Benjamin Franklin in London: The British Life of America's Founding Father - Softcover

George Goodwin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1780227353 ISBN 13: 9781780227351

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2017

Synopsis

'Sensitive, moving and finely textured' Guardian
'Fantastic' Dan Snow

For the great majority of his long life, Benjamin Franklin was a loyal British royalist. In 1757, having made his fortune in Philadelphia and established his fame as a renowned experimental scientist, he crossed the Atlantic to live as a gentleman in the heaving metropolis of London. With just a brief interlude, a house in Craven Street was to be his home until 1775.

From there he mixed with both the brilliant and the powerful, whether in London coffee house clubs, at the Royal Society, or on his summer travels around the British Isles and continental Europe. He counted David Hume, Matthew Boulton, Joseph Priestley, Edmund Burke and Erasmus Darwin among his friends, and as an American colonial representative he had access to successive Prime Ministers and even the King.

The early 1760s saw Britain's elevation to global superpower status with victory in the Seven Years War and the succession of the young, active George III. These two events brought a sharp new edge to political competition in London and redefined the relationship between Britain and its colonies. Though Franklin long sought to prevent the break with Great Britain, his own actions would finally help cause that very event. On the eve of the American War of Independence, Franklin fled arrest and escaped by sea. He would never return to London.

With his unique focus on the fullness of Benjamin Franklin's life in London, George Goodwin has created an enthralling portrait of the man, the city and the age.

About this title

About the Author

George Goodwin is currently author in residence at the Benjamin Franklin House in London and is a 2017 international fellow at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, Monticello. He lives close to London’s Kew Gardens.

Review

“[An] interesting, lively account of Franklin’s British life. . . . A fascinating perspective.”—Jeffrey Collins, Wall Street Journal (Jeffrey Collins The Wall Street Journal)

“Wonderful . . . to be reminded of a time when America produced great men who revered science, were sceptical towards religion, eagerly studied philosophy and argued with both wit and wisdom.”—Gerard DeGroot, The Times (London) (Gerard DeGroot The Times)

“An engaging and informative account of Franklin’s experiences in the pivotal period before America’s War of Independence.”—Glenn C. Altschuler, Tulsa World (Glenn C. Altschuler Tulsa World)

“Goodwin threads Franklin's way among diverse British-American influences with a light, sure touch and fascinating detail. Overall, Franklin is shown as an astute player of men who subscribed to his own Poor Richard saying: ‘Let all Men know thee, but no man know thee thoroughly.’  The British author provides finely textured, subtle shading to a well-known American Founding Father.”—Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Reviews)

“The respected British historian and biographer George Goodwin provides us with a thoroughly researched and accessibly written chronicle of that important time of Franklin’s transformation from place-seeking provincial lobbyist to risk-taking revolutionary sparkplug.”—James Srodes, The Washington Times (James Srodes The Washington Times)

“George Goodwin captures . . . just why Franklin’s contemporaries found him so captivating . . . His narrative moves gracefully from heated confrontations with cabinet ministers to intimate aspects of Franklin’s home life.” —Professor T.H. Breen, Times Literary Supplement (Professor T.H. Breen Times Literary Supplement)

“A sensitive, moving, and finely textured account.”—Colin Kidd, the Guardian (Colin Kidd the Guardian)

“Wonderful . . . to be reminded of a time when America produced great men who revered science, were sceptical towards religion, eagerly studied philosophy and argued with both wit and wisdom.”—The Times (London) (The Times)

“There are three Benjamin Franklins: the American, the British and the French. The first and the last are famous, the second forgotten. . . The British Franklin, the subject of this fascinating and detailed biography by George Goodwin, may well be the real Franklin. . . The legend of the ‘first American’ has obscured the story of the last of a particular kind of Briton. George Goodwin’s vividly detailed account presents Franklin as a scientific, sociable Londoner. It was Britain’s loss he could not remain one.”—Dominic Green, Literary Review (Dominic Green Literary Review)

“In this fascinating history, George Goodwin gives a colorful account of Franklin’s British years.”—Smithsonian magazine (Smithsonian magazine)

“An enthralling biography.”—BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week (BBC Radio 4)

“Elegantly written, it serves as an enjoyable introduction to Franklin’s time in the imperial metropolis.”—John Brewer, The New York Review of Books (John Brewer The New York Review of Books)

Edition details

• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicholson
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1780227353
• ISBN 13: 9781780227351
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384