The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Now printed for the first time from th Manuscript as Franklin wrote it, and including his Preliminary Outline [VINTAGE 1951]

Franklin, Benjamin

Edité par The Heritage Press, Avon, Connecticut, 1951

A propos de cet article

Fine unread condition maroon and beige marbled boards, beige linen spine and gold spine lettering contained within a gold decorated maroon block border. Includes Introduction by Carl Van Doren; A Description of the Manuscript; The Preliminary Outline: As taken from the Original Manuscript in The Pierpont Morgan Library. Illustrated with black-and-white drawings by William Sharp plus black-and-white illustrated front endpapers. Light foxing to the first few front and rear endpapers and page edges. All pages are otherwise in fine unmarked condition and the spine/binding is in exceedingly tight and square unread condition (see photographs). "Incredible as it may seem, Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography has never before been printed in a book as he wrote it, although he wrote it. (over two hundred years ago). And, although it is known throughout the world as The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, he never applied that title to it; for (incredible as it may seem) the world "autobiography" had not even come into the language when Benjamin Franklin sat down to write his memoirs; in fact, it is likely that the word "autobiography" was developed only because Franklin wrote his memoirs. It is strange indeed that such a masterpiece of simplicity, by such a master of both printing and publishing, should have had so complex a history in reaching the world of books. The explanation seems to be that Franklin put off the task of completing his memoirs until it was too late, and therefore he was dead before he could take a hand in the publication. The original manuscript was at his home in Philadelphia when, in 1789, in the month of November, he made two copies. One of these he sent to Benjamin Vaughan in England, the other he sent to Louis Le Veillard in France. He wanted Vaughan to consult Richard Price in England and he wanted Le Veillard to consult the Duc de la Rochefoucauld in France, to learn from them what changes they might consider advisable. Five months later, in April of 1790, he was dead; and the matter of publishing the memoirs was left to the discretion of his grandson, William Temple Franklin.".

N° de réf. du vendeur 010176

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Now printed for the first time from th Manuscript as Franklin wrote it, and including his Preliminary Outline [VINTAGE 1951]
• Éditeur: The Heritage Press, Avon, Connecticut
• Date de parution: 1951
• Langue: anglais
• Reliure: Hardcover
• Illustrateur: Sharp, William
• État de l'article: Fine