We all know Benjamin Franklin — even I knew his name and inventions. But do you know the person he was, how he lived and who he aimed at?
This one was initially published in 1817 and was digitized the Google Book Search program. The original title is a bit of a mouthful: “The Life of Benjamin Franklin, written chiefly by himself, with a collection of his essays, humorous, moral and litterary.” The text is attributed to Mason L. Weems (1759 – 1825), although the first part is written by Franklin himself.
I was disappointed because this autobiography is only the first 80 pages. There a note says: “The life of Dr Franklin, as written by himself, breaks off in this place. The following continuation is by one of his friends.” Follows another 120 pages, and then 60 pages or so are letters and essays on various topics. I liked the first part (written by Franklin himself). I found it easy to read despite the century that went by and written lively. I liked less the second part, which I found confusing: It mixes letters, narratives, etc. Eventually, it still gives an overview of Franklin’s life and achievements.
I have not read other biographies of Franklin, so I can only give a biased opinion, but I would not recommend it, except for those who like old and free books. I understand from the Wikipedia page on B. Franklin that Franklin wrote others parts of his life, but those were found later on, and recent autobiographies may be less disappointing.
Eventually, I give it two stars. It does not sound like an autobiography. It is more of a biography filled with letters and essays.