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Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin  By  cover art

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

By: Benjamin Franklin
Narrated by: Walter Costello
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Publisher's summary

Considered to be one of the best autobiographies written in colonial America, Franklin portrays a fascinating picture of life in pre-revolutionary Philadelphia. In his own words he describes his life as a printer, inventor, scientist, and politician.
©1992 Joss Recordings (P)2005 Tantor Media, Inc.

What listeners say about Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

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Love the man, dislike this audiobook

Absolutely terrible audio and very dry reading of a great man's account.

Instead, I highly recommend "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" by Walter Isaacson.

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7 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Bad audio

The audio was a recoding of a 1992 reading. I couldn't get passed the first 5 minutes.

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7 people found this helpful

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Good Story, Would Benefit From Different Narrator

Narrator is a good reader but puts emPHAsis on THE wrong words, disturbingly often the prepisitions.

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6 people found this helpful

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A great man

This is the unfinished record of his own life as a young man written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790; however Franklin himself called this work his memoirs.

Ben Franklin was the youngest son and 15th of 17 children of Josiah Franklin soap and candle maker who had immigrated to Boston form Northamptonshire, England.

Ben Franklin dislikes his father’s trade but loved reading; he was apprenticed at the age of 12 to his brother James, a printer. He later moved to Philadelphia and worked for Samuel Keimer. Later he owned his own printing shop.

From his early years, Franklin constantly struggled to improve himself. His passion for improvement was not spent exclusively upon himself. Public projects included Philadelphia’s first public library, Fire Company, public academy, philosophical society, militia, defense system, sewer, street improvement, hospital and he created a more equitable tax system.

It is great to read Franklins own words and obtain his insights and thoughts of his early life. It is too bad that he did not complete the book. Franklin was truly a brilliant, talented man with many area of interest. Walter Costello narrated the book.

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5 people found this helpful

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Great Information but Hard to Listen to

While Mr. Franklin's story is very interesting and potentially fascinating, the reading is very wooden and stuff with so little inflection as to make it almost monotone.

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3 people found this helpful

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Ingenious!

Wonderfully recounted. Benjamin Franklin led a very interesting life. I come away from this book with a deeper respect for the man, and a desire to better myself the way he did--by reading.

The performance could have been better, but it could have also been much worse.

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2 people found this helpful

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Great lessons from a great man

So much to learn from one of the most important people of all time. Very interesting trip through the past as well. Ends abruptly, wish he would've written even more. Narrator sounds like he came from that time.

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Good read

Excellent detailing of Ben Franklin's youth and pre-revolutionary business, diplomatic endevours, service to Pennsylvania and his countrymen. Good insight to his beliefs and thought process as well as a look into the colonial time period. Does not detail the revolution or beyond.

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2 people found this helpful

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Must Read

I heard many people reference BF autobiography. I found it to be very valuable. Good mixture of history, humor, and interesting situations and stories BF described.

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1 person found this helpful

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Without His Texts Stolen History ~ Much Less Value

Without His Texts Stolen History ~ Much Less Value

Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson both wanted a Mufti to educate this nation.

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were so disenchanted, with the new world Christians, that they had not child by them, and instead impregnated the Africans and Arabs already here. Some fires destroy many books and records, and personal libraries that Benjamin Franklin may have "Junta" to Thomas to make for himself also.

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1 person found this helpful