Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin vintage blue Modern Library book circa 1950 Fruits of Solitude by William Penn.

Benjamin Franklin worked on sections of his autobiography from 1771-89, but it was not published in a complete and authoritative form until this 1868 edition edited by John Bigelow. “This is not only the first appearance of the autobiography from Franklin’s own copy, but also the first publication in English of the four parts, and the first publication of the very important ‘outline’ autobiography. It is therefore the first edition of the autobiography” (Ford 423). The original manuscript had been left by Franklin to his grandson and literary executor Temple Franklin and found its way to the family of Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, “where it remained until sold in 1867 to Bigelow, United States Minister to France… When Bigelow came to examine his purchase, he was astonished to find that what people had been reading for years as the authentic Life of Benjamin Franklin by Himself, was only a garbled and incomplete version of the real autobiography. Temple Franklin had taken unwarranted liberties with the original. In 1868, therefore, Bigelow published the standard edition of Franklin’s Autobiography. It corrected errors in the previous editions and was the first English edition to contain the short fourth part, comprising the last few pages of the manuscript, written during the last year of Franklin’s life.

CONDITION: VG. No highlighting or any other kind of blemishes, edges are smooth, pages are clean, binding is tight.

ABOUT:

Franklin, Benjamin
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
1950
Please see all pictures and noted condition. Grading scale:
- Fine: Unused, like new, without any flaws.
- VG+ (Very Good +): May have been opened & read, but no defects to the book, jacket or pages. Shows some small signs of wear but no tears on binding or paper. ⭐️
- VG (Very Good): More obvious signs of use with no significant creasing or defects.
- VG- (Very Good): Worn. Defects are noted.
- Poor / Fair / Former Library Book: Worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, have loose binding.

To preserve the condition of your book, place your book upright on a shelf with the spine facing outward. Books should be firmly pressed together but not wedged in tightly, which causes stress on the bindings. Shelves should not be exposed to direct sunlight and should be in a dry, insect-free location.