Description
Book SynopsisDuring his 84-year life Benjamin Franklin was America''s best scientist, inventor, publisher, business strategist, diplomat, and writer. He was also one of its most practical political thinkers. America''s first great publicist, he carefully crafted his own persona, portrayed it in public and polished it for posterity. 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. But this is not just a biography of Benjamin Franklin but rather a fascinating look at American and European political history at that time. Isaacson examines the run up to the Revolutionary war, the intimate relations between Britain, France and the colonies and the decisive events that led to America''s independence. Just as David McCullough brought life to t
Table of ContentsContentsChapter One
Benjamin Franklin and the Invention of AmericaChapter Two
Pilgrim's Progress: Boston, 1706-1723Chapter Three
Journeyman: Philadelphia and London, 1723-1726Chapter Four
Printer: Philadelphia, 1726-1732Chapter Five
Public Citizen: Philadelphia, 1731-1748Chapter Six
Scientist and Inventor: Philadelphia, 1744-1751Chapter Seven
Politician: Philadelphia, 1749-1756Chapter Eight
Troubled Waters: London, 1757-1762Chapter Nine
Home Leave: Philadelphia, 1763-1764Chapter Ten
Agent Provocateur: London, 1765-1770Chapter Eleven
Rebel: London, 1771-1775Chapter Twelve
Independence: Philadelphia, 1775-1776Chapter Thirteen
Courtier: Paris, 1776-1778Chapter Fourteen
Bon Vivant: Paris, 1778-1785Chapter Fifteen
Peacemaker: Paris, 1778-1785Chapter Sixteen
Sage: Philadelphia, 1785-1790Chapter Seventeen
EpilogueChapter Eighteen
Conclusions
Cast of Characters
Chronology
Currency Conversions
Acknowledgments
Sources and Abbreviations
Notes
Index
