Benjamin Franklin: A Life From Beginning to End: 4 (Biographies of Inventors) Paperback – Import, 14 November 2016

Very well written. Would love to hear more about his inventions and his personal life.Onto another hourly history series.

Inspiring.I am glad and proud that such people have brought the humanity where it is.We need numerous such people world over to make mark on those around him, to make world still better home to humane mankind.Fundamentalists and terrorists with communal intolerance and hatred with brutal violence need to learn from him.

This book throws light upon how a less educated man could become a good business man, an famous inventor and finally a prominent political leader.

Explains Everything in briefly any one can understand easily

Paper quality is worth for that much of amount ....

This is a quick summary of the life of Benjamin Franklin. A larger biography after this will be interesting. Thanks.

Easily downloadable. Worth it.

Ok

(Kindle Ed., locations 156-159)...Franklin’s love of books and discourse craved the companionship of others of like interest, so in 1743, he founded the American Philosophical Society. This group was a forum for scientists to share their research and ideas, and it was around this time that Franklin began to pursue his interest in electricity.Philosophy and science have never been inseparable just like Albert Einstein said.(Kindle Ed., location 28)“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” —Benjamin FranklinIt was a great read. I’ve known Ben Franklin ever since I learned how to read and write in English language. The book is, however, neither one of the old American Independence War stuffs nor the same-boring stories of Founding Fathers written by those big names; the story is quite fresh to me with this book. I personally think all “true” Americans should read this stor’y to learn the man’s life rather than be stuck with the old ones found in many popular books and mov’ies.(Kindle Ed., locations 15-18)...in order to rise to a position of status, a man needed either his own august lineage or wealthy and influential patrons. For Benjamin Franklin, there was no exalted institute of education that provided him with learning; there was no vast store of wealth to bankroll him. He was, in fact, deliberately and enthusiastically..., a man who had pulled himself up by his own bootstraps and then figured out a way, metaphorically, to make a better bootstrap.The social “instability” of the revolutionary era made his rise possible though. It isN’T supposed to be easy since a society cannot prosper without social stability in order.(Kindle Ed., locations 28-37)...The birth of Benjamin, on January 6, 1706, made the twelfth of the Franklin offspring born to Josiah, who earned his living by making soap and candles, and Abiah, his second wife, who would contribute ten children to the brood which would eventually number seventeen. Education for the Franklins was desirable, but money was tight, and Benjamin’s time in the South Grammar School when he was eight years old only lasted a few months because his father couldn’t afford the cost...formal education was a luxury that the family couldn’t afford. At the age of ten, it was time for young Benjamin to settle on a trade. His father let him watch the Boston tradesmen at their labors, but Benjamin wanted to be a sailor...The boy didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps making soap and candles, so for a short time, he was indentured as a cutler. Ultimately this didn’t interest him.Quite a family...seriously why do we people today complain about our lives so much? We’ve been too exposed to and tamed by those stupid media shows that give us too much "vain" expectations.Irony: The shows are how our modern democracy has been run to keep our social stability in order. The way our democracy has been run is act’ually destroying our democracy itself since the intellectual and conscience level of each voter is to be the level of our whole society.(Kindle Ed., locations 397-400)...He explained, “I never doubted . . . the existence of the Deity . . . that the most acceptable service of God was the doing good to man; that our souls are immortal; and that all crime will be punished, and virtue rewarded, either here or hereafter.” He believed not in doctrine but in ethics; it was with this philosophy that he strenuously supported religious tolerance...It doesn't matter if you are a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim or whatever as long as you are a "good" Christian, Buddhist, Muslim and Human Being.(Kindle Ed., locations 400-405)...and he would remain, throughout his life, a powerful advocate for education, frugality, work, temperance, charity, and concern for the community. As he aged, he seemed to become more convinced that churches were a necessary tool if men and women were to be able to live ethical lives. John Adams observed that Franklin had a chameleon-like ability to reflect the religious views of others personally. "The Catholics thought him almost a Catholic. The Church of England claimed him as one of them. The Presbyterians thought him half a Presbyterian, and the Friends believed him a wet Quaker." Perhaps he so easily reminded others of their religions because he never veered far from the original gospel teachings of Jesus Christ...(Kindle Ed., locations 410-411)...He was a man of reason rather than ideology, who believed in the betterment of humanity through work, education, and faith.(Kindle Ed., locations 228-230)...Benjamin Franklin didn’t apply for patents for any of them. That decision was deliberate - he felt that inventors should be glad to benefit society with their creations and that those inventions should be shared with others.In my standard he was an ideal Human Being, who could live a Human life without the law, but with Human conscience.(Kindle Ed., locations 43-54)...He ended up apprenticed to his half-brother James, a printer, and at the age of twelve, he was signed up for nine years of indenture. Despite his lack of formal learning, Benjamin was a bookish boy who enjoyed reading and liked to write poetry. As an apprentice to a printer, he could further his writing talents, something he did by spending hours creating an outline of the essays he had read in the popular magazine the Spectator, and then rewriting them in his own style, teaching himself how to communicate in a manner that reached his readers. He also wrote a ballad to commemorate the capture of the pirate Blackbeard, who had terrorized the Eastern coast. He had a lively writing style that would mature as he plied his craft, even though his brother displayed no great interest in expanding Benjamin’s literary horizons. In 1720, Franklin began to explore his own personal independence. He moved from the family home into a boarding home, and he stopped going to church so that he could use Sundays for more studying. His religious concepts changed; by the next year, he was a Deist. His personal life would change in other ways, too; Franklin, looking for ways to save money so that he could afford to buy books, decided to become a vegetarian.Now what he did is the “real” study. He had clear desire to learn and know the deal’i-o, not to get a people’/ popul’ar job for more mon’ey like us today, and despite his lack of formal education, he always had many brilliant new business ideas and performed great team works.That didn’t mean his life was an’y easy:(Kindle Ed., locations 67-82)While James was in prison, Benjamin published the newspaper under his own name, a taste of freedom that was hard to relinquish when James returned to the helm. The brothers argued, and there were times when James physically beat his apprentice. Finally, Benjamin quit, intending to find work with another of Boston’s printers. However, James had advised his printer colleagues not to hire Benjamin, leaving young Franklin little choice but to seek greener pastures. Apprenticeship was a business contract and running away was not permitted. Not only that but in the clearly defined social order of the times, there was no niche for a runaway, who represented a lawlessness that society did not tolerate. Young Benjamin was regarded as a fugitive from the law. At the age of 17, Franklin sailed to New York, but he was unable to find work as a printer, so he walked to New Jersey. From there, he took a boat to Philadelphia. He would return to Boston in 1724 at the age of 18 when he needed a loan from his father in order to start his own print shop, but his father would refuse him the loan. However, that was yet to come: Boston was his past, Philadelphia his future...When Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia, he did not make a grand entrance. His disheveled state showed the signs of his travels; his clothing was rumpled, his appearance less than refined. He used the little money that he had left to buy rolls to eat. As he walked down the street, a young woman named Deborah Read noticed him and thought that he looked peculiar - and she was probably right...He, too, had his share of hard times, yet like most of the successful figures in hi-story he did not give up.(Kindle Ed., locations -134)...The only limit to a man’s success was his own ambition, and Benjamin Franklin did not suffer from that deficiency.(Kindle Ed., locations 93-113)His skills and ambition led him to leave that printer for a better position when he found employment with James Watts, who ran a larger print shop. Being an enterprising youth, he also earned money by providing swimming lessons in the Thames River and considered making swimming instruction his full-time occupation...Although his business venture did not turn out as planned, thanks to the failure of the royal governor to send a letter of credit, the young Franklin made good use of his time in Great Britain. The British had established a standard of culture and living that was much more formal than what Franklin was used to, but the attractions of London appealed to him. He continued to be an eager reader, but he also enjoyed attending the theater and spending time in the coffee shops...But during his absence, Deborah Read had found someone else and, encouraged by her mother, she had married John Rogers the year before. Franklin found employment as a bookkeeper and shopkeeper, selling imported clothing and hardware. By 1727, Franklin had already found a new job. He had also found a new romantic companion. The woman would become pregnant with a son, William. William’s mother was not identified, but Franklin acknowledged him, and he would grow up with his father. William would, as an adult, become the royal governor of New Jersey. In most circumstances, such a career would herald great things, but this position came when the colonies were separating from the mother country, leaving Franklin father and son on opposite sides of the division. It’s easy to think of the Civil War as the one which split families, but American independence would also create such fissures among families. Deborah Read’s 1725 marriage to John Rogers had not proceeded well. He had abandoned her, but because she didn’t know where he had gone, she wasn’t able to divorce him...(Kindle Ed., locations 138-142)Franklin and his business partner had opened their own printing shop in 1728 after James Meredith obtained a loan from his parents. They bought out a competing printer—Franklin’s former employer, Samuel Keimer—who had gone bankrupt, and turned his Pennsylvania Gazette into a successful enterprise. In 1730, the same year that Franklin married Deborah Read, the printing partners won a contract to print the official papers issued by the colony of Pennsylvania. As the business thrived, Franklin was able to buy out Meredith and run the print shop on his own.Now it was the “turning point” of his life.Like I said in my review for Leonardo da Vinci, those who are their own sponsors often gotta find a job different than the disciplines they enjoy doing. Yet somehow they get successful at the end because they know how to run things right with right purpose and right direction.(Kindle Ed., locations 177-182)So was making a profitable living. Franklin was a shrewd businessman; by 1747, the son of a poor candle-maker had amassed enough wealth to allow him to retire from printing so that he could pursue other business interests. He set up a partnership with his foreman; Franklin would receive half of the profits from the print shop for eighteen years. It’s unlikely that he realized how valuable his leisure time would prove, but with the time to concentrate on his discoveries and his studies, he would build a reputation that would cross the ocean and take his name and his achievements to the courts of Europe.And he finally reached the point where he could afford the "productive" leisure time he so desperately needed to be one of the Founding Fathers of a new nation. He might not have realized it was that very leisure time which would lift him up to his final status we learn and remember today.National defense and diplomacy: So it was his idea in 1754, the creation of the United States after all.(Kindle Ed., locations 239-243)...At this time, Franklin and most of his fellow colonials were firmly on the side of the British. The French and Indian War, which the British won, gave Britain control of the land east of the Mississippi River. But the war was costly. Franklin helped to persuade the Pennsylvania government to budget money for defense. His position in government alerted him that the British were not necessarily as dedicated to the well-being of their colonial citizens as he felt they should have been, and he began to wonder if the destinies of Americans and the British were truly in tandem...(Kindle Ed., locations 260-264)In 1754, Franklin was made the head of the delegation from Pennsylvania, which was heading to the Albany Congress. The impetus for the gathering came from England’s Board of Trade, in the hopes that the colonies would be able to defend themselves against the French as well as improve relations with the native tribes. Franklin’s suggestion was a Plan of Union. His plan was not adopted, but it would influence two later documents which would have significance as the colonies sought to create a central government: the Articles of Confederation and ultimately, the Constitution.And here’s the final reason why he had to cross the line that he could not be able to cross ever again:(Kindle Ed., locations 277-285)...Franklin sent the letters to America with the instructions that they were to be kept confidential; against his advice, the letters were published in Massachusetts. Franklin was summoned by British government officials and publicly reprimanded. He risked being jailed for treason, but he continued to try to negotiate for peaceful relations between the British and the colonists, even though he was removed from his position as postmaster general...Franklin opted not to make the request of the British government. The time for royal governors had passed; what was in store was not thirteen colonies but one country, dedicated to principles which had been hewn out of an American philosophy which espoused hard work, freedom, faith in God, and resistance to tyranny.(Kindle Ed., locations 114-126)...In his autobiography, Franklin acknowledged that he bore some of the guilt for Deborah’s state: “I pitied poor Miss Read's unfortunate situation, who was generally dejected, seldom cheerful, and avoided company. I considered my giddiness and inconstancy when in London as in a great degree the cause of her unhappiness.” In 1730, because they could not exchange the traditional marriage vows due to Deborah’s previous marriage, Franklin and Read entered a common-law marriage; Franklin’s illegitimate son lived with them. In 1732, a son, Francis Folger Franklin, was born to the couple. He would die at the age of four from smallpox. Their daughter, Sarah Franklin, known as Sally, was born in 1743; she would marry, bear seven children, and would survive her long-lived father. Although Benjamin and William Franklin were estranged, Sally Franklin Bache and her father had a good relationship, and she was a support to him in his patriotic responsibilities, particularly during the American Revolution, when she and a group of women sewed 2,200 shirts for the soldiers of the Continental Army who had gone into winter quarters in 1780. She would also serve as a hostess for her father after the death of her mother in 1774...(Kindle Ed., location 129)“None of the inconveniences happened that we had apprehended; she proved a good and faithful helpmate, assisted me much by attending the shop; we throve together, and have ever mutually endeavored to make each other happy. —Benjamin FranklinAnd why do we only learn the facts that he had many French girlfriends and an illegitimate son? As a matter of fact he was a good boyfriend, husband and father despite the circumstances.(Kindle Ed., locations 303-305)They knew of his scientific experiments, they appreciated his wit, and they loved the image that he presented of the rustic colonial who had proven that he was equal to any titled European. They also appreciated his affection for the ladies. Now a widower since his wife Deborah’s death the year before, Franklin greatly enjoyed the repartee of flirtation.(Kindle Ed., locations 299-301)...William Franklin had placed the boy in foster care but Franklin, taking custody, took his grandson, who like William, had been born out of wedlock, back to the United States with him and raised him in his home.Above all, he was faithful and responsible to his principle of Human conscience till the end of his life.There are some errors found to be edited.Between the locations 165 and 177 there are some missing spaces starting new paragraphs, but they won’t annoy your reading.(Kindle Ed., locations 187-189)...His to-do list of inventions designed to satisfy his passion for efficiency and the concepts which he furthered represent the eager, fertile mind of a man who, despite his lack of formal education, had an unfettered mind....should be edited as follows:His to-do list of inventions, designed to satisfy his passion for efficiency, further represented the eager and unfettered mind of Benjamin Franklin. It also showed the world the man's fertile mind despite his lack of formal education.Maybe a mistake based on the present-day reality:(Kindle Ed., locations 257-258)...The results created a system of postal roads running from Maine to Florida, with regular mail service from the colonies to England...It must have been from Maine to Georgia since Florida at the time was not a part of the 13 English Colonies, but a Spanish colony.(Kindle Ed., 319-320)Their efforts helped to turn the tide, and the British surrendered to George Washington’s Continental Army in October 1781...Most Americans do not learn this fact: The British first surrendered to the French forces. The British didn't think they lost a civil war, but a war with French Empire, still the Champion of Europe back then.Despite some errors the book is still a gem.It closes with one of the best con-clos'/ -clus'ions I have read. Again, I recommend this book to every “true” American.

De leitura fácil e fluida. Apesar das poucas páginas, um ótimo resumo de sua vida. Um homem à frente de seu tempo.

Questa è una collana di biografie da leggere in breve tempo, in tal senso si tratta di una buona lettura utile per avere maggiori informazioni sulla vita di questo grande personaggioo, non solo inventore ma uomo dai molteplici interessi. Ben costruito lo scenario storico in cui si svolse la vita dello scienziato.

too short to be critical

I learned more than I thought was possible not to know reading this. Well written and a great lesson in the personal history of a famous person.