Benjamin Franklin, by Edmund S. Morgan

I thought I knew who Benjamin Franklin was. I had an idea, but when I stared at the book cover of Edmund S. Morgan's 'Benjamin Franklin', I stood there considering what I actually knew about Benjamin Franklin. I knew he devised the mail system in the United States, that he mapped the oceanic currents between the United States and England... and, of course, that he flew kites during storms. I saw the statue of Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia (image on the left is courtesy casual_tourist).

I certainly didn't know enough to write 338 pages in a book, as Edmund Morgan did. An interesting fellow based on what I did know. I took the plunge, bought the book and flirted the young lady into a discount at the bookstore (I should get frequent flyer miles...). On the way back, I stopped for lunch at one of my spots. While waiting for the soup, I pulled out the book and started reading - a boon of eating in a restaraunt alone in a cozy corner.

The preface went by quickly, and the character of Benjamin Franklin came together from his youth - the curiosity that he retained throughout his life and which helped him do so many things might seem strangely familiar to a select few. Morgan did a really great job of the preface, whetting the appetite. I never laid claim to knowing much about Benjamin Franklin - but I was surprised to find out that he, too, had been a printer... that he had wandered around, that he had always been curious, thoughtful, and never one to accept the world as others saw it but accepted it on his own terms. Because of that, perhaps, he was able to transcend much. It becomes apparent that Franklin was a polymath - something which is largely frowned upon these days because education leads to specialization - and he used his entire world as a laboratory.

The more I read about old Ben, the more familiar he became. My mother was quick to point out in the comments in my photo (second one on the page) that he was a hedonist... but that's speculation; in his autobiography (according to Morgan) he seems to have omitted his relations. Some might say that he was hiding something; I don't know - based on his statesmanship and his ability to get people to do what they wanted to do (and didn't know yet), I'd have to say that he wrote his autobiography with candor in what he thought important; his relations probably were not as important to him as his work. Or maybe he saw television and soap operas in the future, and did not want his name associated with them. Either way... who cares, really?

His role in the Independence of the United States amazed me. I had no idea that he had played such a substantial role - or that at the very beginning, he was trying to defend and protect the rights of his fellow English servants of the Crown; that he did see what was happening at a level which very few must have had at the time. That's the beauty of an interest in everything, you see more.

What I appreciated about this book was that there didn't really seem to be a book. The pages didn't whisper to me when they turned; it was purely Benjamin Franklin with interesting details from letters and other documents which flowed together in a timeline which I must admit was alien to me - I never did take American History (because I went to school outside of the U.S.), so I don't know how to gauge it against what is taught in the education system of the United States. I do know that the book taught me a lot not just about Benjamin Franklin, but it gave me insight into the period he lived in and the novel way in which he was able to affect the course of history in ways so silent that most people didn't know - and probably still don't. An amazing man, yes, and this book does not do him any injustice. An easy read, and highly recommended.