Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography Poor Richard and Later Writings (Library of America)

About this book

"Writing has been of Great Use to me in the Course of my Life " Benjamin Franklin said in his famous Autobiography. With characteristically calculated understatement he attributed his enormous and varied successes to my having learnt a little to scribble. This Library of America collection of Franklins works begins with letters sent from London (17571775) describing the events and diplomacy preceding the Revolutionary War. The volume also contains political satires bagatelles pamphlets and letters written in Paris (17761785) where he represented the revolutionary United States at the court of Louis XVI as well as his speeches given in the Constitutional Convention and other works written in Philadelphia (17851790) including his last published article a searing satire against slavery. Also included are the delightfully shrewd prefaces to Poor Richards Almanack (17331758) and their worldly pungent maxims that have entered our American culture. Finally the classic Autobiography Franklins last word on his greatest literary creationhis own invented personalityis presented here in a new edition completely faithful to Franklins manuscript. A companion volume includes the complete Silence Dogood series Busy-Body essays and a generous selection of his early writings including letters to the press satires and pamphlets. LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nations literary heritage by publishing and keeping permanently in print Americas best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date authoritative editions that average 1 000 pages in length feature cloth covers sewn bindings and ribbon markers and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.