The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is Franklin’s unfinished account of his early life, working habits, and public activities. His progress from apprentice to printer gives industry, reading, and practical judgment a concrete setting. The narrative also describes civic projects and a method of examining daily conduct through a set of virtues. Written at different times, it combines recollection with the wish to make experience useful to others. Its measured, often humorous voice invites attention both to the discipline Franklin valued and to the careful self-portrait he constructs.