First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This classic study explores the role of merchant seamen in precipitating the American revolution. It analyzes the participation of seamen in impressment riots, the Stamp Act Riot, the Battle of Golden Hill, and other incidents. The book describes these events and explores the social world of the seamen, offering explanations for their actions. Focusing on the culture, politics, and experiences of early American seamen, this legendary study played an important role in the development of histories of the common people and has inspired generations of social and early American historians. Lemisch's later related article, "Jack Tar in the Streets," was named one of the ten most important articles ever published in the prestigious "William and Mary Quarterly. "Long unavailable, this edition includes an index and an appreciative foreword by Marcus Rediker, author of "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Merchant Seamen, Pirates, and the Anglo-American Maritime World, 1700-1750"
(Ph.D. Dissertation, Yale University, 1962)

One of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, Benjamin Franklin was a true Renaissance man: writer, publisher, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and politician. During his long life, he offered advice on attaining wealth, organized public institutions, contributed to the birth of a nation, and negotiated with foreign powers to ensure his country's survival.
Through the words of the elder statesman himself, "The Autobiography and Other Writings "presents a remarkable insight into the man and his accomplishments. Additional writings from Benjamin Franklin's wife and son provide a more intimate portrait of the husband and father who became a legend in his own time.
Edited by L. Jesse Lemich
With a New Introduction by Walter Isaacson
and an Afterword by Carla Mulford