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Carl Van Doren
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Benjamin Franklin Paperback – June 1, 1991

by Carl Van Doren (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
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Documents, letters, and manuscripts by Franklin lend authenticity to this history of the great early American inventor, author, and statesman
Previous page
  1. Print length
    864 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  4. Publication date
    June 1, 1991
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 1.75 x 7.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0140152601
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0140152609
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (June 1, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 864 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140152601
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140152609
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1.75 x 7.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

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Carl Van Doren

Carl Van Doren

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
37 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Beth
5.0 out of 5 stars Arrived beautifully
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023
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This arrived in better condition than expected. Very happy with the purchase.
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Certiorari
5.0 out of 5 stars There are many Ben Franklin biographies, this one remains the best
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020
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This is the best biography of Ben Franklin ever written. You really get to know the man, through his own words, in a way that just isn't the case with other biographies (e.g. the Walter Isaacson bio). And the author is just such a great writer that it's a pleasure to read. I found it after watching old Berkshire Hathaway meetings and Charlie Munger recommended it, and as with many things, Munger knows best.

I looked for a kindle version but couldn't find one, so for now you just have to get a used paperback whenever you can find one selling for a decent price. It's well worth the investment.
5 people found this helpful
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John Oehm
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast shipping and book came in perfect condition
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2020
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I had a great experience with this seller. It’s really hard to find these Van Doren biographies of Benjamin Franklin since I believe they are mostly out of print. This copy came in perfect brand new condition as expected.
One person found this helpful
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George H. Sutherland
5.0 out of 5 stars By far the best biography of Benjamin Franklin I have read.
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2017
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By far the best biography of Benjamin Franklin I have read. This book shows why Franklin may have been the most intelligent person in history - not limited to one field, but as a genius in what seem to be unlimited areas of human accomplishment.
2 people found this helpful
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R. K.
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2019
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I love history and being from Philadelphia I learned a lot about Ben Franklin I didn't know. This is a great book.
One person found this helpful
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Randy
5.0 out of 5 stars On par
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2012
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The reviews on the original dust cover are right on par. The Author does a fantastic job keeping his filthy opinion from the pages of this book. Sometimes, it's not in human nature to do this, but any book specifically titled with the subjects name should be spotless, and any opinion offered by the author should be kept from its pages.
One person found this helpful
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Interested_Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting biography
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2017
I wanted to learn something about the life of Benjamin Franklin, so I looked on the internet for reviews of the many biographies of Franklin. Among the reviews I found no clear winner, but this book stood out as being a Pulitzer Prize winner. It is a long book, nearly 800 pages of text, so reading it looked daunting to me at first, but after having finished reading it, I can say it was well worth the time spent.

Van Doren makes extensive use of quotations from Franklin's autobiography. At times the quotes are so seamlessly integrated with the author's own text that one has to look for the quotation marks to tell the difference. This style is used the most for the account of Franklin's early life, probably because there is so little material, apart from the autobiography, available on Franklin during this period.

Clearly the author was impressed with Franklin's talents, and he let the reader know this in a reasonable way. Thankfully, he refrained from making direct value judgments for specific actions using today's standards. For example, while holding political office, Franklin intermingled his personal business dealings with those of the government in ways that would probably be considered criminal today: receiving contracts for government work, getting political appointments for his relatives, accepting emoluments from foreign governments, etc. Mores, particularly for politicians, change over time, and what was acceptable in the 18th century would not be in the 20th century.

Franklin was probably unique in that he had significant involvement with government before, during, and after the American Revolution, so the details of his life, captured nicely by Van Doren, give a very good record of American history during this important period. Franklin signed both the Declaration of Independence (at 71 years of age) and the U. S. Constitution (at 81 years of age).

If you decide to purchase this book, I recommend the American Past, Book-of-the-Month Club edition from 1980, which is often available used. This is a hard-cover book, nicely printed on high-quality paper, with a slipcover. I bought it for $8.00, which included the shipping!
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Ernest
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2021
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Excellent audio
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Top reviews from other countries

Cosmo lang
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2015
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So glad I stumbled upon this writer,he is a joy to read.
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