The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

H.W. Brands

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, May 26, 2010 - Biography & Autobiography - 784 pages

National Bestseller 

He was the foremost American of his day, yet today he is little more than a mythic caricature in the public imagination. Benjamin Franklin, perhaps the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America, comes vividly to life in this masterly biography.

Wit, diplomat, scientist, philosopher, businessman, inventor, and bon vivant, Benjamin Franklin was in every respect America’s first Renaissance man. From penniless runaway to highly successful printer, from ardently loyal subject of Britain to architect of an alliance with France that ensured America’s independence, Franklin went from obscurity to become one of the world’s most admired figures, whose circle included the likes of Voltaire, Hume, Burke, and Kant. Drawing on previously unpublished letters and a host of other sources, acclaimed historian H. W. Brands has written a thoroughly engaging biography of the eighteenth-century genius. A much needed reminder of Franklin’s greatness and humanity, The First American is a work of meticulous scholarship that provides a magnificent tour of a legendary historical figure, a vital era in American life, and the countless arenas in which the protean Franklin left his legacy.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

What people are saying

Review: The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

User Review  - Michael - Goodreads

The First American taught me both about (1) Franklin's life/events of his time and (2) Franklin's way of thinking. HW Brands writes well enough about (1), but really shines in the sections of the book ...

Review: The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

User Review  - Pegeen - Goodreads

Self- made, practical. A word smith as well as a printer. scientist of the applied idea.

About the author

H. W. Brands is Distinguished Professor of History at Texas A&M University. He lives in Austin, Texas.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
• Author: H.W. Brands
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2010
• ISBN: 0307754944, 9780307754943
• Length: 784 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Historical