Candace Fleming’s fascinating portrait of a most intriguing figure in American history is inspired by Franklin’s own Poor Richard’s Almanack. Each two-page spread, designed to look like an almanac entry, engages readers in a particular aspect of Franklin’s life. Freed from a chronological arrangement, readers can choose to dabble at will, or read from cover to cover. Either way, Franklin emerges as a complex individual of conviction and foible, a man who cared deeply for liberty, had a brilliant mind for science, and flirted and fawned (at the very least) with pretty girls. Easy-to-follow, detailed notes at the end of the volume provide the source for every item of the book’s illustrated matter, which ranges from reproductions of etchings, engraving, and woodcuts, to photographs of documents and objects, to paintings that interpret historical events. There is also an extensive bibliography and and index to round out this captivating volume. (Age 10 and older)

"What good shall I do today?"
How Ben Franklin answered that question -- through his work as a writer, printer, statesman, and inventor -- forever established him as one of America's greatest figures. On one day in 1729 he published the first edition of the Pennsylvania Gazette; on another day he changed the Declaration of Independence by adding the famous words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident"; and it was all in a day's work when he planted the first willow trees in America.
Modeled on his own Poor Richard's Almanack, this unique scrapbook captures Franklin's countless accomplishments. Biography and anecdote, cartoon and etching mesh to create a fascinating portrait of this most fascinating man. Anyone interested in the birth of American democracy...or curious about the rise of the U.S. postal system...or wondering how paper money came to be...or wanting to know how Ben Franklin was part of it all, is sure to pore over Ben Franklin's Almanac.