Excerpt from the autobiography of benjamin franklin
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- The autobiography of benjamin franklin summary part 1
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This excerpt comes from the first part of Franklin's autobiography. Franklin wrote his autobiography in four sessions over the course of almost twenty years. He lived a long and full life, and at the time of his death he had taken the work only to 1758. (Thus his published autobiography does not include any of his activities during and after the American Revolution.) Franklin's first session of autobiographical writing was for two weeks in 1771. He addressed that text to his adult son, William, and he then expected to share it only with his family. Eventually, the manuscript autobiography that Franklin had written for his son came into the hands of a man he knew in Philadelphia, Abel James. James and another friend encouraged Franklin to revisit his autobiography, suggesting that he should publish it for the benefit of the public. Franklin agreed, and he had that audience in mind during the following sessions of autobiographical writing (in 1784, 1788, and 1789-1790). Although it was not yet finished when he died, peo Part Two {1}At the time I established myself in Pennsylvania there was not a good bookseller's shop in any of the colonies to the southward of Boston. {2}In New York and Philadelphia the printers were indeed stationers; they sold only paper, etc., almanacs, ballads, and a few common school-books. Those who loved reading were obliged to send for their books from England; the members of the Junto had each a few. We had left the ale-house, where we first met, and hired a room to hold our club in. I proposed that we should all of us bring our books to that room, where they would not only be ready to consult in our conferences, but become a common benefit, each of us being at liberty to borrow such as he wished to read at home. This was accordingly done, and for some time contented us. {3} Finding the advantage of this little collection, I proposed to render the benefit from books more common by commencing a public subscription library. . . . So few were the readers at that time in Philadelphia, and the majority of us so poor, that I was not able, with great industry to find mor Benjamin Franklin Part II Letter from Mr. Abel James, with Notes of my Life (received in Paris). “MY DEAR AND HONORED FRIEND: I have often been desirous of writing to thee, but could not be reconciled to the thought that the letter might fall into the hands of the British, lest some printer or busy-body should publish some part of the contents, and give our friend pain, and myself censure. “Some time since there fell into my hands, to my great joy, about twenty-three sheets in thy own handwriting, containing an account of the parentage and life of thyself, directed to thy son, ending in the year 1730, with which there were notes, likewise in thy writing; a copy of which I inclose, in hopes it may be a means, if thou continued it up to a later period, that the first and latter part may be put together; and if it is not yet continued, I hope thee will not delay it. Life is uncertain, as the preacher tells us; and what will the world say if kind, humane, and benevolent Ben. Franklin should leave his friends and the world
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76 From The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Part II
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