Thursday, July 25, 2024

New audiobook release: Benjamin Franklin: Self-Revealed, Volume 1, by William Cabell Bruce

Today I am happy to highlight that William Cabell Bruce's work Benjamin Franklin: Self-Revealed (v1) has been completed. https://librivox.org/benjamin-franklin-self-revealed-vol1-wc-bruce/

This is an example of good things that just drop into your lap. Many moons ago I asked people "Which Founding Father is the most popular who isn't George Washington, isn't Benamin Franklin, isn't Thomas Jefferson, and isn't George Washington?", because in part this small handful of Founders is going to naturally have coverage. These are the Founders that the school systems cannot cover up. So from that standpoint these books are just going to get done anyways. There's no reason to specifically set out to get them done.

These Founders are also more well known than most others, so there's less of an educational value than, say, targeting for completion an audio book about Joseph Warren, Patrick Henry, or Benjamin Rush. Henry, being the most well known of the three aforementioned, is only really well known among a certain set of people. For the rest of America Henry might as well have only said 7 words in his lifetime.

This book by W.C. Bruce I have not read nor listened to. I didn't know it existed until about a week before it reached completion (found it randomly) and it is a Pulitzer Prize winning book. For most of you, winning a Pulitzer means that probably means the book is great. At a minimum, it is well-written and easy to follow, well composed.

Since the work relies heavily upon Franklin's own writings, it's probably fine. But it was written well into the progressive era (1918) so I personally am not the most enthusiastic about it. It's winning of a Pulitzer also gives me reason for caution since the Pulitzer was always political even from the beginning. These thoughts are all my own.

You can listen, you can choose to read the available and linked to e-text and read if you don't want to listen and in that way make up your own conclusion. I'm happy enough that the audio book exists and so here it is, for your listening.

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