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Walter isaacson.
Walter Isaacson is writing a biography of Elon Musk. He is the author of The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race; Leonardo da Vinci; Steve Jobs; Einstein: His Life and Universe; Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution; and Kissinger: A Biography. He is also the coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made. He is a Professor of History at Tulane, has been CEO of the Aspen Institute, chairman of CNN, and editor of Time magazine.
Customers find the book carefully researched and a decent biography on Ben Franklin. They also say it's an all-American icon.
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Customers find the book carefully researched, inspiring, and magnanimous. They also say the author is fantastic.
"...It is a must read for history enthusiasts . Superbly portrayed his colourful life." Read more
"...A great scientist , entrepreneur and statesman- he changed the course of American history and was instrumental not only in the freedom movement but..." Read more
"A carefully researched book about an all American icon. Everyone can learn something from the interesting life of Ben Franklin." Read more
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Customers find the autobiography a decent biography on Ben Franklin.
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"One of the greatest autobiography of an American . Detailing of each and every incident of BF life is fabulous. Fair enough." Read more
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54 pages • 1 hour read
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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life is a biography by Walter Isaacson published in 2003 by Simon & Schuster. It depicts this American Founding Father as instrumental in developing the American character, ensuring the independence of the United States, and promoting democracy. The book became a New York Times bestseller. Isaacson is a journalist and professor of history at Tulane University who has published biographies of other notable figures such as Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Steve Jobs. This guide references the 2004 paperback edition.
Born in Puritan Boston on January 17, 1706, Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son in his family. He apprenticed as a printer in his brother James’s shop. That occupation was a perfect fit for Franklin given his outstanding writing skills and intellectual curiosity. Knowing that his brother would not print his work, Franklin submitted a series of essays anonymously under the pen name Silence Dogood. These highly successful essays demonstrated Franklin’s wit and ability to write in a conversational style . Chafing under the authority of his brother, Franklin ran away at age 17 to Philadelphia where he arrived virtually penniless. He quickly found work at a print shop. Impressed with Franklin, the governor, Sir William Keith, offered to fund a shop of Franklin’s own. He dispatched Franklin to London to purchase the equipment. Once there, Franklin discovered that the funds would not be forthcoming. He found work in London’s printing industry and returned to Philadelphia when a merchant paid his fare in exchange for Franklin’s promise to work for him.
Franklin’s sponsor died soon after he arrived in Philadelphia. So, using his writing skills and shrewd business instincts, Franklin soon opened his own shop. In time, Franklin succeeded in besting his rivals and built a media empire. He not only published a newspaper but was also named postmaster and won the contract to print official documents. He published Poor Richard’s Almanack for the first time in 1732. The Almanack was very successful and pioneered a particularly American form of folksy humor. Franklin was able to retire from the printing industry at the age of 42.
After he retired from business, Franklin could indulge his scientific curiosity. Isaacson stresses the important contribution Franklin made to science, particularly in the area of electricity. His theories about lightning and the use of metal rods to tame it won him international fame, as lightning had been a scourge previously. Franklin made several other scientific discoveries that had practical benefits for humankind. In his day, many considered him the world’s best scientist.
In 1751, Franklin entered politics, winning a seat in the Pennsylvania Assembly. Two decisions shaped his future, namely, his opposition to the proprietors of Pennsylvania who governed the colony and his efforts to unite the colonies. The proprietors stood for elite privilege, which Franklin detested, and thus he sided with the Assembly in power struggles against them. Faced with threats on the western frontier from the French and native tribes, Franklin attended the Albany Conference where he proposed a national congress. England and the colonial legislatures balked at the plan.
Frustrated with a lack of progress in negotiations with the proprietors over taxes, which they were exempt from paying, the Assembly sent Franklin to London in 1757 to plead its case. Franklin would have no success in this mission and would abandon his penchant for conciliation and instead alienate those with whom he negotiated. With his mission stymied, he could have returned home in 1758 but decided not to do so. He lodged with Margaret Stevenson and her daughter Polly in London and adopted them as a surrogate family. His wife, home with their daughter Sally, declined to travel with Franklin. He seemed to have closer relations with his surrogate family than with his own. Franklin brought William with him to London but was disappointed in his son’s association with the wealthy Tories. When William married into that class, Franklin opted to sail home and not attend the wedding.
Returning to Philadelphia in 1763, Franklin embarked on a 17-month postal tour of the colonies. He had no compunction about leaving his wife for long periods. In 1765, he was sent back to London on an ill-fated mission to convince England to change the form of government in Pennsylvania from a proprietorship to a royal colony . Across the ocean, Franklin initially misread the pulse of American opinion in the aftermath of the Stamp Act. He was seen in the colonies as an apologist for the act and his home in Philadelphia was almost attacked by a mob. Yet, using his adept public relations skills, Franklin soon remedied that image through testimony in Parliament condemning the tax. When the act was subsequently repealed, he became the spokesperson for America in London. During his time in London, Franklin’s wife Deborah pleaded for his help when their daughter Sally sought to marry a man named Richard Bache , who had a poor reputation in business. Franklin declined to return home to help or for his daughter’s wedding. Nor did he come home when his wife was ill. She died before his return to Philadelphia in May 1775.
Franklin’s return home coincided with the Second Continental Congress in which he participated. Franklin was an early supporter of independence and played a significant role in ensuring that outcome. He edited and supported Thomas Paine’s Common Sense , which shifted public opinion toward independence, and he helped to draft the Declaration of Independence. More importantly, Franklin was dispatched to France, where he established America’s first foreign embassy and played an instrumental role in securing an alliance. He astutely waited for favorable conditions on the ground with the victory at Saratoga to plead his case with a combination of realism , appealing to French interests, and idealism , garnering the support of the French public for American ideals. Additionally, he played England and France off one another making the French believe that the Americans might make peace with England. His campaign succeeded, and he was a signatory to the alliance.
Franklin took his grandsons Temple, William’s illegitimate child, and Benny, Sally’s son, with him to France. Because William was a Loyalist, Franklin had broken ties with his only son. When William, who was a royal governor, was jailed at the outset of the war, Franklin did nothing to help him. What is more, Franklin was adamant in the peace negotiations with England that Loyalists, such as his son, not be compensated for the loss of their property. He loved Temple, whom he rescued from a foster family after he was abandoned by William. Although he also loved Benny, he sent him to a school in Geneva where the boy was miserable. Despite being informed of the situation, he left Benny there for four years. In Paris, Franklin formed a flirtatious friendship with one woman and half seriously proposed to another. His offer was declined. He wrote witty stories about his relationships and other matters. His correspondence with his daughter could be stern and cold while he seemed to delight in playing the role of father to other young women. Franklin found himself working alongside John Adams in France. Opposite personalities, the two men irritated but also respected one another.
Franklin was replaced by Thomas Jefferson in Paris. He returned to Philadelphia in 1785. Two years later, at 81, he became the oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention. With his wit and conciliatory style, he played a critical role in encouraging the delegates to compromise about the nature of the union. He was a signatory of the Constitution, making him the only person to have signed the Declaration of Independence, the alliance with France, the Treaty with England, and the Constitution. He died on April 17, 1790, surrounded by family and surrogate family members. Close to 20,000 attended his funeral.
Isaacson argues that Franklin represented and helped to create one side of the American character. He stood for pragmatism, religious tolerance, and good works. Combining liberalism in its commitment to public projects, conservatism in its advocacy of self-reliance, and populism in its rejection of aristocratic privilege, his outlook shaped that of the American middle class. His conciliatory approach made him a virtue of compromise, which is essential to democracy. He was, according to Isaacson, the most democratic of the Founding Fathers.
By Walter Isaacson
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An american life.
by Walter Isaacson ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2003
A little less sophisticated than H.W. Brands’s The First American, but a solid contribution to Frankliniana all the same.
Nicely done life of “the most accomplished American of his age.”
Benjamin Franklin may have been among the leading revolutionary firebrands of his time, but, suggests Aspen Institute president Isaacson ( Kissinger , 1992), he wouldn’t be at all out of place in an office park or perhaps Rotary Club meeting today. That doesn’t mean to say that Franklin was a proto-Republican, but instead a practical-minded businessman who found much virtue in striking compromises, building consensus, and networking—and who pinched pennies with the best of them, adopting vegetarianism only so that the money saved on meat could go into his savings and studies. Yet, all that said, Isaacson reminds us that Franklin essentially retired, wealthy and content, in his early 40s and devoted the rest of his days to doing acts of public good, pressing the cause of meritocracy in the service of “social mobility rather than an established elite” and furthering the cause of American independence at considerable risk to his property and person. Isaacson charts the trajectory of Franklin’s political thought on all kinds of matters; he notes, for instance, that although Franklin enthusiastically accepted advertisements for slave sales in the newspapers he published and owned “one or two household slaves off and on for much of his life,” he came to see the incompatibility of such commerce with the revolutionary ideals he espoused and ended his days as a committed abolitionist. Similarly, as the very exemplar of a self-made man, Franklin gave much thought to the inequalities wrought by inherited fortune, arguing “that the accumulation of excess wealth and the idle indulgence in frivolous luxuries should not be socially sanctioned.” Alas, Franklin’s arguments did not carry the day in most particulars, but he remains an ideal American type—and one well served by this sympathetic and admiring study.
Pub Date: July 4, 2003
ISBN: 0-684-80761-0
Page Count: 576
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2003
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | HISTORY | HISTORICAL & MILITARY | POLITICAL & ROYALTY | UNITED STATES | GENERAL HISTORY | GENERAL BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
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by Walter Isaacson
by Walter Isaacson with adapted by Sarah Durand
by Robert Greene ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1998
If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire.
The authors have created a sort of anti-Book of Virtues in this encyclopedic compendium of the ways and means of power.
Everyone wants power and everyone is in a constant duplicitous game to gain more power at the expense of others, according to Greene, a screenwriter and former editor at Esquire (Elffers, a book packager, designed the volume, with its attractive marginalia). We live today as courtiers once did in royal courts: we must appear civil while attempting to crush all those around us. This power game can be played well or poorly, and in these 48 laws culled from the history and wisdom of the world’s greatest power players are the rules that must be followed to win. These laws boil down to being as ruthless, selfish, manipulative, and deceitful as possible. Each law, however, gets its own chapter: “Conceal Your Intentions,” “Always Say Less Than Necessary,” “Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy,” and so on. Each chapter is conveniently broken down into sections on what happened to those who transgressed or observed the particular law, the key elements in this law, and ways to defensively reverse this law when it’s used against you. Quotations in the margins amplify the lesson being taught. While compelling in the way an auto accident might be, the book is simply nonsense. Rules often contradict each other. We are told, for instance, to “be conspicuous at all cost,” then told to “behave like others.” More seriously, Greene never really defines “power,” and he merely asserts, rather than offers evidence for, the Hobbesian world of all against all in which he insists we live. The world may be like this at times, but often it isn’t. To ask why this is so would be a far more useful project.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-670-88146-5
Page Count: 430
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1998
GENERAL BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION | PSYCHOLOGY | HISTORICAL & MILITARY
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by Jon Krakauer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1996
A wonderful page-turner written with humility, immediacy, and great style. Nothing came cheap and easy to McCandless, nor...
The excruciating story of a young man on a quest for knowledge and experience, a search that eventually cooked his goose, told with the flair of a seasoned investigative reporter by Outside magazine contributing editor Krakauer (Eiger Dreams, 1990).
Chris McCandless loved the road, the unadorned life, the Tolstoyan call to asceticism. After graduating college, he took off on another of his long destinationless journeys, this time cutting all contact with his family and changing his name to Alex Supertramp. He was a gent of strong opinions, and he shared them with those he met: "You must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life''; "be nomadic.'' Ultimately, in 1992, his terms got him into mortal trouble when he ran up against something—the Alaskan wild—that didn't give a hoot about Supertramp's worldview; his decomposed corpse was found 16 weeks after he entered the bush. Many people felt McCandless was just a hubris-laden jerk with a death wish (he had discarded his map before going into the wild and brought no food but a bag of rice). Krakauer thought not. Admitting an interest that bordered on obsession, he dug deep into McCandless's life. He found a willful, reckless, moody boyhood; an ugly little secret that sundered the relationship between father and son; a moral absolutism that agitated the young man's soul and drove him to extremes; but he was no more a nutcase than other pilgrims. Writing in supple, electric prose, Krakauer tries to make sense of McCandless (while scrupulously avoiding off-the-rack psychoanalysis): his risky behavior and the rites associated with it, his asceticism, his love of wide open spaces, the flights of his soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-679-42850-X
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Villard
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1995
GENERAL BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
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ISBN: 074325807X
ISBN13: 9780743258074
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Walter isaacson.
Walter Isaacson is writing a biography of Elon Musk. He is the author of The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race; Leonardo da Vinci; Steve Jobs; Einstein: His Life and Universe; Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution; and Kissinger: A Biography. He is also the coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made. He is a Professor of History at Tulane, has been CEO of the Aspen Institute, chairman of CNN, and editor of Time magazine.
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25 best biographies of all time.
It can be challenging to determine the best biographies of all time .
Some of them feature a compelling storytelling or narrative voice. Others depict an eventful life full of intriguing developments. A portion of them also have a relatable style with overwhelming authenticity, which helps readers connect with the human they’re reading about.
The following biographies or memoirs stand out from the rest by being exceptional in any—or all—of the aforementioned elements.
They are extraordinary works that have, in many different ways, made a lasting impact on culture and could be the next engaging read you need.
by Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex
A tell-all written by the rebellious prince himself, Spare truly spares no detail portraying the intimate details of his struggle between love, duty, and pain at the heart of the Royal Family.
by Walter Isaacson
In the book Leonardo Da Vinci , Renowned American historian and journalist Walter Isaacson provides powerful insight into the life of one of humanity’s most notable geniuses by reading and studying Leonardo’s notebooks and written thoughts.
Once again, Isaacson ventures into studying the minds of prominent figures by releasing Elon Musk , an authorized biography of the noted business magnate covering his life, projects, and controversies up until the publishing date.
by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
Based on interviews, records, letters, and other exhaustive research, American Prometheus won the Pulitzer Prize for depicting J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life before, during, and after he becomes Death, destroyer of worlds.
by Michelle Obama
The life of America’s first African-American First Lady is a rollercoaster of struggle and success, meaning and accomplishment. With creative narrative choices and clever wordsmithing, Becoming has become one of the most celebrated autobiographies and even won a Grammy.
by Britney Spears
As the long-awaited autobiography of the Princess of Pop, The Woman in Me reveals the most intimate details of her life in her words. Direct, candid, and vulnerable, Britney exposes her life—from childhood to her fight for freedom.
by Yeonmi Park and Maryanne Vollers
In Order To Live is the harrowing yet inspiring memoir of Yeonmi Park, a human rights activist who escaped North Korea alongside her mother in 2007 at 13 years old. From fear to slavery, this is her journey towards freedom.
by Andrew Morton
Princess Diana continues to be admired, remembered, and beloved long after her untimely passing. But before becoming Lady Di, she was simply Diana—and there is no better way to learn about her than through her words in Diana: Her True Story book.
by Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry’s memoir exposes his soul—the good and the bad—as he deals with both friends and Friends, lovers along the way, and, of course, the Big Terrible Thing : his addictions.
Benjamin Franklin had both a brilliant mind and an intriguing life. Benjamin Franklin’s biography explores his life, death, and achievements while unraveling the man behind the legend, the kite, and the lightning.
Einstein is another emblematic biography by best-seller writer Walter Isaacson, focusing on one of humanity’s brightest minds and the tenacious curiosity that drove him to change the world.
by Andrew Roberts
British historian and journalist Andrew Roberts breathes new literary life into Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s figure and legend in the Churchill biography that reveals brand-new information through letters and transcripts of war cabinet meetings.
by A. J. Baime
An ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, Harry S. Truman’s first four months in office took place right at the climax of World War II and its unraveling consequences, challenging who he was and who he wanted to become.
by Dave Grohl
The autobiography of one of the living rock legends, The Storyteller follows Dave Grohl from childhood to Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and everything in between through a collection of short stories.
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As seen on the screen in Rocketman, Elton John has had an electrifying and extraordinary life. In Me , he exposes his soul in his words—from his days as Reginald Dwight to now.
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Written by the Academy Award-winning actor after a self-imposed exile, Greenlights is equal parts a memoir and a philosophical journey through his perspective on life, hopes, and dreams.
by Barack Obama
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by M. K. Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a man before becoming a world-class leader and symbol of peace. In his autobiography , he reflects on his beginnings until 1920 and the events that shaped his philosophy on leadership.
by Edith Hahn Beer and Susan Dworkin
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by Ron Chernow
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Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton famously inspired Lin Manuel-Miranda’s acclaimed musical. It takes a deep dive into Hamilton’s life—his humble origins, ambitious ideas, scandalized fall from grace, and indispensable role as a Founding Father.
Biographies and memoirs offer a treasure trove of engaging tales, insights, and sometimes even life lessons. They are a window into the lives of people who have—in many ways—lived lives worth sharing with others.
Although these books are among the best, this list is far from all-inclusive. From geniuses to artists and heroic tales of self-improvement, there are many other biographies that also offer a captivating insight into the beauty of the human experience, so don’t hesitate to choose them for your next read.
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Elbana is a Venezuelan Magna Cum Laude graduate with a B.Sc. in International Affairs and a Master’s in International Law and Politics. With an academic affinity for grounded non-fiction and a heartfelt personal love for creative fiction, her intellectual pursuits and writing projects seek to conciliate both.
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In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character. Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble.
Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father who winks at us. An ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings, he seems made of flesh rather than of marble. In bestselling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin seems to turn to us from history's stage with eyes that twinkle from ...
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life is a non-fiction book authored by American historian and journalist Walter Isaacson. Published in 2003 by Simon & Schuster, the biographical work details the life and times of prominent U.S. statesman and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.
Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble. In a sweeping narrative that follows Franklin's life from Boston to Philadelphia to London and Paris and back, Walter Isaacson chronicles the adventures of the runaway apprentice who became, over the course of his eighty-four-year ...
In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character.Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at...
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Benjamin Franklin. : Walter Isaacson. Simon and Schuster, 2003 - Biography & Autobiography - 590 pages. Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father who winks at us. An ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings, he seems made of flesh rather ...
Benjamin Franklin : an American life by Isaacson, Walter Publication date 2004 Topics Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790, Statesmen -- United States -- Biography, Scientists -- United States -- Biography, Inventors -- United States -- Biography, Printers -- United States -- Biography, United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783, United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1789 ...
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Walter Isaacson. Simon and Schuster, May 4, 2004- Biography & Autobiography- 590 pages. In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character.
In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character. Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble. In a sweeping narrative that follows Franklin's life from Boston to ...
Walter Isaacson,Evan Thomas Benjamin Franklin Walter Isaacson,2004-05-04 Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble. In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character.
In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character.Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble.
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life is a biography by Walter Isaacson published in 2003 by Simon & Schuster. It depicts this American Founding Father as instrumental in developing the American character, ensuring the independence of the United States, and promoting democracy.
Benjamin Franklin | In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character.
In this riveting new biography Walter Isaacson provides readers with a full portrait of Franklin's public and private life - his loyal but neglected wife, his bastard son with whom he broke over going to war with England, his endless replacement families and his many amorous, but probably unconsummated, liaisons.
Benjamin Franklin : an American life by Isaacson, Walter Publication date 2003 Topics Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790, Statesmen -- United States -- Biography, Scientists -- United States -- Biography, Inventors -- United States -- Biography, Printers -- United States -- Biography, United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783, United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1789 ...
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Hardcover - Large Print, December 16, 2003. In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin's amazing life, from his days as a runaway printer to his triumphs as a statesman, scientist, and Founding Father. He chronicles Franklin's tumultuous relationship with his ...
Benjamin Franklin may have been among the leading revolutionary firebrands of his time, but, suggests Aspen Institute president Isaacson (Kissinger, 1992), he wouldn't be at all out of place in an office park or perhaps Rotary Club meeting today. That doesn't mean to say that Franklin was a proto-Republican, but instead a practical-minded businessman who found much virtue in striking ...
Buy a cheap copy of Benjamin Franklin book by Walter Isaacson. In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of... Free Shipping on all orders over $15.
The Many-Minded Man. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. An American Life. By Walter Isaacson. Illustrated. 590 pp. New York: Simon & Schuster. $30. For reasons that no one has adequately explained, those ...
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Kindle Edition. In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character. Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems ...
In best-selling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin turns to us from history's stage with eyes that twinkle from behind his new-fangled spectacles. In Benjamin Franklin, Isaacson shows how Franklin defines both his own time and ours.
Walter Seff Isaacson (born May 20, 1952) is an American historian and journalist best known for having written biographies of important public figures, including Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk.
Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane and was CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN, and editor of Time.
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. by Walter Isaacson. Benjamin Franklin had both a brilliant mind and an intriguing life. Benjamin Franklin's biography explores his life, death, and achievements while unraveling the man behind the legend, the kite, and the lightning.
In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character.Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble.