The Private Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin

FRANKLIN, Benjamin. The Private Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin… Published from the Originals, by His Grandson William Temple Franklin. 2 vols. Third edition, with additions. London: Printed for Henry Colburn, 1818. xxiv, 468; xii, 444pp.

Temple Franklin began preparing an authorized edition of his grandfather’s writings as soon as the great man had died and left him his books and manuscripts, but owing to difficulties in finding a publisher and Temple Franklin’s own interest in other ventures, it wasn’t until 1816 that his edition was published, leaving plenty of time for others to speculate and gossip about what Temple Franklin was hiding. Published in three parts (Memoirs, Correspondence, and Works), they nevertheless proved popular and soon went into further editions.

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