Five Books by Benjamin Franklin About Self-Improvement

Ben Franklin’s Personal Life

Besides Benjamin Franklin's political and scientific preoccupation, he is well-known as an author. He wrote many self-improvement stories about life and living.

Benjamin Franklin was born January 17^th, 1706, into poverty and became one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

His first job was working for a newspaper, which began his writing career. His first love was with a married woman at the age of 18. He pulled himself out of poverty with many business endeavors and became famous for many of his accomplishments.

He shared his life experiences to provide advice and guidance for others, and he spent much of his time writing.

He published many books that I found very worthwhile reading. He had the knack for providing many engaging stories that helped his readers with many aspects of their lives.

He wrote in such a way that I felt as if I were reading a personal email from him. He had the reader in mind whenever he wrote anything for his books.

He was a revolutionary statesman and was involved with the Committee of Five¹ that drafted the Declaration of Independence. His signature is also on the United States Constitution and the peace treaty for the end of the Revolutionary War with Britain.

In addition to his political involvement, Franklin is famous for exploring electricity and is known as an inspirational philosopher, successful businessman, civic leader, entrepreneur, investor, inventor, and scientist. I would put him right up there as a famous writer too.

He said in his autobiography that writing has been of great use in the course of his life. Benjamin Franklin is one of my favorite authors because I relate to his feelings.

I have always found writing to be advantageous in helping one to focus on what's important in our endeavors. That is why I appreciate Franklin's writings.

He was part of a large family with nine other siblings. His parents were Josiah and Mary. Josiah Franklin came to the US in (circa) 1683, where he married Mary (whose surname is not known in public records). Their ten children were Benjamin, John, Peter, James, Ebenezer, Thomas, Mary, Sarah, Lydia and Jane.²

Why I Like Franklin’s Writing

He especially liked to write about how he solved problems encountered in life, and he had many. He seemed to always have conflicting issues in life, much of which he brought on by himself.

I learned lots of valuable viewpoints about many different subjects from reading his books. Each one related to some part of my life that I found brought a better understanding of my own affairs. All his writings offer a tremendous wealth of knowledge.

The following is a review of Ben Franklin’s books that I've read. I'll give you an idea of what I've learned from them.

1. The Way to Wealth

I was always interested in books about finances, which caused me to discover Ben's "The Way to Wealth." Since he was also an investor, he had a lot to share about achieving wealth and prosperity.

He had many sayings in this book that became well-known quotes, such as "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

This book is an easy read. It only has three short chapters but packs a lot of useful information. Ben took the content he wrote over 25 years for his "Poor Richard's Almanack" compiled it into this short 30-page pocket-sized book. That served the purpose well for a simple stand-alone financial advice book.

Ben included specific advice for employees who are just beginning a career. It's an excellent book for young people too. What I found fascinating is that it applies to today's economy. Some things never change.

Although he left out most of the hundreds of sayings and adages that he wrote in the Almanack, many became famous proverbs.

As an author myself, I find what Franklin did with The Way to Wealth was clever, since the material we create for one subject can often apply to a different topic if it relates logically. And he has done that.

See "The Way to Wealth" on Amazon.

2. Poor Richard’s Almanack

In 1733, Franklin's wife (as he called her) suggested making extra money from his writing. So, he started creating annual papers for the public good (as he put it) under his pseudonym, Richard Saunders.

He called it Poor Richard's Almanack. He continued writing annual editions of the Almanack for 25 years, until 1758. They have now all been combined into this book, where I discovered that he had a poetic and humorous side to himself.

In case you're wondering, Almanac was spelled with a 'k' at the end in those days. That's not a typo. English spelling can be confusing. We run into trouble with so many things. For example, I could have said, "Almanac was spelt with a 'k' at the end." Saying "spelt" is the proper way to say "spelled" in British English.

Poor Richard's Almanack is also where I found many of Franklin's thought-provoking sayings and adages, such as the following quote from his first edition:

"Relation without friendship, friendship without power, power without will, will without effect, effect without profit, & profit without virtue, are not worth a farto."
— Ben Franklin - Poor Richard's Almanack, 1733

Ben had his way with words, such as his use of Farto, which is the emotional feeling caused by an embarrassing moment.

"You cannot pluck roses without fear of thorns, Nor enjoy a fair wife without danger of horns."
— Ben Franklin - Poor Richard's Almanack, 1734

I recommend keeping a copy of Poor Richard's Almanack on your coffee table or close by. I turn to it whenever I feel the need for encouragement. I randomly flip through pages and always find something meaningful at the moment in my life.

See "Poor Richard's Almanac" on Amazon.

3. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Besides all of Ben's achievements, he did have a life of uncertainty and confusion. Some historians claim his son William was an illegitimate son he had with an unknown woman. Some say he had many affairs and never married.

Ben has spoken about a mysterious woman by the name of Barbara, having had his illegitimate child. But she was never found.

Other accounts claim William was the son of Deborah Read, whom Ben had an affair with while she was still married.

It's more likely that Deborah Read was the mother, and I think Ben kept the truth a secret because she was still married when she would have conceived. In those days, it would have created quite a scandal.

After Deborah's husband died, she and Ben lived together. They never married but had a common-law marriage, without any ceremony or any record of marriage.

In any case, the letters in this autobiography are the most candid and honest accounts of his life that I've found. In addition, I find the fact that they were written for his son to be significant.

Ben didn't always get along well with William, and I think this was his way of communicating everything he needed to share with his son. What an incredible way to create an autobiography.

It's tedious to read much of the content of the letters in his autobiography, but I found it interesting to compare what I learned from it with other historical notes about his son.³

William became an attorney and was a colonial administrator. During the American Revolution, William refused to join the patriotic rebellion against royal authority.

Ben used his influence to make his son the royal governor of New Jersey in 1767. However, William was unwilling to repay his father's generosity. William was against anything that had to do with the plans for independence from the British loyalists.

I learned all this from Franklin's autobiography, where he shared a lot about his life. But he originally called it his "Memoirs." Editors later changed it to "Autobiography."

He wrote it as if he were writing letters to his illegitimate son, William Franklin, explaining his faults, his achievements, his religious beliefs, and his writing career.

He also discussed his ancestry in detail so his son will know about his background. He explained how his father, William's grandfather, couldn't afford to send ten children to college, so he took Ben out of grammar school and sent him to a school for writing and arithmetic. I'm sure that's where he learned his purpose in life.

This book is definitely enjoyable reading.

See "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" on Amazon.

Recommended

Emily Dickinson's "There is a morn by men unseen"

4. Franklin: Writings

If you want to read only one book by Ben Franklin, this is the one. It also contains all the issues of Poor Richard's Almanack and his Autobiography.

I found gems in his many writings compiled in this comprehensive book of over 1600 pages. It includes personal letters he wrote to people he knew and editors of various newspapers about moral issues, social issues, political affairs, religion, war, climate and weather, education, science experiments, and humor.

Specific letters included discussions he had about friendship with Indians, supporting the poor, depravity of slave trade, and his thoughts on religion.

Among his personal letters in this book, I found one he wrote to his sister, Jenny (Jane Franklin Mecom), where he mentions he wrote a whole "Book of Devotions" about his religious beliefs for his own use.⁴

I especially found interesting his detailed discussions through his letters explaining mathematical curiosities that he had discovered⁵, explanations of weather patterns such as hurricanes and whirlwinds⁶, and experiments using electric shock to cure paralysis⁷, which later proved to have no lasting effect.

Of course, he was known for his studies of the electrical nature of lightning in 1750.⁸ But he is also well-known for discovering the power of electricity. However, I discovered he had many other scientific interests that he wrote about in his Poor Richard's annual almanacs. That was all in addition to his inspirational messages about living life to the fullest.

One thing stood out for me more than any of his scientific research. Despite his commitment issues, he nevertheless got into an argument in written letters back and forth with a friend, James Reed, where he tried to explain to James that "all wives are in the right." Ben went on to say that James must not understand that, because "for you are yet but a young husband." ⁹

See "Franklin: Writings" on Amazon.

5. The Art of Virtue: Benjamin Franklin’s Formula for Successful Living

Ben was working on a final book that he never finished. He wrote many notes for a planned guide to living. These miscellaneous notes were available as "Ben Franklin's Unfinished Guide to Living" and were later compiled into a single book and published by editor George L. Rogers.

Rogers named it "Benjamin Franklin's The Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living." Ben was thinking of using the name "The Art of Virtue" for a book ever since he was 26. He mentioned this in a letter to Lord Kames when he was 54 and still never completed it.

Even though Ben never finished this book, it's terrific that the manuscript was later published. It would have been a great loss.

He discusses so much about all facets of life that I would recommend this book for anyone who feels the need to find guidance with just about everything they might be going through. It is undoubtedly a guide to living.

You may be familiar with the saying that "you should be careful with what you want, because you may just get it." That logic is all about the way we overlook the difference between what we need and what we want.

Franklin discussed that concept in a couple of chapters, and I think it came from the way he had difficulty choosing between his desires and his needs in his own life.

Much of this book is dedicated to discussions of his faith and the immortality of the soul. I discovered that Franklin was a very religious man.

In addition to religion, this book contains many of his discussions about health, relationships, conflicts in life, and achieving success with wealth.

See "The Art of Virtue" on Amazon.

A Final Observation

I can relate to Franklin's desire to share his life story, his ideas, and his solutions to life's problems. I found that his books provide more insight than many present-day self-help books. They are the most educational and offer the most inspirational anecdotes. He was a genius.

Within these five books, I found the actual letters and other writings by Ben Franklin to be the most reliable account of his life. The compilations that include commentary from historians bother me somewhat. Some historians who wrote biographies of Franklin tried to destroy his reputation by writing about his many affairs in a negative light.

The stories about his son, William, were never proven factual. Some historians called William his bastard son born by another woman since Ben was known to chase after women. However, few historians ever documented their sources.

I indicated earlier in this article that I think he might have made up the existence of another woman to protect Deborah Read's dignity, being that she was still a married woman at the time of William's birth.

In The Art of Virtue, the editor (Rogers) noted that Franklin claimed he had married Deborah Read in September 1730. That was after her first husband died, and Ben must have said that because they did have a common-law marriage anyway.

To this day, in everything I've read about Franklin, I can't find legitimate commentary that confirms the truth of these details. But I trust his own writings. He said it best in this quote:

"I have here, according to your Request, given you my present Thoughts of the general State of Things in the Universe. Such as they are, you have them, and are welcome to 'em; and if they yield you any Pleasure or Satisfaction, I shall think my Trouble sufficiently compensated."
— Benjamin Franklin (letter to Mr. J.R. - "Franklin: Writings" pg 57)

Related Topic for Further Reading

• How Ben Franklin Made Decisions by Analyzing Pros and Cons

References

1. "Congress appoints Committee of Five to draft the Declaration of Independence." (Published November 13, 2009). History.com
2. Benjamin Franklin, Vol 1, Carl Van Doran, Simon Publications, pg 4-5. ISBN: 978-0517625323
3. Ibid, pg 93
4. Franklin: Writings, pg 427. ISBN: 978-0940450295
5. Ibid, pg 448
6. Ibid, pg 454
7. Ibid, pg 749
8. Benjamin Franklin. (October 19, 1752). "The Kite Experiment, 19 October 1752." National Archives | Founders Online
9. Franklin: Writings, pg 429. ISBN: 978-0940450295

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2017 Glenn Stok