The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Title card. The complete text.

This ebook contains the complete text of the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. The autobiography actually consists of several short accounts written at various times. They were never quite finished or edited by Mr. Franklin, an extraordinarily busy man, nor formally divided into chapters. In this hyperbook they are divided up into over 80 cards for convenient reading. But the divisions are somewhat arbitrary and the work should be approached as a continuous account.

Card 1 Title page.
Card 2 Editor's introduction.
Card 3 Franklin's introduction.
Card 4 English ancestors.
Card 5 His Protestant family.
Card 6 Early years and education.
Card 7 His parents.
Card 8 Early apprenticeships.
Card 9 Reading as a child.
Card 10 Early books and influences.
Card 11 Socratic method.
Card 12 Brother's newspaper.
Card 13 Leaving Boston.
Card 14 Journey from Boston.
Card 15 Journey to Philadelphia.
Card 16 First day in Philadelphia.
Card 17 Getting established.
Card 18 Short trip to Boston.
Card 19 Early business ventures.
Card 20 His vegetarian diet.
Card 21 Courtship and poetry.
Card 22 Voyage to London.
Card 23 Life and work in London.
Card 24 Friendship problems.
Card 25 English printing-house.
Card 26 London lodgings.
Card 27 Becomes a merchant.
Card 28 Return to Philadelphia.
Card 29 Returns to printing.
Card 30 Plans his own press.
Card 31 Business principles.
Card 32 Begins his own business.
Card 33 First "mutual" society.
Card 34 Begins newspaper.
Card 35 Prints paper money.
Card 36 Business affairs prosper.
Card 37 Marries Miss Read.
Card 38 Founds public library.
Card 39 Resuming the autobiography.
Card 40 Account of library founding.
Card 41 Personal life.
Card 42 Moral perfection.
Card 43 The habit of virtue.
Card 44 Daily prayers.
Card 45 Problems with order.
Card 46 Writings on virtue.
Card 47 Pride and humility.
Card 48 A literary project.
Card 49 Poor Richard's Almanac.
Card 50 A preacher and congregation.
Card 51 Linguistic studies.
Card 52 Personal affairs. Death of son.
Card 53 First public offices.
Card 54 Establishes police and fire.
Card 55 Preachers and meetings.
Card 56 Preacher Whitefield.
Card 57 His affairs prosper.
Card 58 Establishes militia.
Card 59 Quakers and the military.
Card 60 Quaker principles.
Card 61 Invents "Franklin" stove.
Card 62 Founds an academy.
Card 63 Civic offices in Philadelphia.
Card 64 Treaties with the Indians.
Card 65 Helps to establish a hospital.
Card 66 Thoughts on civic affairs.
Card 67 Thoughts on street cleaning.
Card 68 The Albany Congress.
Card 69 Political affairs and disputes.
Card 70 War with France begins.
Card 71 Helps British troops.
Card 72 Arranges military supplies.
Card 73 On the British military.
Card 74 The war continues.
Card 75 Organizes frontier defenses.
Card 76 Life with the troops.
Card 77 Moravian customs.
Card 78 Returns to Philadelphia.
Card 79 Experiments with electricity.
Card 80 Scientific celebrity in Europe.
Card 81 Relationship with governor.
Card 82 Journey to New York.
Card 83 Waits to begin journey.
Card 84 Finally sets sail.
Card 85 Arrival in England.
Card 86 Account of affairs in London.
Card 87 Chief events in his life.

Text source: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. With Introduction and Notes. The complete text as edited by Charles W. Eliot, LLD. for P. F. Collier & Son (1909). Gutenberg Etext #148*, released in 1992. Prepared for Seven� format by Michael Presky in Januar 1995.

place  time  topic  people  language

United States - 18th century AD - Colonial history - Americans - English