June 14, 2008
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
(Dover Thrift Editions)
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: $11.99
Source: www.amazon.com
The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin, Washington, Congress
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June 14, 2008
The Way to Wealth
The first American book on personal finance, “The Way to Wealth” by Benjamin Franklin is still the best and wisest money book ever written. Originally published in 1758 as the preface to “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” this little gem has been through innumerable printings and sold millions of copies to those in search of smart but entertaining advice about hard work, earning and saving money and debt.
As the 21st Century charges along and the current economic climate continues to send out mixed messages, Franklin’s simple but wise commentary on the value of industry and frugality resonates as much for us today as it did for listeners nearly 350 years ago. Here is a sample:
- “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
- “If you would be wealthy, think of saving, as well as of getting.”
- “If you would have your business done, go; if not, send.”
- “Think what you do when you run into debt; you give to another power over your liberty.”
- “Creditors have better memories than debtors.”
Although older than the United States itself, “The Way to Wealth” is still very popular. It is handed out by major companies and financial institutions to friends, clients, and customers and is the January, 2004 selection of “The Washington Post’s” the Color of Money Book Club. As Michelle Singletary, director of the Club wrote in a column about The book, “At just 30 pages, this pocket-size book takes less than an hour to read but will give you a lifetime of financial wisdom–that is if you’re wise enough to follow the advice.”
Author: Benjamin Franklin
Hardcover: 30 pages
Company: Applewood Books (1986-09-01)
ISBN: 0918222885
List Price: $9.95
Amazon Price: $5.15
Used Price: $5.59
Source: www.amazon.com
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
In a beautiful, durable volume suited to a lifetime of use, here is the all-in-one “bible” on how to harness the creative powers of your mind to achieve a life of prosperity-packaged in a handsome display box with a ribbon bookmark.
The Prosperity Bible is a one-of-a-kind resource that collects the greatest moneymaking secrets of authors from every field-religion, finance, philosophy, and self-help-and makes them available in an attractive, keepsake edition. This is a book to treasure and return to again and again for guidance, ideas, know-how, and inspiration.
Here is the only single volume where you can read success advice from Napoleon Hill, P. T. Barnum, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Fillmore, Wallace D. Wattles, Florence Scovel Shinn, and Ernest Holmes-along with a bevy of million-copy- selling writers who have one key element in common: a commitment to understanding and promulgating the laws of winning.
These are the beloved teachers and writers who created the idea of a mental formula for success. Their principles, comprehensively collected in nineteen selected writings, have been proved in the experience of millions of men and women who have cherished their works from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Now they are enshrined in this all-in-one treasury-complete in a handsome display box with a ribbon bookmark.
Author: Napoleon Hill, Wallace D. Wattles, James Allen, P. T. Barnum, Benjamin Franklin, Ernest Holmes, Charles F. Haanel, Robert Collier, Florence Scovel Shinn, Elbert Hubbard, Russell Conwell, Charles Fillmore, Ralph Waldo Trine, William Walker Atkinson, F. W. Sears
Hardcover: 1280 pages
Company: Tarcher (2007-11-08)
ISBN: 1585426148
List Price: $35.00
Amazon Price: $13.41
Used Price: $10.99
Source: www.amazon.com
Patriot Pirates: The Privateer War for Freedom and Fortune in the American Revolution
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: $11.99
Source: www.amazon.com
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Washington, history, Constitution
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June 13, 2008
American Footprints in the Old Country
England is dotted with both large and small tributes to American history and culture. No need to feel homesick here.
Source: travel.nytimes.com
The Great Seduction
The most rampant decadence today is financial decadence, the trampling of decent norms about how to use and harness money.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Shaking the Foundation of Faith
Science, religion and the Cape Ann earthquake of 1755.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Benjamin Franklin Books
Benjamin Franklin, who turns 300 this year, has received a fine birthday gift in these two volumes.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Great deals from eBay on Ben Franklin…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: history, 1776, Benjamin Franklin
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June 9, 2008
Franklin, the Lightning Rod Known Round the World
Philip Dray explores the scientific accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin, who was celebrated for solving the age-old mystery of lightning.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Nonfiction Chronicle
New books by Philip Dray, Ray Moynihan and Alan Cassels, John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger, Brian Murphy and Jesse Helms.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Benjamin Franklin Books
Benjamin Franklin, who turns 300 this year, has received a fine birthday gift in these two volumes.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Great deals from eBay on Ben Franklin…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Constitution, 1776, Benjamin Franklin
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June 6, 2008
American Footprints in the Old Country
England is dotted with both large and small tributes to American history and culture. No need to feel homesick here.
Source: travel.nytimes.com
Ben Franklin Had the Right Idea for New Orleans
New Orleans and other coastal cities will never be safe if they go on relying on Washington for protection.
Source: www.nytimes.com
OBSERVATORY
University of Bristol researchers Nigel R Franks and Tom Richardson lead study on learning behaviors of ants; research, which is published in journal Nature, finds that ants use tandem running technique in which learner ant trails along with teacher ant; David F Raikow of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and colleagues conduct study of chemical menadione, natural product that is called SeaKleen and is used to treat ballast water and its impact on dormant eggs of marine species bu…
Source: query.nytimes.com
Dr. Johnson’s Revolution
Samuel Johnson’s dictionary remains an invaluable guide to what our founders had in mind when they set the democratic experiment in motion.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Great deals from eBay on Ben Franklin…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Benjamin Franklin, Congress, Constitution
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June 2, 2008
Benjamin Franklin Books
Benjamin Franklin, who turns 300 this year, has received a fine birthday gift in these two volumes.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Time Out of Mind
The misguided notion that time is money actually costs us money. And it costs us time.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Nonfiction Chronicle
New books by Philip Dray, Ray Moynihan and Alan Cassels, John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger, Brian Murphy and Jesse Helms.
Source: www.nytimes.com
OBSERVATORY
University of Bristol researchers Nigel R Franks and Tom Richardson lead study on learning behaviors of ants; research, which is published in journal Nature, finds that ants use tandem running technique in which learner ant trails along with teacher ant; David F Raikow of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and colleagues conduct study of chemical menadione, natural product that is called SeaKleen and is used to treat ballast water and its impact on dormant eggs of marine species bu…
Source: query.nytimes.com
Great deals from eBay on Ben Franklin…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: history, Congress, Washington
Posted in Blogroll Comments Off
May 30, 2008
OBSERVATORY
University of Bristol researchers Nigel R Franks and Tom Richardson lead study on learning behaviors of ants; research, which is published in journal Nature, finds that ants use tandem running technique in which learner ant trails along with teacher ant; David F Raikow of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and colleagues conduct study of chemical menadione, natural product that is called SeaKleen and is used to treat ballast water and its impact on dormant eggs of marine species bu…
Source: query.nytimes.com
The Long Hot Summer and the More Perfect Union
In his book about the framers of the Constitution, Mr. Stewart has done a nimble job of retelling a familiar story.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Shaking the Foundation of Faith
Science, religion and the Cape Ann earthquake of 1755.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Great deals from eBay on Ben Franklin…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: history, Constitution, 1776
Posted in Ben Franklin Comments Off
May 26, 2008
American Footprints in the Old Country
England is dotted with both large and small tributes to American history and culture. No need to feel homesick here.
Source: travel.nytimes.com
Franklin, the Lightning Rod Known Round the World
Philip Dray explores the scientific accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin, who was celebrated for solving the age-old mystery of lightning.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Count Us Frankophiles for 300 Years
A real hero for Presidents’ Day: Benjamin Franklin, an American giant who just turned 300.
Source: select.nytimes.com
Russian Princess Stands With Franklin as Comrade of the Enlightenment
Ekaterina Dashkova, a Russian princess, was the first woman in the world to head a national academy of sciences. It is a rarity to this day.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Great deals from eBay on Ben Franklin…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Constitution, Jefferson, 1776
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May 22, 2008
Nonfiction Chronicle
New books by Philip Dray, Ray Moynihan and Alan Cassels, John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger, Brian Murphy and Jesse Helms.
Source: www.nytimes.com
American Footprints in the Old Country
England is dotted with both large and small tributes to American history and culture. No need to feel homesick here.
Source: travel.nytimes.com
Of Cannon Fire and Daylight Saving Time
Conserving energy has always been the object of daylight saving time, but a recent study indicates that it may increase residential electricity demand.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Great deals from eBay on Ben Franklin…
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Tags: Constitution, 1776, history
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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
