Volume 2 takes Franklin from his marriage in 1730 to his retirement as a printer at the beginning of 1748, examining the mysteries of the illegitimate William Franklin's birth and mother and Franklin's increasing civic activities--starting the Library Company in Philadelphia in 1731, forming Pennsylvania's first volunteer fire company, and becoming an advocate for a clean Philadelphia environment. J. A. Leo Lemay assesses Franklin's numerous writings, attributing to him for the first time a deistic Indian speech, remarking on his use of the second African American persona in journalism, and analyzing his publishing sensation of 1747, The Speech of Miss Polly Baker. These belletristic works are complemented by Franklin's religious, political, and scientific writings, which he produced prodigiously.

"Veteran Franklin scholar Lemay offers a highly detailed examination of the life of one of the most fascinating of America's founders. In volume one we meet a precociously clever Franklin, who first experimented with a kite around age 12 and at the ripe old age of 16 wrote his polemical Silence Dogood essays, which established his place in the American literary firmament. Lemay usefully situates Franklin in 18th-century mores, but too often loses sight of the forest for the trees. An entire chapter is devoted to Franklin's brother James, who undoubtedly had a huge influence on his sibling, but the chapter isn't tightly connected to Ben. In volume two Lemay recreates Franklin's personal life: the birth of his illegitimate son, William (Franklin scholars have speculated endlessly about the identity of William's mother; Lemay guesses she was the wife of one of Franklin's friends); Franklin's marriage to Deborah Read, whom he praised as a 'plain country' woman, and 'the Joy of my Life,' and the death of Franklin's father, Josiah. Franklin's civic side also emerges. Lemay describes his affiliation with the Freemasons and argues (in contrast to some earlier biographers) that Franklin was actively interested in political squabbles in Pennsylvania throughout the 1740s. The liveliest chapter focuses on Franklin's role in the establishment of Philadelphia's Library Company; the great library was, in some ways, Franklin's church, a 'manifestation of Franklin's belief in democracy and egalitarianism.' Frustratingly, Lemay breaks up chapters into countless short subsections, disrupting the narrative flow. Scholars will find these volumes informative, but general readers will do better with livelier, more compact books by Walter Isaacson, Edmund Morgan or Gordon Wood." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

This is the second of a seven-volume set on Franklin's life by Lemay (English, U. of Delaware), a senior scholar of early American literature, who draws especially on Franklin's writings in recreating his life and career. This volume contains a rich description of his life and myriad activities from age 24 until he retired as a printer at 41. His marriage, children, work as a printer, activities as a Mason, foundation of the Library Company, printing of Poor Richard, his business in paper and bookselling, foundation of a fire company, and job as Philadelphia's postmaster are among the main threads of this era in his life, which Lemay relates while also describing the many kinds of writings he published, whether political, satirical, scientific, or literary.
Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

This is the second of a seven-volume set on Franklin's life by Lemay (English, U. of Delaware), a senior scholar of early American literature, who draws especially on Franklin's writings in recreating his life and career. This volume contains a rich description of his life and myriad activities from age 24 until he retired as a printer at 41. His marriage, children, work as a printer, activities as a Mason, foundation of the Library Company, printing of Poor Richard, his business in paper and bookselling, foundation of a fire company, and job as Philadelphia's postmaster are among the main threads of this era in his life, which Lemay relates while also describing the many kinds of writings he published, whether political, satirical, scientific, or literary. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Representing a lifetime of research, this seven-volume biography will give readers an unmatched resource for understanding Benjamin Franklin's character and place in American history. This second volume chronicles the years of Franklin's success in printing and publishing, including his interest in technology and science.