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

ISBN: 0300220243

Author: Goodwin, George

Condition: New

An absorbing and enlightening chronicle of the nearly two decades the American statesman, scientist, author, inventor, and Founding Father spent in the British imperial capital of colonial AmericaFor more than one-fifth of his life, Benjamin Franklin lived in London. He dined with prime ministers, members of parliament, even kings, as well as with Britains most esteemed intellectuals-including David Hume, Joseph Priestley, and Erasmus Darwin-and with more notorious individuals, such as Francis Dashwood and James Boswell. Having spent eighteen formative months in England as a young man, Franklin returned in 1757 as a colonial representative during the Seven Years War, and left abruptly just prior to the outbreak of Americas War of Independence, barely escaping his impending arrest.In this fascinating history, George Goodwin gives a colorful account of Franklins British years. The author offers a rich and revealing portrait of one of the most remarkable figures in U.S. history, effectively disputing the commonly held perception of Franklin as an outsider in British politics. It is an enthralling study of an American patriot who was a fiercely loyal British citizen for most of his life-until forces he had sought and failed to control finally made him a reluctant revolutionary at the age of sixty-nine.