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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (平装)
by Walter Isaacson
| Category:
American history, American revolution, Biography |
| Market price: ¥ 198.00
MSL price:
¥ 158.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Extremely revealing and readable, this is a remarkable biography of a remarkable man. |
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AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 12 items |
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The New York Times Book Review (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
A thoroughly researched, crisply written, convincingly argued chronicle. |
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The New York Times (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
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.
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The Washington Post Book World (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
The most readable full-length Franklin biography available.
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Jay Freeman (Booklist) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, and even Adams stare down at you from Mt. Olympus. But Benjamin Franklin has always seemed the most accessible of our Founding Fathers. He looks out benignly from our $100 bill. He dispenses grandfatherly wisdom spiced with humor from Poor Richard's Almanac. Of course, Franklin was a complicated and interesting personality, as this book illustrates. Isaacson, formerly the CEO of CNN and managing editor of Time magazine, is currently president of the Aspen Institute. He has written a chronological biography that pays due tribute to Franklin's genius while revealing his harder edges. Franklin was clearly driven and supremely ambitious. In serving his ambition, he could be manipulative and a shameless self-promoter. His personal and political loyalties often shifted, yet he never forgave the "betrayal" when his illegitimate son remained loyal to Britain.
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J. Mosher (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
After reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Benjamin Franklin, I have concluded Benjamin Franklin lived a very long time. This one took some time to get through. That being said, I never found Benjamin Franklin: An American Life tedious or boring. Franklin's personality was (and is) unappreciated in its complexity, and his eventful life is examined comprehensively by Isaacson. Each chapter is broken down into manageable sections, making it a great book to pick up and read a little bit at a time. In the end, all these fragments come together to form a fascinating portrait of someone who personified what it meant (and means) to be American. Only appropriate considering he was the only founding father present at the drafting of all four documents critical to the establishment of the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the treaty of alliance with France, the peace treaty with Great Britain, and the Constitution.
This biography is pretty much exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up: a no-nonsense profile of Franklin that provides an objective evaluation of his life and accomplishments, while simultaneously describing the larger social and political environment in which he operated. And it's all here. Franklin as a runaway, printer, author, scientist, entrepreneur, postmaster, politician, diplomat, and elder statesman. Through it all, the reader quickly realizes that politics in pre- and post-revolutionary America were often just as sordid, vitriolic, and personal as they are today (if not more). In addition, the cleavages between divergent political views in early America were far more distinct than they are at present. Despite these facts, Franklin envisioned a pragmatic union of the colonies, arguably earlier than anyone else. Though this view gradually shifted from a union loyal to Britain to an independent nation, it was truly an Enlightenment-based, American notion of self-government.
Isaacson also describes in detail Franklin's relationship with friends and enemies, often relying on original letters and journals to illustrate others' views of his subject. He draws on Franklin's own autobiography and other writings extensively, but also examines aspects of his life not mentioned in these sources (such as his many, but apparently never consummated, extra-marital relationships with women). All in all, Isaacson's research appears to be sound. This is demonstrated by his straightforward explanation of historical debate there may be about certain aspects of Franklin's life (such as the various theories about the identity of his eldest son's mother).
Franklin's emphasis on diligence, industriousness, simplicity, and pragmatism is mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. While, like any human being, he did at times stray from these "virtues," they profoundly guided him through a remarkable life. If you desire an interesting portrait of a founding father that will often shatter stereotypes about both his own life and the period in general (he rarely attended church, seeing little pragmatic use for most of the sermons, and even questioned the divinity of Jesus when asked for his thoughts on the subject at the end of his life, for example) you'll probably find this book a worthwhile read.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
This book is one of three about Benjamin Franklin that have been written in the past few years. I have read all three - Gordon Wood's, Edmund Morgan's, and this book by Isaacson, which is the best of the three. Benjamin Franklin is one of my heroes and I am overwhelmed with how talented this man was. Although Isaacson covers Benjamin Franklin's whole life, I would like to talk only about a certain viewpoint I have come to believe. My review meanders a little, but I promise I'll get to the point.
When Benjamin Franklin was in his young to middle-aged working life, he created, among other things, Poor Richard's Almanac. This was first published in 1733 - full of common sense, admonitions to industry and frugality, and homespun proverbs. His last edition was in 1758, reprinted separately as The Way To Wealth, and attributed to a "Father Abraham."
Later, when Benjamin Franklin was in a rare depression following a political failure in England, a friend convinced him he owed it to the public to write an autobiography. He began the first installment as advice to his son, William, and wrote additional entries over a number of years.
Benjamin Franklin loved Europe, and they loved him. His work in electricity in his early 40's earned him an international reputation, complete with multiple honorary degrees. Perhaps because he spent so much time abroad, perhaps because his political enemies set the tone, perhaps because he was much older than his political peer group, he was not as appreciated in his home country. Interestingly, he made it back for the writing of both the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution 11 years later.
After Benjamin Franklin died, he was virtually ignored in America, while France proclaimed 3 days of mourning and made him a national hero. This contrast is more than striking. There were many signers to the Declaration of Independence, yet only a few of them stand out in America as household names. The rest of them have varied lesser legacies, with perhaps only short encyclopedia entries.
BF's legacy would possibly have shared that fate, had it not been for his writings, particularly his Autobiography and Poor Richard's Almanac. Vitally important to the popularity of Benjamin Franklin's writings were the changes that were occurring in American society, lessening the mindless esteem of the seemingly non-working upper class, and celebrating the working man. Perhaps his books helped to expedite these changes.
In the early 1800's these two books became standard issue for those working men who aspired to get ahead in America. The Way To Wealth alone had more than a hundred editions in over a dozen languages. His "list of virtues" comprised 13 traits, each one to be concentrated on for a week at a time. At the end of thirteen weeks, they would all have been practiced once, so one starts over. At the end of a year, each virtue would have been rehearsed for four weeks. Benjamin Franklin admitted the difficulties he personally experienced while trying to be virtuous, but maintained there was virtue in attempting perfection. One of his famous statement concerns the problems he encountered conquering vanity. He wrote that in trying to keep his vanity under control during "humility" week, he found himself succumbing to proudness for having achieved so much humbleness (or something like that).
In 1836, a copy of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography was amongst Davy Crockett's few possessions found with him at the Alamo. Isaacson has given us a superb presentation of Benjamin Franklin's strength's, life, and accomplishments, and a few of his human weaknesses. I give it my highest recommendation. |
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C. Collins Jr. (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
Walter Isaacson's excellent and comprehensive biography of Benjamin Franklin does an excellent job of putting the pieces together in a life with many seeming contradictions.
I would like to discuss several periods in the life of Franklin and then discuss the major 'disconnect' in his life; which is the revered public figure compared to the almost negligent family life experienced by his common-law wife, Deborah, and his two children, Sally and William.
First, the young Franklin is presented as shrewed beyond his years and a young man of infinite intellectual interests as well as an approach to romance and love that reminds me of the free love movement of the 1960s.
Second, Franklin's rise in Pennslyvania civic government lays the groundwork for his dual feelings of loyalty and rebellion against the British. This is often the case with a highly bright and successful person in a repressive society. They gain recognition far beyond the average citizen and thus are invested in the status quo, and yet they see beyond the repression and thus can visualize strategies to move beyond these constraints toward a more just society. The Penn family hated Franklin for he called their bluff and negotiated continually for justice for the Pennsylvanian colonists.
Third, Franklin's early years in England, as negotiator for the colonists, gave him the intellectual and practical background to eventually negotiate with the French for alliance, negotiate a peace treaty with the British, and help construct a new national government. Yes, he was shamed by insolent British short-sighted politicians, but this shame forged a disposition that allowed great statemanship for the service of the nation he helped create.
Fourth, Frankin's years in France are delightful to read. He was one of the most famous men alive, celebrated everywhere he went, and yet he saw this as facade, or mask, and worked to both enjoy a wonderful private life with philosophers and scientists and bright beautiful women as well as a carefully constructed negotiation relationship with the Foreign Minister of France.
Fifth, Franklin's negotiations for peace with the British were as brilliant as his negotiations were with the French for their wartime assistance.
Sixth, Franklin's role in the establishment of our governmental structures is fascinating since he was the most democratic of all the delegates, proposing a single house legistature based on population representation and the direct election of the President rather than an electorial college. I know Al Gore wished Franklin's wisdom had won out.
The reader will be fascintated by the six sections I have mentioned above and yet there is a very strange blimish in the core of Franklin's personality. He is seduced and entranced by brilliance and intellect and whereas he philosophically supports the middle class, including middle class interests and intellect, in his own personal life, he deprives family members of his personal presence and support as he spends most of his life with persons of greater wit and intelligence than his blood relatives. What do we make of this? We all know that we select our friends but we inherit our relatives. Franklin chose to spend the majority of his life with his friends, even to the detriment of his family. His wife Deborah does not see him during her last 17 years and dies alone while he is in Paris. Yet Franklin had outgrown her and had moved far beyond her as an international celebrity and diplomat on whose actions two empires were waxing and waning and a new nation was being born. It appears that his family, at least the Bache family in Philadelphia, forgave him and cherished every moment he did give them in his old age.
Fascinating, complex, brilliant, strategic, focused, and wise only begin to describe this unique character in world history.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
Founding the United States of America was undeniably a team effort, but Walter Isaacson presents a compelling argument that no person was more instrumental in this monumental historical achievement than Benjamin Franklin. Isaacson does a superb job of not only documenting Franklin's direct contributions to various key events, but also describes how he influenced the thoughts and writings of other contemporaries, such as Thomases Paine and Jefferson. Through his writings, his accomplishments, and his life story, Ben Franklin has touched the lives of more people than has any other American. Isaacson's book will see to it that this continues to be true. Every American citizen who considers him/herself an educated person should study Ben Franklin, and Isaacson's book is a wonderful way for present day Americans to do so.
Although Walter Isaacson's well-researched and extensively footnoted book is fairly lengthy, I found myself wanting to know more about many of the events in Franklin's life, especially his scientific accomplishments. Isaacson, the former managing editor of Time magazine, at times settles for a Time-like summarized description, rather than a New Yorker-like unconstrained dissertation. Given Franklin's many accomplishments, this is (regretfully) necessary in order to prevent the book from expanding to multiple volumes. After all, as shown by some of the sources Isaacson cites, entire books have been written about months-long periods of Franklin's life, and academics at Yale are finishing up a 40 volume collection of Franklin's writings. All in all, Isaacson does an admirable job of presenting Franklin's life story in one volume. His writing is engaging, and his vocabulary and sentence structure are not at all too academic, which makes for a very pleasurable read.
Over a long and mostly happy lifetime, Benjamin Franklin compiled an amazing list of accomplishments. He was a true Renaissance man, operating at the leading edge of a wide variety of endeavors. He was a skilled businessman, inventor, scientist, writer, founder of institutions, and politician/diplomat. Knowledge has advanced since Franklin's time, and the world is a more crowded and complicated place, so mankind will likely never again see the likes of a Benjamin Franklin. Walter Isaacson's book brings the 18th century Benjamin Franklin to life in the 21st, and for that we can be grateful.
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Michael Todd (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
Isaacson provides us with an entertaining and easily readable biography of the founding father that was most ahead of his time. He depicts Franklin as a man who prized pragmatism, religious tolerance, and opposition to rigid class hierarchy. Franklin comes to life in these pages. Like most biographies and histories written today, this too is slightly revisionist in that the author highlights the flaws in Franklin's character and the inevitable inconsistencies in his actions. And yet, Franklin emerges as a hero of his age and a role model for our society today. What I took away from this book was the greatness of Franklin; he accomplished more in his life than nearly any of his contemporaries. This is an entertaining and illuminating biography of Franklin that transcends the hagiographical approach one often encounters when discussing our founding fathers. What one remembers as they read this book is that Franklin was human and one with whom it would be fascinating to have sat down and talked. A thoroughly entertaining biography that anyone interested in history or America should read.
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Jacqueline Newton (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-22 00:00>
I've always heard of Ben Franklin described as a "renaissance" man - scientiest, printer, diplomat - and imagined him to be enlightened ahead of his time which is why I impulsively bought this book. Not being much of a history buff, I was suprised that I immensley enjoyed this read. The author does a superb job of dissecting Ben Franklin's dichotomous character of complex intellect founded on exceedingly simplistic moral values. Throughout his life, Franklin engages in self examination to develop strict moral standards of frugality, simplicity, and temperance - qualities that I find exhausting, but Franklin confronted daily to develop an immensely strong character which he built his public image on.
However, Franklin becomes tangible to the reader because he grappled with private weaknesses and struggles within his own family, and at times with his country. He faced immense battles to protect his reputation from slander and had many enemies that were jealous of his station in life. However, his strength and ability to humbly overcome his enemies gave me much more admiration for him than from my previous knowledge of his famous contributions.
Franklin gave much to our society, and his life is marked by many extraordinary achievements. However, I was most impressed by his life quest to craft his art of persuasion and diplomacy. Often I think of leaders who demand respect through fear, instead Franklin potrayed his image as a mild mannered American traditionalist. He used the socratic method for debate - instead of inflaming his opponent, he used questions to inspire thought in the argument. Why was this important? It led to one of America's greatest diplomatic feats - that arguably ensured our independence. He endeared himself to the French as an American Frontiersmen and learned their culture and befriended their King. Without the Frenchies help to beat back the immense British Navy, we would have never won independence. He slyly played the French off the British, while maintaining diplomatic channels with both countries. In the end, he secured our independence and disentangled America from owing anything to France - quite a remarkable diplomatic feat. His politics and diplomacy can teach us lessons that are applicable in present society. He spent years with the French learning their culture and politics, and weaved his way through their society to gain their trust. Franklin did not present and air of preferred status, but as a mutual partner wanting to work with their country. I felt his methods and lessons on virtue are valuable to today's politics and diplomacy.
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