Perhaps the most remarkable figure in American history, Benjamin Franklin was a man of vast contradictions as this brilliant biography of the statesman, scientist, and moralist demonstrates. Unraveling the enigma of Franklin's character, Morgan shows that he was the rare individual who consistently placed public interest above his own desires. Illustrations.

Perhaps the most remarkable figure in American history, Benjamin Franklin was a man of vast contradictions as this brilliant biography of the statesman, scientist, and moralist demonstrates. Unraveling the enigma of Franklin's character, Morgan shows that he was the rare individual who consistently placed public interest above his own desires. Illustrations.

Edmund S. Morgan is Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University. He has written more than a dozen books including Inventing the People: The Rise of Popular Sovereignty in England and America, which won the Bancroft Prize, and American Slavery, American Freedom, which won the Francis Parkman Prize and the Albert J. Beveridge Award. Cited as "one of America's most distinguished historians". Morgan was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2000.

"The best and most beautiful edition [of the Autobiography]."