Moral paragon, public servant, founding father; scoundrel, opportunist, womanizing phony: There are many Benjamin Franklins. Now, as we celebrate the tercentena

This volume attempts to throw fresh light on two areas of Benjamin Franklin’s intellectual world, namely: his self-fashioning and his political thought. It is

“I cannot remember ever reading a work of history and biography that is quite so fluent, so perfectly composed and balanced . . .” —The New York Sun “Ex

Franklin's political writings are full of fascinating reflections on human nature, on the character of good leadership, and on why government is such a messy an

Benjamin Franklin led a productive life, but is it possible his accomplishments include everything attributed to him? The answer is yes, for the most part. He n