![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Which seeks to restore Adams to public affection, this book has no overriding agenda except to present the story of Franklin's life. Unlike, say, David McCullough's John Adams, After examining the large body of existing Franklin scholarship as skillfully and critically as any scholar, Isaacson admits that his subject always "winks at us" to keep us at bay-which of course is one reason why he's so fascinating. The oldest, most distinctive and multifaceted of the founders, Franklin remains as mysterious as Jefferson. Benjamin Franklin: In His Own Words Introduction 'Franklin gave us the definitive formation of the American Dream' J. Isaacson (now president of the Aspen Institute, he is the former chairman of CNN and a Henry Kissinger biographer) has a keen eye for the genius of a man whose fingerprints lie everywhere in our history. How do the two books differ? Isaacson's is more detailed it lingers over such matters as the nature of Franklin's complex family circumstances and his relations with others, and it pays closer attention to each of his extraordinary achievements. Isaacson's longer biography easily holds its own. He made himself an influential author and editor. He taught himself how to play the guitar, violin, and harp. He took the initiative of learning French, German, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. With less than three years of formal schooling, he taught himself almost everything he knew. Following closely on the heels of Edmund Morgan's justly acclaimed Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin pioneered the spirit of self-help in America. ![]()
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