autobiography poor richard later writings benjamin franklin 2005 library of america hardcover nonfiction history memoir book new sealed
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 Franklin’s works begins with letters sent from London (1757–1775) describing the events and diplomacy preceding the Revolutionary War. The volume also contains political satires, bagatelles, pamphlets, and letters written in Paris (1776–1785), where he represented the revolutionary United States at the court of Louis , as well as his speeches given in the Constitutional Convention and other works written in Philadelphia (1785–1790), including his last published article, a searing satire against slavery.
Also included are the delightfully shrewd prefaces to Poor Richard’s Almanack (1733–1758) and their worldly, pungent maxims that have entered our American culture. Finally, the classic Autobiography, Franklin’s last word on his greatest literary creation—his own invented personality—is presented here in a new edition, completely faithful to Franklin’s 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.
J. A. Leo Lemay (1935–2008), editor of this volume, was du Pont Winterthur Professor of English at the University of Delaware. The author of numerous works on Franklin, including The Canon of Benjamin Franklin 1722–1776: New Attributions and Reconsiderations, he edited The Oldest Revolutionary: Essays on Benjamin Franklin and (with P. M. Zall) The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: A Genetic Text.
Title: Autobiography, Poor Richard and Later Writings
Series: Library of American
Author: Benjamin Franklin
Editor: J. A. Leo Lemay
Hardcover: 816 pages
Printing: n/a (Book is still sealed)
Publisher: Library of America (2005)
Language: English
Condition: Still sealed, Fine condition.(See Condition Notes)
Condition Notes: Vintage hardcover with slip case, as issued by the Library of America. New and still sealed. Tan boards, gilt lettering.