Autobiography, Poor Richard, and Later Writings
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Note: When first issued, the Library of America edition of Franklin's Writingswas collected in one large volume; later, it was published as two separate volumes.
This Library of America collection of Franklin's works begins with letters sent from London (1757-1775) describing the events and diplomacy preceding the Revolutionary War. The volume also contains political satires, bagatelles, pamphlets, and letters written in Paris (1776-1785), where he represented the revolutionary United States at the court of Louis XVI, as well as his speeches given in the Constitutional Convention and other works written in Philadelphia (1785-1790), including his last published article, a searing satire against slavery.
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Also included are the delightfully shrewd prefaces to Poor Richard's Almanack (1733-1758) and their worldly, pungent maxims that have entered our American culture. Finally, the classic Autobiography, Franklin's last word on his greatest literary creation—his own invented personality—is presented here in a new edition, completely faithful to Franklin's manuscript.
A companion volume includes the complete "Silence Dogood" series, "Busy-Body" essays, and a generous selection of his early writings, including letters to the press, satires, and pamphlets.
J. A. Leo Lemay, editor of this volume, is professor of colonial literature at the University of Delaware. The author of numerous works on Franklin, including The Canon of Benjamin Franklin 1722-1776: New Attributions and Reconsiderations, he has edited The Oldest Revolutionary and (with P. M. Zall) The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: A Genetic Text.
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