In his time Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was the most famous
American in the world. Even those personally unacquainted with the
man knew him as the author of" Poor Richard's Almanack," as a
pioneer in the study of electricity and a major figure in the
American Enlightenment, as the creator of such life-changing
innovations as the lightning rod and America's first circulating
library, and as a leader of the American Revolution. His friends
also knew him as a brilliant conversationalist, a great wit, an
intellectual filled with curiosity, and most of all a master
anecdotist whose vast store of knowledge complemented his
conversational skills. In "Franklin in His Own Time," by reprinting
the original documents in which those anecdotes occur, Kevin Hayes
and Isabelle Bour restore those oft-told stories to their cultural
contexts to create a comprehensive narrative of his life and work.
The thirty-five recollections gathered in "Franklin in His Own
Time" form an animated, collaborative biography designed to provide
a multitude of perspectives on the "First American." Opening with
an account by botanist Peter Kalm showing that Franklin was doing
all he could to encourage the development of science in North
America, it includes on-the-spot impressions from Daniel Fisher's
diary, the earliest surviving interview with Franklin,
recollections from James Madison and Abigail Adams, Manasseh
Cutler's detailed description of the library at Franklin Court, and
extracts from Alexander Hamilton's unvarnished "Minutes of the
Tuesday Club." Franklin's political missions to Great Britain and
France, where he took full advantage of rich social and
intellectual opportunities, are a source of many reminiscences,
some published here in new translations. Genuine memories from such
old friends as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, as opposed to
memories influenced by the "Autobiography," clarify Franklin's
reputation. Robert Carr may have been the last remaining person who
knew Franklin personally, and thus his recollections are
particularly significant. Each entry is introduced by a headnote
that places the selection in its historical and cultural contexts;
explanatory notes provide information about people and places; and
the editors' comprehensive introduction and chronology detail
Franklin's eventful life. Dozens of lively primary sources
published incrementally over more than a hundred years illustrate
the complexity of the man, his mind, and his mannerisms in a way
that no single biographer could.
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