This classic is Franklin's last word on his greatest literary creation--his own invented persona, the original incarnation of the American success story.

Blessed with enormous talents and the energy and ambition to go with them, Franklin was a statesman, author, inventor, printer, and scientist. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and later was involved in negotiating the peace treaty with Britain that ended the Revolutionary War. He also invented bifocals, a stove that is still manufactured, a water-harmonica, and the lightning rod.

Franklin's extraordinary range of interests and accomplishments are brilliantly recorded in his autobiography