Benjamin Franklin

The tenth and youngest son of a poor Boston soapmaker, Benjamin Franklinwould rise to become, in Thomas Jefferson's words, "the greatest man andornament of his age." In this short, engaging biography, historian Edwin S.Gaustad offers a marvelous portrait of this towering colonial figure,illuminating Franklin's character and personality. Here is truly one of the most extraordinary lives imaginable, a man who,with only two years of formal education, became a printer, publisher,postmaster, philosopher, world-class scientist and inventor, statesman,musician, and abolitionist. Gaustad presents a chronological account of allthese accomplishments, delightfully spiced with quotations from Franklin's ownextensive writings. The book describes how the hardworking Franklin became atage 24 the most successful printer in Pennsylvania and how by 42, with the helpof Poor Richard's Almanack, he had amassed enough wealth to retire frombusiness. We then follow Franklin's next brilliant career, as an inventor andscientist, examining his pioneering work on electricity and his inventions ofthe Franklin Stove, the lightning rod, and bifocals, as well as his mapping ofthe Gulf Stream, a major contribution to navigation. Lastly, the book coversFranklin's role as America's leading statesman, ranging from his years inEngland before the Revolutionary War to his time in France thereafter,highlighting his many contributions to the cause of liberty. Along the way,Gaustad sheds light on Franklin's personal life, including his troubledrelationship with his illegitimate son William, who remained a Loyalist duringthe Revolution, and Franklin's thoughts on such topics as religion and morality. Written by a leading authority on colonial America, this compact biographycaptures in a remarkably small space one of the most protean lives in ournation's history. "Gaustad's admirable brief life of Benjamin Franklin is written with grace andinformed by a lifetime of close and thoughtful study of the American past." --R. B. Bernstein, author of Thomas Jefferson

Edwin S. Gaustad is Professor of History and Religious Studies Emeritus at the University of California at Riverside. He is the author of many books, including Liberty of Conscience: Roger Williams in America, Church and State in America, Sworn on the Altar of God: A Religious Biography of Thomas Jefferson, and Roger Williams (another book in the Lives and Legacies series).