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Benjamin Franklin Audiobook
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(3.12) - 68 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From his beginnings as a journalist at age sixteen to his retirement from public affairs at eighty-two, there was no break in Benjamin Franklin’s activity and accomplishments. A writer, inventor, and statesman, he remains unsurpassed in the range of his natural gifts and the important uses to which he put them.
In this Pulitzer Prize–winning biography, Carl Van Doren incorporates materials from Franklin’s letters, manuscripts, journals, and published works to give the most accurate and comprehensive portrait ever written of this great American.
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"I'm a fast reader, and this book is the only book ever to make me want to slow my reading and savor the author's words. Profound sentences I would read over and over again. It's a huge undertaking, to be sure, but worth every moment to read about about on of the Greatest Americans."
— Barbara (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“The most comprehensive and the most intelligently sympathetic biography of Franklin we have.”
— New York Times -
“A review of Mr. Van Doren’s Benjamin Franklin can be nothing short of a eulogy. The greatest American has found a biographer worthy of him.”
— The Nation -
“The picture is final, containing all the lights and shadows, all the episodes and the achievements of the most vital personality of his day.”
— Atlantic Monthly -
“Patrick Cullen’s narration [is] suitably smart, spirited, and gentle…There is inspiration here at every turn, and one is left feeling the tragedy of America is that Franklin didn’t live to be 300—at least. Highly recommended for all collections.”
— Library Journal
Awards
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Winner of the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for Biography/Autobiography
Benjamin Franklin Listener Reviews
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Justin Armendariz, 10/25/2020
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" This is a great story if not a bit long. Franklin wrote down almost everything so it can seem a bit long winded. It is however fascinating to learn just how many things he invented and what all he did for our country. Just amazing! "
— Thomas, 4/7/2017 -
" Still my favorite biography of Franklin (other than the Autobiography). Very long, but generally a pleasure to read. "
— Brian, 8/15/2012 -
" A comprehensive look at the man. NOT easy to read or follow. Once I figured out that it wasn't organized chronologically, rather by subject-each chapter starting chronologically on a different topic (loosely) it was easier to follow, but not terribly exciting reading. "
— Foxglow, 4/21/2012 -
" A really nice biography which uses lots of contemporary primary sources (like diary excerpts) as opposed to only citing the usual sources like Franklin's autobiography written much later in his life, etc. "
— Helen, 4/18/2011 -
" A really nice biography which uses lots of contemporary primary sources (like diary excerpts) as opposed to only citing the usual sources like Franklin's autobiography written much later in his life, etc. "
— Helen, 3/14/2011
About Carl Van Doren
Carl Van Doren (1885–1950) was a critic and Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and, in 1911, a doctorate from Columbia University, where he went on to teach for nineteen years.
About the Narrators
John Lescault, a native of Massachusetts, is a graduate of the Catholic University of America. He lives in Washington, DC, where he works in theater.
John Lescault, a native of Massachusetts, is a graduate of the Catholic University of America. He lives in Washington, DC, where he works in theater.