Benjamin Franklin/Bibliography

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Primary Sources

• Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, ed. L.W. Labaree et al. (1964) online edition - there are many editions
• Franklin, Benjamin. Franklin: Writings, ed. J.A. Leo Lemay, Library of America (1987) - recommended
• Labaree, Leonard W., et al., eds., The Papers of Benjamin Franklin 35 vols. to date (1959-2002) - definitive edition, through 1781. This massive collection of BF's writings, and letters to him, is only available in large research libraries. It is most useful for detailed research on very specific topics.

Biographies

• Becker, Carl Lotus. "Benjamin Franklin," Dictionary of American Biography (1931) - vol 3, with hot links online
• Brands, Henry. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (2000)- excellent long scholarly biography
• Crane, Verner W. Benjamin Franklin and a Rising People (1954)
• Hawke, David F. Franklin (1976)
• Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2004) - good recent biography
• Morgan, Edmund S. Benjamni Franklin (2003) the best introduction
• Sparks, Jared. Life of Benjamin Franklin: A Continuation of Franklin's Autobiography (1840) online edition
• Van Doren, Carl. Benjamin Franklin (1938)
• Wright, Esmond. Franklin of Philadelphia (1986) - excellent scholarly study

Specialized Scholarly Studies

• Anderson, Douglas. The Radical Enlightenments of Benjamin Franklin (1997) - fresh look at the intellectual roots of Franklin
• Buxbaum, M.H. Critical Essays on Benjamin Franklin (1987)
• Cohen, I. Bernard. Benjamin Franklin's Science (1990) - Cohen, the leading specialist, has several books on Franklin's science
• Conner, Paul W. Poor Richard's Politicks (1965) - analyzes Franklin's ideas in terms of the Enlightenment
• Dull, Jonathan. A Diplomatic History of the American Revolution (1985)
• Ford, Paul Leicester. The Many-Sided Franklin (1899) online edition - collection of scholarly essays
• Lemay, J. A. Leo, ed. Reappraising Benjamin Franklin: A Bicentennial Perspective (1993) - scholarly essays
• McCoy, Drew R. "Benjamin Franklin's Vision of a Republican Political Economy for America." William and Mary Quarterly 1978 35(4): 607-628.
• Skemp, Sheila L. Benjamin and William Franklin: Father and Son, Patriot and Loyalist (1994)- Ben's son was a leading Loyalist