Franklin's Autobiography(eclectic English Classics)

Benjamin Franklin began writing this book to instruct his son, but what emerged was something far greater: the original American self-portrait, and the blueprint for a million dreams to come. We meet the candle-maker's son who ran away to Philadelphia with nothing but wit, restless curiosity, and an unshakeable belief in self-improvement. Franklin chronicles his rise through the trades of printing and publishing, his legendary scientific experiments, his invention of everything from bifocals to the lightning rod, and his transformation into the most famous American in the world. But what makes this book endure is not just the accomplishments. It's Franklin's voice: plainspoken, wry, occasionally self-congratulatory, and surprisingly honest about his own failings. He gives us his famous 13 virtues, his method for cultivating virtue through habit, his thoughts on industry and frugality. This is the autobiography that invented the idea of the self-made man, written by the man who proved it was possible. It remains essential reading for anyone who wants to understand America, or the eternal human project of becoming better.