The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790; however, Franklin himself appears to have called the work his Memoirs. Although it had a tortuous publication history after Franklin's death, this work has become one of the most famous and influential examples of autobiography ever written.

"Contexts" presents a broader view of Franklin's life with a journal entry from a 1726 voyage, correspondence, aPoor Richard piece on ambition and fame, Franklin's views on self-improvement, and his last will (and codicil). "Criticism" draws on a wealth of material that reflects both the wide range of Franklin's achievements and the global impact of his life and memoirs. New international voices in "Contemporary Opinions" include Immanuel Kant, Honore Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau, Jose Antonio de Alzate y Ramirez, and Jose Francisco Correia da Serra. "Nineteenth-Century...

Benjamin Franklin (1706 90) is best known as an American revolutionary politician, but he also excelled as a printer, journalist and natural philosopher despite having little formal education. As a statesman, he was the only person to sign all three major documents of American statehood: the Declaration of Independence, the peace treaty with Britain, and the United States constitution. This three-volume set, first published in 1874, was compiled from Franklin's autobiography (covering the period up to 1857) and autobiographical passages from correspondence and other writings. Using Franklin's...