"He was therefore, feasted and invited to all the court parties. At these he sometimes met the old Duchess of Bourbon, who, being a chess player of about his force, they very generally played together. Happening once to put her king into prize, the Doctor took it. 'Ah,' says she, 'we do not take kings so.' 'We do in America,' said the Doctor."—Thomas Jefferson

	Page
Portrait of Franklin	vii
Pages 1 and 4 of The Pennsylvania Gazette, Number XL, the first number after Franklin took control	xxi
First page of The New England Courant of December 4–11, 1721	33
"I was employed to carry the papers thro' the streets to the customers"	36
"She, standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I certainly did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance"	48
"I took to working at press"	88
"I see him still at work when I go home from club"	120
Two pages from Poor Richard's Almanac for 1736	171
"I regularly took my turn of duty there as a common soldier"	204
"In the evening, hearing a great noise among them, the commissioners walk'd out to see what was the matter"	224
"Our axes … were immediately set to work to cut down trees"	278
"We now appeared very wide, and so far from each other in our opinions as to discourage all hope of agreement"	318
"You will find it stream out plentifully from the key on the approach of your knuckle"	328
Father Abraham in his study	330
The end papers show, at the front, the Franklin arms and the Franklin seal; at the back, the medal given by the Boston public schools from the fund left by Franklin for that purpose as provided in the following extract from his will: "I was born in Boston, New England, and owe my first instructions in literature to the free grammar-schools established there. I therefore give one hundred pounds sterling to my executors, to be by them … paid over to the managers or directors of the free schools in my native town of Boston, to be by them … put out to interest, and so continued at interest forever, which interest annually shall be laid out in silver medals, and given as honorary rewards annually by the directors of the said free schools belonging to the said town, in such manner as to the discretion of the selectmen of the said town shall seem meet."

From an engraving by J. Thomson from the original picture by J. A. Duplessis.

INTRODUCTION

Table of Contents

E Americans devour eagerly any piece of writing that purports to tell us the secret of success in life; yet how often we are disappointed to find nothing but commonplace statements, or receipts that we know by heart but never follow. Most of the life stories of our famous and successful men fail to inspire because they lack the human element that makes the record real and brings the story within our grasp. While we are searching far and near for some Aladdin's Lamp to give coveted fortune, there is ready at our hand if we will only reach out and take it, like the charm in Milton's Comus,

"Unknown, and like esteemed, and the dull swain

Treads on it daily with his clouted shoon;"

the interesting, human, and vividly told story of one of the wisest and most useful lives in our own history, and perhaps in any history. In Franklin's Autobiography is offered not so much a ready-made formula for success, as the companionship of a real flesh and blood man of extraordinary mind and quality, whose daily walk and conversation will help us to meet our own difficulties, much as does the example of a wise and strong friend.

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