Benjamin Franklin The Great American

Benjamin Franklin - The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Date June 16, 2008

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Benjamin <b>Franklin</b>” align=”left” style=”margin-right: 15px;” /> <BLOCKQUOTE>“The first book to belong permanently to literature. It created a man.” <P>– From the Introduction</BLOCKQUOTE><P>Few men could compare to Benjamin <b>Franklin</b>. Virtually self-taught, he excelled as an athlete, a man of letters, a printer, a scientist, a wit, an inventor, an editor, and a writer, and he was probably the most successful diplomat in American history. David Hume hailed him as the first great philosopher and great man of letters in the New World.<P>Written initially to guide his son, <b>Franklin</b>’s autobiography is a lively, spellbinding account of his unique and eventful life. Stylistically his best work, it has become a classic in world literature, one to inspire and delight readers everywhere.</p> <p> <b>Author:</b> Benjamin <b>Franklin</b> <br /> <b>Paperback:</b>  160 pages <br /> <b>Company:</b> Touchstone  (2003-12-23) <br /> <b>ISBN:</b> 0743255062<br /> <b>List Price:</b> $10.95<br /> <b>Amazon Price:</b> $3.84<br /> <b>Used Price:</b> $3.75</p> <p><i>Source: www.amazon.com</i></p> <p><b>Benjamin <b>Franklin</b>: An American Life</b><br /> <img src= They were legalized pirates empowered by the Continental Congress to raid and plunder, at their own considerable risk, as much enemy trade as they could successfully haul back to America’s shores; they played a central role in American’s struggle for independence and later turned their seafaring talents to the slave trade; embodying the conflict between enterprise and morality central to the American psyche.

In Patriot Pirates, Robert H. Patton, grandson of the battlefield genius of World War II, writes that during America’s Revolutionary War, what began in 1775 as a New England fad–converting civilian vessels to fast-sailing warships, and defying the Royal Navy’s overwhelming firepower to snatch its merchant shipping–became a massive seaborne insurgency that ravaged the British economy and helped to win America’s independence. More than two thousand privately owned warships were commissioned by Congress to prey on enemy transports, seize them by force, and sell the cargoes for prize money to be divided among the privateer’s officers, crewmen, and owners.

Patton writes how privateering engaged all levels of Revolutionary life, from the dockyards to the assembly halls; how it gave rise to an often cutthroat network of agents who sold captured goods and sparked wild speculation in purchased shares in privateer ventures, enabling sailors to make more money in a month than they might otherwise earn in a year.

As one naval historian has observed, “The great battles of the American Revolution were fought on land, but independence was won at sea.”

Benjamin Franklin, then serving at his diplomatic post in Paris, secretly encouraged the sale of captured goods in France, a calculated violation of neutrality agreements between France and Britain, in the hopes that the two countries would come to blows and help take the pressure off American fighters.

Patton writes about those whose aggressive speculation in privateering promoted the war effort: Robert Morris–a financier of the Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, member of the Continental Congress who helped to fund George Washington’s army, later tried (and acquitted) for corruption when his deals with foreign merchants and privateers came to light, and emerged from the war as one of America’s wealthiest men . . . William Bingham… John R. Livingston–scion of a well-connected New York family who made no apologies for exploiting the war for profit, calling it “a means of making my fortune.” He worried that peace would break out too soon. (“If it takes place without a proper warning,” said Livingston, “it may ruin us.”) Vast fortunes made through privateering survive to this day, among them those of the Peabodys, Cabots, and Lowell’s of Massachusetts, and the Derbys and Browns of Rhode Island.

A revelation of America’s War of Independence, a sweeping tale of maritime rebel-entrepreneurs bent on personal profit as well as national freedom.

Author: Robert H. Patton
Hardcover:  320 pages
Company: Pantheon  (2008-05-20) (2008-05-20)
ISBN: 0375422846
List Price: $26.00
Amazon Price: $13.00
Used Price: $11.14

Source: www.amazon.com

Poor Richard’s Almanack
Poor Richard's Almanack

Benjamin Franklin’s classic book is full of timeless, thought-provoking insights that are as valuable today as they were over two centuries ago. With more than 700 pithy proverbs, Franklin lays out the rules everyone should live by and offers advice on such subjects as money, friendship, marriage, ethics, and human nature. They range from the famous “A penny saved is a penny earned” to the lesser-known but equally practical “When the wine enters, out goes the truth.” Other truisms like “Fish and visitors stink after three days” combine sharp wit with wisdom. Paul Volcker’s new introduction offers a fascinating perspective on Franklin’s beloved work.

Author: Benjamin Franklin
Hardcover:  144 pages
Company: Skyhorse Publishing  (2007-11)
ISBN: 1602391173
List Price: $9.95
Amazon Price: $5.49
Used Price: $5.61

Source: www.amazon.com

Tags: , ,

zippo-2008-lighter-united-states-ben-franklin ZIPPO 2008 LIGHTER UNITED STATES BEN FRANKLIN
US $9.95 (1 Bid)
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 9:36:21 PDT
Bid on this Item | Watch this Item
historical-ben-franklin-smurf-smurfs-peyo-schleich-1984 Historical Ben Franklin Smurf Smurfs Peyo Schleich 1984
US $35.99 (1 Bid)
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 10:00:02 PDT
Bid on this Item | Watch this Item
1949-ben-franklin-half-dollar-bu 1949 BEN FRANKLIN HALF DOLLAR BU
US $12.00 (3 Bids)
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 11:00:00 PDT
Bid on this Item | Watch this Item
4-ben-franklin-silver-half-dollars-90-silver 4- BEN FRANKLIN SILVER HALF DOLLARS (90% SILVER)
US $15.52 (9 Bids)
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 11:30:17 PDT
Bid on this Item | Watch this Item
ben-franklin-in-paris-lp-rare-rob-preston-michael-kidd Ben Franklin In Paris LP RARE Rob Preston Michael Kidd
US $5.99 (1 Bid)
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 11:37:51 PDT
Bid on this Item | Watch this Item
1933-ben-franklin-bronze-medal-art-coin-patriot-rare 1933 BEN FRANKLIN BRONZE MEDAL ART COIN PATRIOT rare
US $200.00
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 11:49:15 PDT
Bid on this Item | Buy this Item | Watch this Item
4-ben-franklin-silver-half-dollars-90-silver 4- BEN FRANKLIN SILVER HALF DOLLARS (90% SILVER)
US $15.52 (7 Bids)
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 11:50:13 PDT
Bid on this Item | Buy this Item | Watch this Item
ben-franklin-in-paris-original-broadway-cast-lp Ben Franklin In Paris - Original Broadway Cast LP
US $1.75 (0 Bid)
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 11:50:56 PDT
Bid on this Item | Buy this Item | Watch this Item
500-ben-franklin-poker-chips-14-table-grams-14g-laser 500 Ben Franklin Poker Chips 14 table grams 14g Laser
US $29.99 (0 Bid)
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 11:59:00 PDT
Bid on this Item | Buy this Item | Watch this Item
c18-rare!!1913ben-franklin-model-t!-5th-edition-! #C18-RARE!!1913(Ben Franklin) Model T! 5th Edition !
US $4.00 (0 Bid)
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-07-2008 12:07:06 PDT
Bid on this Item | Buy this Item | Watch this Item

Category Posted in Ben Franklin

Comments are closed.