The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Selections from His Writings (The Modern Library of the World's Best Books, ML 39)

xxi, 264 pp. Introduction by Henry Steele Commager. Franklin's Autobiography is one of the most famous works in American literature. He started it as a private collection of anecdotes for his son, but soon it was transformed into a work of history, both personal and national, revealing Franklin as the man who, as Herman Melville said, possessed 'deep worldly wisdom and polished Italian tact, gleaming under an air of Arcadian unaffectedness.' Includes: Introduction; Chief Events in Franklin's Life; Franklin's Draft Scheme; The Autobiography; The Dogood Papers; Poor Richard's Almanack, 1749; From Poor Richard's Almanack, 1756; From Poor Richard's Almanack, 1757; The Way to Wealth; On the Price of Corn and Management of the Poor; Advice to a Young Tradesman, 1748; Journal of a Voyage.