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› Find signed collectible books: '1776'
Esteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough writes vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an unusually harsh winter, and the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army. He also effectively explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the Americans, while anything short of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for example, was particularly humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory at Trenton was magnified despite its limited strategic importance.
Some of the strongest passages in 1776 are the revealing and well-rounded portraits of the Georges on both sides of the Atlantic. King George III, so often portrayed as a bumbling, arrogant fool, is given a more thoughtful treatment by McCullough, who shows that the king considered the colonists to be petulant subjects without legitimate grievances--an attitude that led him to underestimate the will and capabilities of the Americans. At times he seems shocked that war was even necessary. The great Washington lives up to his considerable reputation in these pages, and McCullough relies on private correspondence to balance the man and the myth, revealing how deeply concerned Washington was about the Americans' chances for victory, despite his public optimism. Perhaps more than any other man, he realized how fortunate they were to merely survive the year, and he willingly lays the responsibility for their good fortune in the hands of God rather than his own. Enthralling and superbly written, 1776 is the work of a master historian. --Shawn Carkonen
The Other 1776
![]() John Adams | ![]() Truman | ![]() Mornings on Horseback |
![]() The Path Between the Seas | ![]() The Great Bridge | ![]() The Johnstown Flood |
More Reading on the Revolution
![]() The Great Improvisation by Stacy Schiff | ![]() Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer | ![]() His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis |
![]() Washington's General by Terry Golway | ![]() Iron Tears by Stanley Weintraub | ![]() Victory at Yorktown by Richard M. Ketchum |
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The American Flag'
Traces the history of the United States' symbol of freedom and democracy, the flag, from its conception and design to the modern-day conflict over flag burning. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin'
From the most respected chronicler of the early days of the Republicand winner of both the Pulitzer and Bancroft prizescomes a landmark work that rescues Benjamin Franklin from a mythology that has blinded generations of Americans to the man he really was and makes sense of aspects of his life and career that would have otherwise remained mysterious. In place of the genial polymath, self-improver, and quintessential American, Gordon S. Wood reveals a figure much more ambiguous and complexand much more interesting. Charting the passage of Franklins life and reputation from relative popular indifference (his death, while the occasion for mass mourning in France, was widely ignored in America) to posthumous glory, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin sheds invaluable light on the emergence of our countrys idea of itself.
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Autobiography and Selected Writings'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'
Benjamin 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. This is a charming, self-portrait of one of America's greatest forefathers. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: With Related Documents'
This new edition of "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" is built around J.A. Leo Lemay and P.R. Zall's text. Louis Masur's introduction sets the work in its historical context. Masur also discusses America after Franklin and why the autobiography has had such a tremendous impact on 19th- and 20th-century society and culture. The book prompts students to think critically about the text by raising fundamental issues, such as the inherent distortion that occurs in autobiography. The book also contains six portraits of Franklin. Louis Masur is the author of "Rites of Execution: Capital Punishment and the Transformation of American Culture, 1776-1865". [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Autobiography, and Other Writings'
Franklin's writings span a long and distinguished career of literary, scientific, and political inquiry--the work of a man whose life lasted for nearly all of the 18th century, and whose achievements ranged from inventing the lightning rod to publishing Poor Richard's Almanac to signing the Declaration of Independence. In his own lifetime, Franklin knew prominence not only in America but also in Britain and France. Here was a cosmopolitan statesman, public servant, inventor, and editor with a distinctly Yankee sensibility; here was a moral philosopher who divided his faith between the natural sciences and the American experiment. This volume includes Franklin's reflections on such diverse issues as reason and religion, social status, electricity, America's national character and characters, war, and the societal status of women. Also included is a new transcription of his 1726 journal, and several pieces that have only recently been identified as Franklin's work. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Ben and Me'
Ever wonder where inventors get their ideas? As it turns out, the great inventor Benjamin Franklin got his best ideas from a mouse named Amos! Funny, interesting and wise, this classic tale has been a favorite for generations. Once you've met Amos and read his account, you'll never think of Ben Franklin-or American history-quite the same way.
Explore this historical time period even further in this new edition of award-winning author Robert Lawson's classic tale, with additional bonus material, including a map of Ben Franklin's travels! [via]

› Find signed collectible books: 'Ben Franklin'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Ben Franklin America's Original Entrepreneur: Americas Original Enterpreneur Franklin's Autobiography Adapted for Modern Times'
Audio [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia'
Benjamin Franklin was one of the busiest men in the American colonies. He was a printer, a postmaster, an inventor, a writer, and a diplomat. When the Revolutionary War began, Ben supported America in the Continental Congress. Like the clever adages from his Poor Richards Almanac, Ben Franklin still sets an example for Americans today. [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'Ben Franklin's Wit and Wisdom'
American History & Studies, Humor, Wit [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin: A Biography'
This fully documented account of the 'first American' gives a detailed & lively picture of the writer who invented the lightning conductor; the politician who spent years as emissary in London trying to prevent the American War of Independence; the statesman who, when war came, served as the U.S. representative in Paris, intriguing for French aid & American victory. Distinguished historian & biographer Ronald Clark unravels the story of the successful printer & publisher whose electrical research brought him membership of the Royal Society, whose lobbying work played a part in the repeal of the notorious Stamp Act -- one of the founding Fathers of the U.S. & the author & printer of ''Poor Richard s Almanack.'' Illustrations. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin'
Carl Van Doren received the 1938 Pulitzer Prize in Biography for this work. It contains the most extensive collection of Benjamin Franklin's autobiographical writings, much of which was long out-of-print. Also included are some fifty letters written by Franklin that was never published before. [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin'
Benjamin Franklin is perhaps the most remarkable figure in American history: the greatest statesman of his age, he played a pivotal role in the formation of the American republic. He was also a pioneering scientist, a best-selling author, the country's first postmaster general, a printer, a bon vivant, a diplomat, a ladies' man, and a moralist - and the most prominent celebrity of the 18th century. Franklin was, however, a man of vast contradictions, as Edmund Morgan demonstrates in this biography. A reluctant revolutionary, Franklin had desperately wished to preserve the British Empire, and he mourned the break even as he led the fight for American independence. Despite his passion for science, Franklin viewed his groundbreaking experiments as secondary to his civic duties. And although he helped to draft both the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution, he had personally hoped that the new American government would take a different shape. Seeking to unravel the enigma of Franklin's character, Morgan shows that he was the rare individual who consistently placed the public interest before his own desires. [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin'
In this outstanding picture book biography, first-time readers will meet one of America's most extraordinary historical figures. Inventor, philosopher, writer, publisher and adviser for the Declaration of Independence, Ben Franklin brought to a new and growing nation his intelligence and wit.
A NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Studies, A Child Study Children's Book Committee: Children's Book of the Year. [via]

› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin'
Hear the fascinating tale of America¹s first jack-of-all-trades. Printer, inventor, scientist, and statesman, Ben Franklin did it all during our nation¹s infancy. Franklin¹s story is told using his own newspaper articles and personal recollections. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin: The First Civilized American'
[A]t the age of 24, Benjamin becomes the head of his own business, without having saved any money, without having worked unusually hard, without having omitted any of the pleasures beloved by imaginative youth, and without having lived up to any of the maxims for which he is later to become renowned. -from "Chapter XI: Philadelphia's Youngest Master-Printer" It's with equal measures of unstinting respect and gentle reproach that renowned biographer Phillips Russell tackles the life of one of the legendary figures of colonial America and the Revolution, a figure he deems "mirthful, generous, open-minded, learned, tolerant, and humor-loving...the first American man of the world." A delight to read, this is a cheerful, warmly admiring recounting of the story of the printer and the politician, the debaucher and the diplomat, a man whose "chief weakness" was a lack of aptitude for mathematics, who was "not above looking to the church to do police duty over his womenfolk," who was "midwife at the birth of the world's first great republic." Profusely illustrated and bursting with the author's enthusiasm as well as its subject's abundant personality, this is a classic of American historical literature. American journalist CHARLES PHILLIPS RUSSELL (1883-1974) was a newspaper editor and professor of English and journalism at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He is the author of numerous books, including biographies of Thomas Jefferson, John Paul Jones, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and William the Conqueror. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin'
A charming bilingual edition (English and traditional characters) of a timeless tale, in which one of the founding fathers of the United States of America comes to full and colorful life. This text is wonderful for intermediate and advanced Chinese students of English, as well as for English speakers studying Chinese who wish to ground their reading study in familiar material. This edition includes the original line drawings and color illustrations by William Jacobson. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin:a Biography in His Own Words: A Biography in His Own Words'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin: An American Life'
Benjamin Franklin, writes journalist and biographer Walter Isaacson, was that rare Founding Father who would sooner wink at a passer-by than sit still for a formal portrait. What's more, Isaacson relates in this fluent and entertaining biography, the revolutionary leader represents a political tradition that has been all but forgotten today, one that prizes pragmatism over moralism, religious tolerance over fundamentalist rigidity, and social mobility over class privilege. That broadly democratic sensibility allowed Franklin his contradictions, as Isaacson shows. Though a man of lofty principles, Franklin wasn't shy of using sex to sell the newspapers he edited and published; though far from frivolous, he liked his toys and his mortal pleasures; and though he sometimes gave off a simpleton image, he was a shrewd and even crafty politician. Isaacson doesn't shy from enumerating Franklins occasional peccadilloes and shortcomings, in keeping with the iconoclastic nature of our time--none of which, however, stops him from considering Benjamin Franklin "the most accomplished American of his age," and one of the most admirable of any era. And heres one bit of proof: as a young man, Ben Franklin regularly went without food in order to buy books. His example, as always, is a good one--and this is just the book to buy with the proceeds from the grocery budget. --Gregory McNamee [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography, Poor Richard, and Later Writings'
More editions of Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography, Poor Richard, and Later Writings:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin Wit and Wisdom'
A collection of sayings from many different editions of Bens Poor Richards Almanack. 64-page hardcover pocket gift book with dust jacket, 3-1/4'' wide by 5-3/8'' high. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography: An Authoritative Text Backgrounds Criticism'
Franklins Autobiography is the only enduring best-seller written in America before the nineteenth century, as well as the most popular autobiography ever written.
As such it deserves to be offered to twentieth-century readers in the most accurate form possible, and so it is, in this Norton Critical Edition, the first text to be edited directly from the manuscripts, rather than perpetuating the errors of previous editions.More editions of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography: An Authoritative Text Backgrounds Criticism:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Benjamin Franklin's the Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Faith of Our Founding Fathers'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Fart Proudly: Writings of Benjamin Franklin You Never Read in School'
Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin was one of the great philosophers of his time. But there was a side to him you were not exposed to in school--a bawdy, scurrilous side that was all too eager to ignite the fires of controversy. From time to time, he would put some of his satirical ideas down on paper. Fart Proudly is a testament to the rogue that lived inside the philosopher and statesman. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin'
Benjamin Franklin may have been the most remarkable American ever to live: a printer, scientist, inventor, politician, diplomat, and--finally--an icon. His life was so sweeping that this comprehensive biography by H.W. Brands at times reads like a history of the United States during the 18th century. Franklin was at the center of America's transition from British colony to new nation, and was a kind of Founding Grandfather to the Founding Fathers; he was a full generation older than George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry, and they all viewed him with deep respect. "Of those patriots who made independence possible, none mattered more than Franklin, and only Washington mattered as much," writes Brands (author of a well-received Teddy Roosevelt biography, T.R.: The Last Romantic). Franklin was a complex character who sometimes came up a bit short in the personal virtue department, once commenting, "That hard-to-be-governed passion of youth had hurried me frequently into intrigues with low women that fell in my way." When he married, another woman was already pregnant with his child--a son he took into his home and had his wife raise.
Franklin is best remembered for other things, of course. His still-famous Poor Richard's Almanac helped him secure enough financial freedom as a printer to retire and devote himself to the study of electricity (which began, amusingly, with experiments on chickens). His mind never rested: He invented bifocals, the armonica (a musical instrument made primarily of glass), and, in old age, a mechanical arm that allowed him to reach books stored on high shelves. He served American interests as a diplomat in Europe; without him, France might not have intervened in the American Revolution. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He possessed a sense of humor, too. In 1776, when John Hancock urged the colonies to "hang together," Franklin is said to have commented, "We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately." Franklin's accomplishments were so numerous and varied that they threaten to read like a laundry list. Yet Brands pours them into an engrossing narrative, and they leap to life on these pages as the grand story of an exceptional man. The First American is an altogether excellent biography. --John J. Miller [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'From Slavery to Freedom With Harriet Tubman'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, And the Birth of America'
Benjamin Franklin began the "the most taxing assignment of his life" at the age of 70: to secure the aid of the French monarchy in helping the fledgling United States establish their republic. The job required tremendous skill, finesse, and discretion, and as Stacy Schiff makes clear in this brilliant book, Franklin was the ideal American, perhaps the only one, to take on the task, due in large part to his considerable personal prestige. One of the most famous men in the world when he landed in France in December 1776, his arrival caused a sensation--he was celebrated as a man of genius, a successor to Newton and Galileo, and treated as a great dignitary, even though the nation he represented was less than a year old and there were many doubts as to whether it would see its second birthday. Though he had no formal diplomatic training and spoke only rudimentary French, Franklin managed to engineer the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the peace treaty of 1783, effectively inventing American foreign policy as he went along, in addition to serving as chief diplomat, banker, and director of American naval affairs.
Franklin recognized and accepted the fact that French aid was crucial to American independence, but some Founding Fathers resented him for making America dependent on a foreign power and severely attacked him for securing the very aid that saved the cause. Schiff offers fascinating coverage of this American infighting, along with the complex political intrigue in France, complete with British spies and French double agents, secret negotiations and backroom deals. A Great Improvisation is an entertaining and illuminating portrait of Franklin's seven-year adventure in France that "stands not only as his greatest service to his country but the most revealing of the man." --Shawn Carkonen [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Meet Benjamin Franklin'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Poor Richard: The Almanacks for the Years, 1733-1758'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Poor Richard's Almanack'
none [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'Poor Richard's Almanack, 1733: For the Year of Chrift'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Value of Saving: The Story of Benjamin Franklin'
A brief biography of the outstanding 18th-century printer, inventor, and statesman, emphasizing the value of saving in his life. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Way to Wealth'
The first American book on personal finance, The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin is still the best and wisest money book ever written. Originally published in 1758 as the preface to Poor Richard's Almanack, this little gem has been through innumerable printings and sold millions of copies to those in search of smart but entertaining advice about hard work, earning and saving money and debt.
As the 21st Century charges along and the current economic climate continues to send out mixed messages, Franklin's simple but wise commentary on the value of industry and frugality resonates as much for us today as it did for listeners nearly 350 years ago. Here is a sample:" Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
" If you would be wealthy, think of saving, as well as of getting.
" If you would have your business done, go; if not, send.
" Think what you do when you run into debt; you give to another power over your liberty.
" Creditors have better memories than debtors.
Although older than the United States itself, The Way to Wealth is still very popular. It is handed out by major companies and financial institutions to friends, clients, and customers and is the January, 2004 selection of The Washington Post's the Color of Money Book Club. As Michelle Singletary, director of the Club wrote in a column about The book, At just 30 pages, this pocketsize book takes less than an hour to read but will give you a lifetime of financial wisdomthat is if you're wise enough to follow the advice. [via]More editions of The Way to Wealth:
› Find signed collectible books: 'What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?'
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. A brief biography of the 18th-century printer, inventor, and statesman who played an influential role in the early history of the United States. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Wit & Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'La Revolution Francaise'
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