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Under him I acquired fair writing pretty soon, but I failed in the arithmetic, and made no progress in it. At ten years old I was taken home to assist my father in his business, which was that of a tallow chandler and soap boiler; a business he was not bred to, but had assumed on his arrival in New England, and on finding his dying trade would not maintain his family, being in little request.
Accordingly, I was employed in cutting wick for the candles, filling the dipping mold and the molds for cast candles, attending the shop, going of errands, etc. I disliked the trade, and had a strong inclination for the sea, but my father declared against it; however, living near the water, I was much in and about it, learned early to swim well, and to manage boats; and when in a boat or canoe with other boys, I was commonly allowed to govern, especially in any case of difficulty; and upon other occasions I was generally a leader among the boys, and sometimes led them into scrapes, of which I will mention one instance, as it shows an early projecting public spirit, though not then justly conducted.
There was a salt marsh that bounded part of the millpond, on the edge of which, at high water, we used to stand to fish for minnows. By much trampling, we had made it a mere quagmire. My proposal was to build a wharf there fit for us to stand upon, and I showed my comrades a large heap of stones, which were intended for a new house near the marsh, and which would very well suit our purpose.
The next morning the workmen were surprised at missing the stones, which were found in our wharf. Inquiry was made after the removers; we were discovered and complained of; several of us were corrected by our fathers; and, though I pleaded the usefulness of the work, mine convinced me that nothing was useful which was not honest.
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Learn more about Amazon Prime. Benjamin Franklin's writings represent a long career of literary, scientific and political efforts over a lifetime which extended nearly the entire eighteenth century. This volume includes Franklin's reflections on such diverse questions as philosophy and religion, social status, electricity, American national characteristics, war, and the status of women.
Nearly sixty years separate the earliest writings from the latest, an interval during which Franklin was continually balancing between the puritan values of his upbringing and the modern American world to which his career served as prologue. This edition provides a new text of the Autobiography, established with close reference to Franklin's original manuscript. It also includes a new transcription of the journal and several pieces which have recently been identified as Franklin's own work.
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About the Author Benjamin Franklin 's writings represent a long career of literary, scientific and political efforts over a lifetime which extended nearly the entire eighteenth century. Penguin Classics; Reissue edition April 29, Language: Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Discover the true story of Benjamin Franklin with this concise and easy to read biography.
Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Rated by customers interested in. Is this feature helpful? Thank you for your feedback. Read reviews that mention franklin benjamin ben american words america founding learn early today fascinating kindle country insight important english fathers personal learned revolution.
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. It's a little presumptuous to write a "review" of a book as historically important as this, so I'll just give a few reasons why you should read it. It stops in , well before his involvement with the Revolution, but it covers in detail his youth, apprenticeships, the formation of his philosophy and ideals, and his path from poor roots to business and social success -- the first telling of the American Dream, the idea that a poor young man could Find His Fortune in the New World through enterprise, wisdom, and work.
There is a high degree of self-hagiography here, and it would be amusing to tally up for example how many times Franklin praises himself vs. He smooths over controversial topics like his illegitimate son, he doesn't mention his membership in the Freemasons, etc. The construction is also a bit rambling "Then I did this thing. Next, I did another thing. Then I did a third thing" , but Franklin simply did so many interesting things -- even in this short slice of his life -- that the book is interesting despite that.
There's a great deal of discussion on his scientific and inventive accomplishments, and he talks at length about his development of his own personal moral code and how he achieved business success along with Franklin's Personal Method You Can Use for Self-Improvement -- in some ways, this is the first self-help book! All in all, this is very much worth reading, and gives a compelling picture of Franklin's life and times.
I particularly liked the picture Franklin draws of contemporary American society -- free, open, and small, with most people in most towns all knowing each other, and business opportunities are wide open for anyone with industry and pluck. And for that alone, it's worth reading. Any of those should be available as a free Kindle download. I once read that Benjamin Franklin's autobiography is widely considered to be the best autobiography ever written. In my opinion, it is one of the best books of any kind ever written.
Benjamin Franklin is known for grand accomplishments in science, engineering, government, diplomacy, and concern for fellow man. There are reasons for these accomplishments: It is no wonder that this man could write so engaging a work as this recollection of events in his life. I first read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography when I was a young man of about 20 years old looking for a personal cure for insomnia.
Once I got past the differences in language caused by over years of misuse , I found myself so engrossed in this story that sleep was the last thing on my mind. It was a story written not just with a critical eye for detail for the benefit of historians; it was originally meant only for his son, so it came from the heart.
In devouring this book, I discovered not only a great measure of the depth of his understanding of the world around him -- and us -- but a feeling of familiarity with the man himself. I learned about Ben Franklin -- and not just his accomplishments. His accomplishments and his interactions with other people are documented copiously elsewhere, but here you learn something about his ways of thinking that you cannot learn from a third party. For example, who could blame such an accomplished man for being proud of all that he gave quite literally, without royalties or other compensation to the world?
Yet our man, Ben, was not driven by pride. It pains me not to give away this part of the story, as it was perhaps my favorite, but you should read it in his words, not mine, for full appreciation. Besides, that would qualify as a "spoiler. A word of caution: I have read a few of them some much better than others and won't review them here, but I will say this much: ALL of them left me wondering how accurate they were, regardless of the biographers' reputations.
I did get the sense from Ben Franklin's writing that he was being honest and -- let's face it -- no one in our world or his knows or knew better than he exactly what he thought or experienced. Another word of caution: This should be required reading in American History classes across America. If I were to be stranded on an island with only three books, I would, without hesitation, choose this as one of the three.
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Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a product review. Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon. Andrew Carnegie was a major steel industrialist in the late s, up there with the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. Carnegie established Carnegie Steel, which later became U. He retired in amassing a huge fortune, and then became a philanthropist.
In doing so, he composed a series of essays on how one should handle wealth once he has acquired it, the most famous of these being "The Gospel of Wealth," the title of this books. However, other essays are included, all relating to the same topic, so they are consistent with one another. The book would have been ideal for the people of "Occupy Wall Street," and by facebook, I tried to recommend it. I hope, if and when the movement reemerges, they will take it into consideration. I highly recommend it. The very first thing I would like to point out is that this is NOT a Socialist doctrine, nor does it relate to that concept in any way, shape, or form.
Those who feel that it is have missed the point entirely.
Those of every persuasion need to read this book. One might ask that if this is not Socialist, or Communist, then what is it? What you will find by reading this may surprise you. First of all, Carnegie warns of the rich spoiling their children, leaving them unearned wealth as inheritance, and leaving them their business simply because they are their children, but without any qualifications. The first can spoil and destroy them, not knowing what to do with their unearned wealth by basking in luxury.
The second is that should he leave his children to head his established business, whatever it might be, they have a chance of destroying it by not knowing how to run it, and lacking the creativity to let it grow. The children must be educated and trained to run the business, to have an interest in it, and to want it to grow beyond what the founder, their fathers, have established. Also, children must learn the value of the dollar and earn their way up.
If they are not qualified, the business, and wealth, should be left to someone else. A warning to the businessmen of today. The main topic here, though, is to use the wealth to benefit society as a whole, and this is needed today, in times of economic crisis and debts, more than ever. This does not mean giving money to any person who has his hand out. Carnegie did not believe in handouts, or a welfare state.
Everyone, he believed, must work for a living, unless severely disabled.
Carnegie did recommend giving to charities that help the less fortunate. He also advised to be selective about what charities to support. The book does warn against scams, and this is especially true today as it was back then.
The best-reasoned essay of the lot was the last, on the founding philosophy of his Kelmscott Press. It is an incredible Eden, where hale, hearty, and lovely people swing into everything with the greatest gusto. Besides, that would qualify as a "spoiler. We also have to push aside the connection of the title with the people Milton knew or quoted in his pamphlet. Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon. It also includes a new transcription of the journal and several pieces which have recently been identified as Franklin's own work. Sponsored products related to this item What's this?