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""Mulford's Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire is the fruit of a lifetime's study of the statesman and polymath, a polemically engaged and bold attempt to lend coherence to a famously multifaceted career.""--The New York Review of Books ""By adding an analysis of what Franklin read to what he wrote, Mulford has crafted a remarkably comprehensive account of Franklin's thinking about the British Empire. The result is a fresh and illuminating study of one of early America's most written-about figures By embedding Franklin the writer in the literature that he and his contemporaries read, Mulford brings Franklin the thinker back to life in ways that no other recent biographer has managed to do. In so doing, she has produced a wonderful tribute to a figure who remains as fascinating and compelling today as he was in his own lifetime.""--Early American Literature ""One might reasonably ask if anything new can be written about Benjamin Franklin. Carla J. Mulford's Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire answers that question with a resounding 'plenty.' Mulford begins this stimulating and engaging 'literary biography' with her self-proclaimed 'preoccupation' with Franklin's 1768 articulation of civil liberty Mulford's thorough and thoughtful analysis of his evolving intellectual commitment to American liberty has made me an admirer of Franklin the politician.""--The Journal of American History ""Mulford argues persuasively that [Benjamin Franklin] formulated a bundle of assumptions about colonial rights and imperial power as a young man. Over time his thinking evolved, but the fundamental principles remained unchanged. This is a significant claim, since in Mulford's telling Franklin developed a coherent theory of colonial sovereignty well before the final revolutionary crisis.""--Times Literary Supplement ""[T]he most thorough study of Franklin's thinking to date....It is engaging, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Methodologically, it breaks new ground as a 'literary biography.' It helps to rehabilitate Franklin as a serious thinker on society, politics, and empire and not simply as a genial spouter of aphorisms and popular wisdom. Perhaps most important is the contribution it makes to our understanding of the origins of the American Revolution.""--William and Mary Quarterly ""Given Mulford's methodology, this book should interest not only historians and scholars of colonial and US history but also those who study biography as a genre. Impeccable scholarship and an accessible style mark this sound effort.""--CHOICE ""What new can be said about Benjamin Franklin? Plenty, proves Carla Mulford in this engaging literary biography. Applying twenty-first-century sophistication to themes long unfashionable in literary and scholarly historical circles--liberalism, government, American identity--Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire is essential for anyone interested in the political and cultural origins of the United States.""--Daniel K. Richter, author of Before the Revolution: America's Ancient Pasts ""Carla Mulford's sweeping study reveals aspects of Benjamin Franklin's intellectual life that have been given relatively short shrift by previous scholars. Most scholars view Franklin as something of a chameleon, even accusing him of having no 'inner core.' Highlighting continuities (rather than changes) in his thought, Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire stands as a much-needed corrective. Mulford painstakingly traces the intellectual roots of Franklin's complicated views, giving credit to those who came before him, to help us understand exactly how he arrived at his ideas about economy and empire.""--Sheila Skemp, author of The Making of a Patriot: Benjamin Franklin at the Cockpit ""In Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire, Carla Mulford draws on a lifetime of study in order to situate Franklin's political and economic thinking in its Atlantic context. Her detailed discussion of the intellectual currents through which Franklin moved, during his rich career, makes plain the uncanny modernity of his mind.""--Douglas Anderson, author of he Unfinished Life of Benjamin Franklin ""Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire is an important book. It is engaging, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Methodologically, it breaks new ground as a 'literary biography.' It helps to rehabilitate Franklin as a serious thinker on society, politics, and empire--and not simply as a genial spouter of aphorisms and popular wisdom. Perhaps most important is the contribution it makes to our understanding of the origins of the American Revolution.""--William and Mary Quarterly

Mulford's Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire is the fruit of a lifetime's study of the statesman and polymath, a polemically engaged and bold attempt to lend coherence to a famously multifaceted career. --The New York Review of Books By adding an analysis of what Franklin read to what he wrote, Mulford has crafted a remarkably comprehensive account of Franklin's thinking about the British Empire. The result is a fresh and illuminating study of one of early America's most written-about figures By embedding Franklin the writer in the literature that he and his contemporaries read, Mulford brings Franklin the thinker back to life in ways that no other recent biographer has managed to do. In so doing, she has produced a wonderful tribute to a figure who remains as fascinating and compelling today as he was in his own lifetime. --Early American Literature One might reasonably ask if anything new can be written about Benjamin Franklin. Carla J. Mulford's Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire answers that question with a resounding 'plenty.' Mulford begins this stimulating and engaging 'literary biography' with her self-proclaimed 'preoccupation' with Franklin's 1768 articulation of civil liberty Mulford's thorough and thoughtful analysis of his evolving intellectual commitment to American liberty has made me an admirer of Franklin the politician. --The Journal of American History Mulford argues persuasively that [Benjamin Franklin] formulated a bundle of assumptions about colonial rights and imperial power as a young man. Over time his thinking evolved, but the fundamental principles remained unchanged. This is a significant claim, since in Mulford's telling Franklin developed a coherent theory of colonial sovereignty well before the final revolutionary crisis. --Times Literary Supplement [T]he most thorough study of Franklin's thinking to date....It is engaging, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Methodologically, it breaks new ground as a 'literary biography.' It helps to rehabilitate Franklin as a serious thinker on society, politics, and empire and not simply as a genial spouter of aphorisms and popular wisdom. Perhaps most important is the contribution it makes to our understanding of the origins of the American Revolution. --William and Mary Quarterly Given Mulford's methodology, this book should interest not only historians and scholars of colonial and US history but also those who study biography as a genre. Impeccable scholarship and an accessible style mark this sound effort. --CHOICE What new can be said about Benjamin Franklin? Plenty, proves Carla Mulford in this engaging literary biography. Applying twenty-first-century sophistication to themes long unfashionable in literary and scholarly historical circles--liberalism, government, American identity--Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire is essential for anyone interested in the political and cultural origins of the United States. --Daniel K. Richter, author of Before the Revolution: America's Ancient Pasts Carla Mulford's sweeping study reveals aspects of Benjamin Franklin's intellectual life that have been given relatively short shrift by previous scholars. Most scholars view Franklin as something of a chameleon, even accusing him of having no 'inner core.' Highlighting continuities (rather than changes) in his thought, Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire stands as a much-needed corrective. Mulford painstakingly traces the intellectual roots of Franklin's complicated views, giving credit to those who came before him, to help us understand exactly how he arrived at his ideas about economy and empire. --Sheila Skemp, author of The Making of a Patriot: Benjamin Franklin at the Cockpit In Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire, Carla Mulford draws on a lifetime of study in order to situate Franklin's political and economic thinking in its Atlantic context. Her detailed discussion of the intellectual currents through which Franklin moved, during his rich career, makes plain the uncanny modernity of his mind. --Douglas Anderson, author of he Unfinished Life of Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire is an important book. It is engaging, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Methodologically, it breaks new ground as a 'literary biography.' It helps to rehabilitate Franklin as a serious thinker on society, politics, and empire--and not simply as a genial spouter of aphorisms and popular wisdom. Perhaps most important is the contribution it makes to our understanding of the origins of the American Revolution. --William and Mary Quarterly

Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire is an important book. It is engaging, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Methodologically, it breaks new ground as a 'literary biography.' It helps to rehabilitate Franklin as a serious thinker on society, politics, and empire * and not simply as a genial spouter of aphorisms and popular wisdom. Perhaps most important is the contribution it makes to our understanding of the origins of the American Revolution. * In Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire, Carla Mulford draws on a lifetime of study in order to situate Franklin's political and economic thinking in its Atlantic context. Her detailed discussion of the intellectual currents through which Franklin moved, during his rich career, makes plain the uncanny modernity of his mind. * Douglas Anderson, author of he Unfinished Life of Benjamin Franklin * Carla Mulford's sweeping study reveals aspects of Benjamin Franklin's intellectual life that have been given relatively short shrift by previous scholars. Most scholars view Franklin as something of a chameleon, even accusing him of having no 'inner core.' Highlighting continuities (rather than changes) in his thought, Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire stands as a much-needed corrective. Mulford painstakingly traces the intellectual roots of Franklin's complicated views, giving credit to those who came before him, to help us understand exactly how he arrived at his ideas about economy and empire. * Sheila Skemp, author of The Making of a Patriot: Benjamin Franklin at the Cockpit * What new can be said about Benjamin Franklin? Plenty, proves Carla Mulford in this engaging literary biography. Applying twenty-first-century sophistication to themes long unfashionable in literary and scholarly historical circles * liberalism, government, American identity * Given Mulford's methodology, this book should interest not only historians and scholars of colonial and US history but also those who study biography as a genre. Impeccable scholarship and an accessible style mark this sound effort. * CHOICE * [T]he most thorough study of Franklin's thinking to date....It is engaging, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Methodologically, it breaks new ground as a 'literary biography.' It helps to rehabilitate Franklin as a serious thinker on society, politics, and empire and not simply as a genial spouter of aphorisms and popular wisdom. Perhaps most important is the contribution it makes to our understanding of the origins of the American Revolution. * William and Mary Quarterly * Mulford argues persuasively that [Benjamin Franklin] formulated a bundle of assumptions about colonial rights and imperial power as a young man. Over time his thinking evolved, but the fundamental principles remained unchanged. This is a significant claim, since in Mulford's telling Franklin developed a coherent theory of colonial sovereignty well before the final revolutionary crisis. * Times Literary Supplement * One might reasonably ask if anything new can be written about Benjamin Franklin. Carla J. Mulford's Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire answers that question with a resounding 'plenty.' Mulford begins this stimulating and engaging 'literary biography' with her self-proclaimed 'preoccupation' with Franklin's 1768 articulation of civil liberty Mulford's thorough and thoughtful analysis of his evolving intellectual commitment to American liberty has made me an admirer of Franklin the politician. * The Journal of American History * By adding an analysis of what Franklin read to what he wrote, Mulford has crafted a remarkably comprehensive account of Franklin's thinking about the British Empire. The result is a fresh and illuminating study of one of early America's most written-about figures By embedding Franklin the writer in the literature that he and his contemporaries read, Mulford brings Franklin the thinker back to life in ways that no other recent biographer has managed to do. In so doing, she has produced a wonderful tribute to a figure who remains as fascinating and compelling today as he was in his own lifetime. * Early American Literature * Mulford's Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire is the fruit of a lifetime's study of the statesman and polymath, a polemically engaged and bold attempt to lend coherence to a famously multifaceted career. * The New York Review of Books *

Author Information

Carla J. Mulford has published widely in the field of early American studies, but Benjamin Franklin has been her preoccupation for over twenty-five years. She has published over twenty articles and book chapters on Franklin, in addition to The Cambridge Companion to Benjamin Franklin (Cambridge UP, 2009) and Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire (Oxford UP, 2015). She is currently working on a new book, tentatively titled Benjamin Franklin's Electrical Diplomacy. Professor of English at Penn State University, she is the Founding President of the Society of Early Americanists.

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