to start printing houses of their own in other colonies. He makes further proposals for the public good, including some for the defense of Pennsylvania, which cause him to contend with the
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
position of the
Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
. In 1740 he invents the Franklin stove, refusing a
patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
on the device because it was for "the good of the people". He proposes an academy, which opens after money is raised by subscription for it and it expands so much that a new building has to be constructed for it. Franklin obtains other governmental positions (
city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
man,
alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
, burgess,
justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
) and helps negotiate a treaty with the Indians. After helping Dr. Thomas Bond establish a
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
, he helps pave the
street A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, ...
s of Philadelphia and draws up a proposal for Dr. John Fothergill about doing the same in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In 1753 Franklin becomes Deputy Postmaster General. The next year, as war with the French, is expected, representatives of the several colonies, including Franklin, meet with the Indians to discuss defense; Franklin at this time draws up a proposal for the union of the colonies, but it is not adopted.
General Braddock Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...
arrives with two
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
s, and Franklin helps him secure wagons and horses, but the general refuses to take Ben's warning about danger from hostile Indians during Braddock's planned march to Frontenac (now Kingston,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
). When Braddock's troops are subsequently attacked, the general is mortally wounded and his forces abandon their supplies and flee. A
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
is formed on the basis of a proposal by Benjamin Franklin, and the
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
asks him to take command of the northwestern
Frontier A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts o ...
. With his son as aide de camp, Franklin heads for Gnadenhut, raising men for the military and building
fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
s. Returning to Philadelphia, he is chosen
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
of the
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
; his officers honor him by personally escorting him out of town. This attention offends the
proprietor Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...
of the colony (
Thomas Penn Thomas Penn (8 March 1702 – 21 March 1775) was an English landowner and mercer who was the chief proprietor of Pennsylvania from 1746 to 1775. Penn is best known for his involvement in negotiating the Walking Purchase, a contested land cessi ...
, son of
William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...
) when someone writes an account of it in a letter to him, whereupon the proprietor complains to the government in England about Franklin. Now the ''Autobiography'' discusses "the Rise and Progress of ranklin'sPhilosophical Reputation." He starts
experiment An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into Causality, cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome oc ...
s with
electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
and writes letters about them that are published in England as a book. Franklin's description of his experiments is translated into French, and
Abbé Nollet Jean-Antoine Nollet (; 19 November 170025 April 1770) was a French clergyman and physicist who did a number of experiments with electricity and discovered osmosis. As a deacon in the Catholic Church, he was also known as Abbé Nollet. Biography ...
, who is offended because this work calls into question his own theory of electricity, publishes his own book of letters attacking Franklin. Declining to respond on the grounds that anyone could duplicate and thus verify his experiments, Franklin sees another French author refute Nollet, and as Franklin's book is translated into other languages, its views are gradually accepted and Nollet's are discarded. Franklin is also voted an honorary member of the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
. A new governor arrives, but disputes between the assembly and the governor continue. (Since the colonial governors are bound to fulfill the instructions issued by the colony's proprietor, there is a continuing struggle for power between the legislature and the governor and proprietor.) The assembly is on the verge of sending Franklin to England to petition the
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
against the governor and proprietor, but meanwhile Lord Loudoun arrives on behalf of the English government to mediate the differences. Franklin nevertheless goes to England accompanied by his son, after stopping at New York and making an unsuccessful attempt to be recompensed by Loudoun for his outlay of funds during his militia service. They arrive in England on July 27, 1757.


Part Four

Written sometime between November 1789 and Franklin's death on April 17, 1790, this section is very brief. After Franklin and his son arrive in London, the former is counselled by Dr. Fothergill on the best way to advocate his cause on behalf of the colonies. Franklin visits Lord Grenville, president of the King's Privy Council, who asserts that the king is the
legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...
of the colonies. Franklin then meets the proprietaries (the switch to the plural is Franklin's, so apparently others besides Thomas Penn are involved). But the respective sides are far from any kind of agreement. The proprietaries ask Franklin to write a summary of the colonists' complaints; when he does so, their solicitor for reasons of personal enmity delays a response. Over a year later, the proprietaries finally respond to the assembly, regarding the summary to be a "flimsy Justification of their Conduct." During this delay the assembly has prevailed on the governor to pass a taxation act, and Franklin defends the act in English court so that it can receive royal assent. While the assembly thanks Franklin, the proprietaries, enraged at the governor, turn him out and threaten legal action against him; in the last sentence, Franklin tells us the governor "despis'd the Threats, and they were never put in Execution".


Authorship and publication history

Despite authoring the constituent parts of his autobiography separately and over the course of multiple decades, Franklin intended his composition to stand as a unified piece of work. According to editors J. A. Leo Lemay and P. M. Zall, Franklin began writing part one of the autobiography in July or August 1771, which is also when he most likely authored an outline for the whole work. Over a decade later in 1782, Franklin was prompted by leading Philadelphia merchant Abel James to continue writing the autobiography. In a letter to Franklin that was ultimately included in the autobiography, James wrote of the work:
“If it is not yet continued, I hope thou wilt not delay it, Life is uncertain as the Preacher tells us, and what will the World say if kind, humane and benevolent Ben Franklin should leave his Friends and the World deprived of so pleasing and profitable a Work, a Work which would be useful and entertaining not only to a few, but to millions.”
Franklin subsequently completed Part Two while living in France in 1784. Part Three was authored in 1788-1789 after Franklin returned to the United States, and Part Four was authored by an ailing Franklin in the final stages of his life. The ''Autobiography'' remained unpublished during Franklin's lifetime. In 1791, the first edition appeared, in French rather than English, as ''Mémoires de la vie privée de Benjamin Franklin,'' published in Paris. This translation of Part One only was based on a flawed transcript made of Franklin's manuscript before he had revised it. This French translation was then retranslated into English in two London publications of 1793, and one of the London editions served as a basis for a retranslation into French in 1798 in an edition which also included a fragment of Part Two. The first three parts of the ''Autobiography'' were first published together (in English) by Franklin's grandson,
William Temple Franklin William Temple Franklin Jr, known as Temple Franklin, (February 22, 1760, in London – May 25, 1823, in Paris) was an American diplomat and real estate speculator. He is best known for his involvement with the American diplomatic mission in F ...
, in London in 1818, in Volume 1 of ''Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin.'' W. T. Franklin did not include Part Four because he had previously traded away the original hand-written
holograph An autograph or holograph is a manuscript or document written in its author's or composer's hand. The meaning of autograph as a document penned entirely by the author of its content, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by a copyist o ...
of the ''Autobiography'' for a copy that contained only the first three parts. Furthermore, he felt free to make unauthoritative stylistic revisions to his grandfather's autobiography, and on occasion followed the translated and retranslated versions mentioned above rather than Ben Franklin's original text. W. T. Franklin's text was the standard version of the ''Autobiography'' for half a century, until
John Bigelow John Bigelow Sr. (November 25, 1817 – December 19, 1911) was an American lawyer, statesman, and historian who edited the complete works of Benjamin Franklin and the first autobiography of Franklin taken from Franklin's previously lost origina ...
purchased the original manuscript in France and in 1868 published the most reliable text that had yet appeared, including the first English publication of Part Four. In the 20th century, important editions by Max Ferrand and the staff of the
Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Mar ...
in
San Marino, California San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househol ...
(''Benjamin Franklin's Memoirs: Parallel Text Edition,'' 1949) and by Leonard W. Labaree (1964, as part of the
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
Press edition of ''The Papers of Benjamin Franklin'') improved on Bigelow's accuracy. In 1981, J. A. Leo Lemay and P.M. Zall produced ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: A Genetic Text,'' attempting to show all revisions and cancellations in the holograph manuscript. This, the most accurate edition of all so far published, served as a basis for ''Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography: A Norton Critical Edition'' and for the text of this autobiography printed in the Library of America's edition of Franklin's ''Writings.'' ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'' also became the first full-length
audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
in history, which was voiced by actor
Michael Rye Michael Rye (born John Michael Riorden Billsbury; March 2, 1918 – September 20, 2012) was an American actor. His decades-long career spanned radio, television, animated cartoons and video games. Aside from his voice over work, Rye also acted in ...
and released in 1969.


Reactions to the work

In Frank Woodworth Pine's introduction to the 1916 edition by Henry Holt and Company, Pine wrote that Franklin's ''Autobiography'' provided the "most remarkable of all the remarkable histories of our self-made men" with Franklin as the greatest exemplar of the "
self-made man "Self-made man" is a classic phrase coined on February 2, 1842 by Henry Clay in the United States Senate, to describe individuals whose success lay within the individuals themselves, not with outside conditions. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Foun ...
". Franklin's ''Autobiography'' has received widespread praise, both for its historical value as a record of an important early American and for its literary style. It is often considered the first American book to be taken seriously by Europeans as literature.
William Dean Howells William Dean Howells (; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ...
in 1905 asserted that "Franklin's is one of the greatest autobiographies in literature, and towers over other autobiographies as Franklin towered over other men." By the 1860s, use of the ''Autobiography'' and its depiction of Franklin's industry and relentless self-improvement had become widespread as an instructive model for youth. So much so that
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
wrote an essay humorously castigating Franklin for having "brought affliction to millions of boys since, whose fathers had read Franklin's pernicious biography". D. H. Lawrence wrote a notable invective in 1923 against the "middle-sized, sturdy, snuff-coloured Doctor Franklin," finding fault with Franklin's attempt at crafting precepts of virtue and perfecting himself. Many other readers have found the work's tone conceited, with its frequent references to the universal esteem Franklin claims to enjoy in virtually all times and places throughout his life. Franklin's repeated, highly specific references to his own pursuit of money has put off many readers.


Literary criticisms

* * * * *Saunders, Judith P. (2018).
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: The Story of a Successful Social Animal
” ''American Classics: Evolutionary Perspectives'', pp. 1–22. JSTOR.


13 Virtues from Benjamin Franklin Section 9

"Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation." "Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation." "Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time." "Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve." "Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing." "Industry. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions." "Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly." "Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty." "Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve." "Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation." "Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable." "Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation." "Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates."


Manuscripts and editions to 1900

;Manuscripts * Lost original draft, 1771. * Copy discovered by Abel James, 1782, given by John Bigelow to the Pierpont Morgan Library, MA 723. * Le Veillard Copy, returned by Thomas Jefferson in May 1786 and lost, Veillard's translation of this text was acquired in 1908 by the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. * William Short Copy, ordered by Thomas Jefferson in 1786, Jefferson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. * William Temple Franklin Copies, purchased by Library of Congress with Henry Stevens papers in 1882, Franklin Papers, Series II, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. * Holograph Manuscript purchased from Church by Henry Huntington, Henry Huntington Library, San Marino, California
View annotated text and MS page images at ''Literature in Context: An Open Anthology of Literature''
'.'' ;Printed editions (1790–1901) * Stuber, Henry. "History of the Life and Character of Benjamin Franklin." ''Universal Asylum and Columbian Magazine.'' 4 (May, June and July 1790), 268–72, 332–39, 4–9. * Carey, Mathew. "Short sketch of the life of Dr. Franklin." ''American Museum.'' 8 (July, November 1790), 12–20, 210–12
Internet Archive
* Franklin, Benjamin. ''Mémoires de la vie privée de Benjamin Franklin écrits par lui-méme, et adressés a son fils; suivis d'un précis historique de sa vie politique, et de plusieurs pièces, relatives à ce père de la liberté.'' Translated by Jacques Gibelin. Paris: F. Buisson Libraire, 1791. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Works of the late Doctor Benjamin Franklin: consisting of his life written by himself: together with Essays, humorous, moral & literary, chiefly in the manner of the Spectator: in two volumes.'' Edited by Benjamin Vaughan and Richard Price. London: Printed for G.G.J. and J. Robinson, 1793. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The private life of the late Benjamin Franklin.'' London: J. Parsons, 1793. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The life of Dr. Benjamin Franklin.'' Philadelphia: Benjamin Johnson, 1794. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Benjamin Franklins kleine Schriften: meist in der Manier des Zuschauers: nebst seinem Leben.'' Weimar: Im Verlage des Industrie-Comptoirs, 1794. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The life of Doctor Benjamin Franklin.'' Edited by Richard Price. New-London, CN: Charles Holt, 1798. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Vie de Benjamin Franklin écrite par lui-même; suivie de ses œvres morales, politiques et littéraires, dont la plus grande partie n'avoit pas encore été publiée.'' Edited and translated by J. Castera. Paris: F. Buisson, 1798. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Works of the late Dr. Benjamin Franklin; consisting of his life written by himself: together with essays humorous, moral, and literary; chiefly in the manner of the Spectator.'' New York: John Tiebout, 1799. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Works of the Late Dr. Benjamin Franklin Consisting of His Life, Written by Himself: Together with Essays, Humorous, Moral and Literary, Chiefly in the Manner of the Spectator: to Which Is Added, Not in Any Other Edition, an Examination Before the British House of Lords Respecting the Stamp Act.'' Philadelphia: Wm. W. Woodward, 1801. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Complete Works in Philosophy, Politics, and Morals, of the Late Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Now First Collected and Arranged: With Memories of His Early Life.'' Edited by Marshall. London: J. Johnson, and Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme, 1806. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Memoirs of the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin. Edited by William Franklin.'' Philadelphia: T.S. Manning, 1818. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Life of the Late Dr. Benjamin Franklin.'' New York. Evert Duyckinck, 1813. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Memoirs of the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin.'' London: Henry Colburn, 1818. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The works of Dr. Benjamin Franklin.'' Philadelphia: B.C. Buzby, 1818. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Mémoires sur la vie de Benjamin Franklin écrits par lui-même.'' Paris: Jules Renouard, 1828. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin.'' Edited by William Temple Franklin, William Duane, George B. Ellis, and Henry Stevens. Philadelphia: M'Carty & Davis, 1831. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The works of Benjamin Franklin.'' Edited by
Jared Sparks Jared Sparks (May 10, 1789 – March 14, 1866) was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister. He served as President of Harvard College from 1849 to 1853. Biography Born in Willington, Connecticut, Sparks studied in the common s ...
. Boston: Hilliard, Gray, and Company, 1836–1840. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Life of Benjamin Franklin.'' Edited by Jared Sparks. Boston: Tappan and Dennet, 1844. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Benjamin Franklin: His Autobiography; With a Narrative of His Public Life and Services.'' Edited by Weld, H. Hastings. New York: Harper and Bros., 1849. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: published verbatim from the original manuscript, by his grandson, William Temple Franklin.'' Edited by Jared Sparks. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1850. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.'' Leipzig: Alphons Dürr, 1858. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin edited from his manuscript. Edited by John Bigelow.'' Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1868. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Life of Benjamin Franklin.'' Edited by John Bigelow. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1874. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''Franklin's boyhood: from his autobiography.''
Old South Geographically, the U.S. states known as the Old South are those in the Southern United States that were among the original Thirteen Colonies. The region term is differentiated from the Deep South and Upper South. From a cultural and social s ...
Leaflets, No. 5. Boston: Beacon Press, 1883
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* Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'' edited by Professor Henry Morley. Cassell's National Library. London, Paris, New York & Melbourne: Cassell & Company, 1883 * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, and a sketch of Franklin's life from the point where the autobiography ends, drawn chiefly from his letters. With notes and a chronological historical table.'' Boston: Houghton, 1886. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Complete Works of Benjamin Franklin: Including His Private as Well as His Official and Scientific Correspondence, and Numerous Letters and Documents Now for the First Time Printed, With Many Others Not Included in any Former Collection: Also the Unmutilated and Correct Version of his Autobiography.'' Edited by John Bigelow and Henry Bryan Hall. New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1887–1888. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.'' New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1889. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Prepared for use in schools.'' Edited by J. W. Abernethy. English Classic Series. no. 112–113. New York: Charles E. Merrill Co., 1892. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.'' Philadelphia: H. Altemus, 1895. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.'' New York and Cincinnati: American Book Company, 1896. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and a Sketch of Franklins Life: From the Point Where the Autobiography Ends.'' Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, and Co., 1896. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The life of Benjamin Franklin: Franklin's autobiography with the continuation by Jared Sparks.'' Französische und Englische Schulbibliothek, 52. Edited by Franz Wüllenweber. Leipzig: Renger, 1899. * Franklin, Benjamin. ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: Poor Richard's Almanac and other papers.'' New York:
A. L. Burt A. L. Burt (incorporated in 1902 as A. L. Burt Company) was a New York City-based book publishing house from 1883 until 1937. It was founded by Albert Levi Burt, a 40-year-old from Massachusetts who had come to recognize the demand for inexpen ...
Co., 1900.


References


Sources

* J. A. Leo Lemay & P. M. Zall, eds., ''Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography: A Norton Critical Edition'' (NY: Norton, 1986). . (Used for most information in article, including quotes from ''Autobiography'' text, history of publication, and critical opinions). * ''Benjamin Franklin: Writings,'' ed. J. A. Leo Lemay (NY:
Library of America The Library of America (LOA) is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature. Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LOA has published over 300 volumes by authors rang ...
, 1987). . (Notes on p. 1559 are source for dating of Part Four.)


External links

*
Description from EarlyAmerica.com

Spark Notes

Text of the ''Autobiography'' from EarlyAmerica.com
*

* , Book #148 Editor: Eliot Charles William, Release Date: May 22, 2008, ast updated: November 10, 2011* , Book #20203 Editor: Frank Woodworth Pine, Illustrator: E. Boyd Smith, Note: Bharles. W. Eliot, Release Date: * , Book #18455* , Book #22016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin, The 1791 non-fiction books 1818 non-fiction books 1868 non-fiction books 1949 non-fiction books 1981 non-fiction books American autobiographies Books about Benjamin Franklin Unfinished books Works by Benjamin Franklin Political autobiographies