No comments about Recollections from the BBC Archives (BBC Radio Collection).

No comments about Martin Luther King, Jr: Young Man With a Dream, Library Edition (Ready Reader).

5 comments about Benjamin Franklin : Part 1.

1. 1991 Penguin Books reissue of 1st edition (1938), 862 pages (of which 782 pages form the main body of the book).
   
   I read this book because of Charlie Munger (Warren Buffett's partner). Benjamin Franklin is the man Charlie Munger admires and has attempted to emulate most. Franklin's autobiography was one of the twenty books Munger recommended at the back of the second edition of Poor Charlie's Almanack (the most useful book I have read). After reading Franklin's autobiography I was very interested to learn more about him - which I'm sure was Munger's intention. Thus I was led to this biography (one of two on Franklin that Munger has recommended), which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939. I chose to read Van Doren's before Walter Issacson's newer `Benjamin Franklin: An American Life,' as I liked the idea of being able to see what new material might have been discovered since 1938.
   
   With each of the large biographies I have read over the last year, I have found it has taken quite a lot of reading before I really got into the book. This one was no different. It was only when I was about half way through, reading about Franklin's activities dealing with the appalling British government/monarchy in the run up to the American War of Independence, that I found myself gripped. That may have something to do with me having already read Franklin's autobiography, which was the main source for the early part of Van Doren's book (as the author said: `Plenty of other men could find materials for the story of his latest years. Only he had known about his obscure youth...').
   
   I suspect another significant reason was that up until roughly that point there was very little information on what Franklin was actually like and how he spent his days (as opposed to things he had done or places he had been). Without this information I find it difficult to mentally associate or connect with the subject. This is one of the two key areas of weakness I identified in Van Doren's otherwise admirable book and is also the reason why I preferred Ron Chernow's biography of Rockefeller, Titan to Joseph Frazier Wall's biography of Andrew Carnegie. From about halfway through Van Doren's book we do get very interesting snippets, from Franklin himself and also from other people, about what Franklin was actually like (on pages 405, 419, 521, 600 & 649/650, in particular). I wish there was more, but perhaps the material was simply unavailable.
   
   The second weakness was in the account of Franklin's finances. Franklin became quite wealthy through his printing activities before he left business and went to Britain. At sixty years of age, after many years of easy living and generosity, he found himself with money worries. His most important business partnership ended in 1766, depriving Franklin of a significant proportion of his income. He was also concerned that he might lose his position at the post office around the same time. Though this did not happen and he was actually appointed as agent to three further states, I was rather surprised that Franklin left a significant financial legacy when he was close to being hard up a little over twenty years before his death.
   
   He did not appear to live frugally for the latter part of his life and so I am not sure where the funds came from. I would much have preferred it if this apparent paradox had been resolved. It seems of particular importance here, as Franklin was a man who preached the gospel of frugality, but also said: `frugality was "a virtue I never could acquire in myself."'
   
   I suspect that Van Doren was correct when he said of Franklin: `That he talked about them [industry and frugality] so much made it clear that they came less from his nature than from his discipline.' So, after frugality had served its purpose he perhaps left it behind (though long held habits almost always leave a residue).
   
   With those caveats, Van Doren's biography of Franklin is an impressive piece of work. I am not surprised that `The final writing of the book called for almost daily use of the New York Public Library over a period of two years.' And that `This book, full as it is, is a biography cut with hard labour to the bone.' The difficulty (as well as the interest) in writing a biography of a truly extraordinary man like Franklin was that he was extraordinary in many different areas. He was a successful businessman, an absolutely pre-eminent scientist and philosopher, as well as a remarkable and successful statesman (and that in a place and era when rank by birth was of paramount importance).
   
   I am not paid for them and so write these book reviews primarily for myself. I thus like to include the most important things I have learned and that I wish to retain and include into my life and conduct. In this case - because of the subject - there are far too many to include here. And that is surely the reason why Franklin is Munger's biggest hero: he was not only successful but he was also wise, generous and benevolent with it. Unlike Rockefeller, for example, he seemed to really enjoy his life. And unlike Carnegie, who appeared to fail Solon's warning (I might rather call it Taleb's warning, as that is where I learned it) to Croesus to call no man happy until he is dead.
   
   I do not wish to be happy because I have a distorted view of reality, but because I have seen the world as it is and can accept it. Franklin's life is thus a message of hope: he saw the world with exceptional clarity and was able to love it anyway.



2. I'm a big Van Doren Bio fan, and a bigger Ben Franklin fan. Carl captures the essence of the scoundrel Franklin. This is a bigger than life, juicy life. I almost don't recognize the Ben I learned about in school. The dried up old husk of a man who was part of that long ago effort to free our nation. Read this and laugh at the ways Franklin manipulated and succeeded against many odds.



3. With this hefty tome, Carl Van Doren succeeds in authoring a compelling biography equal to the intellectual scope and achievement of his subject, Benjamin Franklin. The title 'renaissance man' was perhaps never more aptly bestowed than on Franklin, whose pursuits ranged from printing to (most famously) electricity to temperature patterns and ocean currents to politics.
   
   Following the sweep of Franklin's advancing renown, first in the United States and then in Europe, the narrative never descends to a mere recounting of the man's many achievements (though this would undoubtedly make for fascinating reading in its own right). Rather, Van Doren devotes substantial attention to the greater social context in which Franklin works; in particular, the thread of family life in Philadelphia and later in France helps to anchor the broadening pace of his scientific and political thought, culminating in the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the establishment of republican government in America.
   
   Fittingly, the treatment of Franklin's death sounds only the faintest of elegiac tones. Van Doren recognizes the triumph of Franklin's life in the contributions to science, philosophy, and politics that would long outlive the man himself.
   
   A must-read.



4. I have not read Cabel's bio from 1918 on Franklin but this one by Carl van Doren might be the best. I tend to discount autobiographies as they tend to be highly partisan & even revisionist. The version Franklin's autobiography I read, & there seems to be dozens of them, was fairly modest.
   This is a whole life biography & is taken in large part from Franklin's own writings, letters to from & about Franklin. The unabridged audio version was a real treat & the amount of research must have been staggering, considering it was written in the thirties.
   This is a very through book. Where it treads lightly, whole books have been written. That is Franklin's lovers & the numerous children from these liasons, mostly in France. Mr. Van Doren is skeptical, keeping in mind when this book was written. Franklin loved woman & woman loved him but not nessarily in that way. He had many friends & "daughters" refering to his many, young female admirers. He keeps the wise grandfatherly image I had of him. In fact he was a neglectful husband & an absentee father to his own daughter deserting his wife during all those years overseas.
   There is so much to him, a true citizen of the world. He was a self-made wealthy merchant, inventor, scientist, philospher & statesman. The title he was most proud was master printer, an individual who started from nothing. He had many roles in life & van Doren covers them all.
   His most important years were spent in England & France. He loved London & Paris. He may have been tempted but he was always loyal to America, keeping her interest in mind. He was the face of America in Europe. He played the part expected of him; a rustic American philospher with a fur hat & was all the rage in the royal court of France.
   The colonies were fortunate to have Franklin in England before the revolution & France during & after. That is where with, Franklin's connivance, the major decisions concerning America were being made.
   His accomplishments ranged over various disiplines, as the inventor of the lightening rod, the Franklin stove used for heating, bifocals etc. He founded the first public library & fire department in America. He was the major contributor to the Albany Plan of Union in 1754. A document way ahead of its time, was a useful reference during the constitutional convention in 1789. He assisted Thomas Jefferson with key phrases in the Declaration of Independence. He was important in reaching consensus when the U.S. Consititution was being drafted.
   Had he stayed in Philadelphia, he may simply have remained a popular, loyal, prosperous printer & businessmen. He saw first hand the disdain King George III had for him & the colonies. To him America was merely a source of taxes without the rights accorded to all free Englishmen. This & the humiliation he suffered at the hands of British Parliment, turned him into a uncompromising (for one of the few times in his life) rebel. With his patience, gentle diplomacy, wisdom & sense of fairness, America was well served. With apologies to Washington who never left North America & Jefferson, Franklin may be the greatest founding father.
   While writing this review it occured to me that there are many similarities to Winston Churchill. Franklin was not a warrior as Churchill was but both men were visionaries & peace makers. Both were geniuses & prolific writers on any number of subjects. They were both statesmen & active in public service to a very old age. Both men dominated the times they lived in.
   Read or listen to this fine book, then move on to other newer biographies. They all add somthing to this remarkable man.



5. After reading "Benjamin Franklin", he would be the one person -- dead or living -- who would make the most fascinating dinner guest for an evening. His list of accomplishments is practically endless: printer, writer, philosopher, postmaster general, inventor, scientist, diplomat, statesman, traveler, and conversationalist. The majority of people who are ultimately successful have a key talent in one area, focus on that talent, and rise to the top. It is so inexplicably rare to find someone of such vast talent who also excels in all his (her) talents. Benjamin Franklin was such a gifted individual and, thankfully for our nation, focused much of his energy and time into serving the public. Carl Van Doren has written an incredibly well-researched biography of one of our key founding fathers. Van Doren's style can sometimes be dry and too academic, but keep in mind that this book was initially published in 1938. Today's reader may expect a more conversational tone and faster moving story. However, Carl Van Doren's biography is heroic in its effort and the author's admiration clearly shines through for Mr. Franklin.

No comments about The Rose Cottage Chronicles: Library Edition.

No comments about Mencken: A Life (Unabridged 15-tape Audiobook).

5 comments about My American Journey: An Autobiography.

1. Colin Powel is clearly a great American as exemplified among his many accomplishments and life experiences. However, this presentation of his life story is arduous and without excitement. This book often presents itself more like an encyclopedia entry than an insightful biography. While equal blame may lay on my view of Powel's somewhat humdrum life as much as the writing style of this book, I believe this book will only be of interest to those already seeking to research Powell's life, not those in search of an enthralling piece.



2. After listening to how the government determines whether or not we should send out our troops and/or go to war, it helped me see him (and the president) from a different perspective. It also surprised me to hear that he IS NOT a Republican.



3. This book was a terrific read. The title isn't misleading - that's not really the word - but it doesn't give you a real sense of the book's value. This book is much more than what the title would lead you to believe.
   
   In it, Powell talks about his life in great detail, and because he's been such an important part of a lot of history in the latter part of the 20th century, it's almost like reading a detailed account of many important events in that time. He recalls in great detail what went into a number of important military affairs in the 1980s and early 1990s, which for me closed a lot of holes in what I knew about those events as someone just growing up at the time. It gives a number of great insights into the workings of Washington when it comes to military matters, and that along with the account of his life makes this a must-read book.
   
   His personal thoughts on many matters, which are interspersed throughout the book as he recounts the events, were what really struck me - things like his feelings about some military decisions, how he felt when he was away from family, and especially his feelings on the presidents and other cabinet officials he worked with later in his career. The last one stayed with me the most - many Americans don't think very highly of a lot of public officials (and not without their reasons, myself included), especially these days, but it wasn't lost on me that Powell has the highest words of praise for just about every president and cabinet official he worked with in the late 80s and early 90s, after having worked so closely with them.



4. I read biographies of key officials as a means of trying to understand how they make decisions, and on what basis of fact or fancy they make decisions.
   
   Colin Powell is a great man, and I hope he returns as Secretary of State under a transpartisan team. He was destroyed by Dick Cheney and his own confusion of loyalty versus integrity.
   
   Here is the sentence, on page 293, that made my day:
   
   when he was Military Assistant to then Sectary of Defense Casper Weinberger, he preferred the Early Bird with its compendium of newspaper stories to the "cream of overnight intelligence" which was delivered to the Secretary of Defense by a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) courier each morning.
   
   See also:
   Preparing America's Foreign Policy for the 21st Century
   Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency
   Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It
   Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq
   Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
   The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption
   Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
   The Price of Loyalty : George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill
   High Noon 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them



5. Well, I kind of liked Colin Powell once. I kinda don't anymore. The book was ... dull. The same old same old - Horatio Alger type stuff. I bought the book because I thought that Colin might be going someplace and I wanted a glimpse at his philosophy. After his stint in Republican politics his future in that area looks pretty dim.
   He was a soldier and he has the soldier mentality. This book was probably designed to put him on his political career. I liked Swartzkoff's book much better. What happened to Swartzkoff anyway?

1 comments about Faint Heart Never Kissed a Pig (Reminiscence).

1. Ann Drysdale left London and a failed marriage to make a life for herself and her three children in the North York Moors. Her efforts to raise a variety of small livestock result in weekly columns for the newspaper. These columns became this book.
   Nurturing orphan lambs, trying to milk a goat for the first time, and protecting her ducklings from the local fox give a wry look at making a living on a small farm. The reader can celebrate her successes as she describes the birth of the piglets and sympathize with her frustration as weather, inexperience and other factors complicate her life.
   If you like animal stories (James Herriott), give Drysdale's books a try. If you think you would like to live close to the land and raise animals, read this book for a first-hand account of the difficulties involved in such an undertaking.

5 comments about The Chieftains: The Authorized Biography.

1. This is a wonderful history book of the Chieftains. The book is very informative about their love of Irish heritage, the traditional music, and all the wonderful groups, singers, musicians that they have shared the stage and recordings. Paddy has a great sense of humor, and he is the glue that holds the group together and make them what they are. I own a lot of the Chieftains recordings, videos, and I look for more products that they have made. We were sadden for the loss of their great harpist, piantist, Derek Bell. We all miss him.RIP



2. Mr. Glatt appears to have enjoyed carte blanche access to these fabulous musicians but his book reads like he spilled his notes and put them in the book in random. One moment he's praising founder Paddy Moloney for his computer-like brain, the next we're supposed to laugh that Paddy is five hours late for a major recording session.

   There's some fun stuff here, but the weeds are thick!




3. I purchased this CD because of my interest in Nanci Griffith as a songwriter, musician, and performer. Nanci does not disappoint as she breathes life into the narrative of fellow musicians and collaborators, the Chieftains. It is her familiarity with them as friends and musicians which adds to the excitement of the performance. Nanci has already won three grammies, been nominated for seven, and this should have been her fourth.



4. Nanci Griffith does a fabulous job narrating the audio version of the Chieftain's autobiography. Her voice is as sweet and flowing as the melodious tunes she sings.



5. Irish music is very hot. It is amazing how many successful Irish bands (of all types) have emerged from this tiny Island of 5 million. Yet in no small way can they all point to a single pioneering band that helped put Irish music on the map.

   The Chieftains are more than simply a successful collection of great musicians who have toured the world for over 30 years. When they started, in the mid 1960's, there was little interest in traditional music in Ireland. In Ireland, Irish music wasn't considered to be "hip" and broadcasts were limited to relatively unimaginative ceili music. The most famous Irish musicians of time, the Clancy Brothers, were not even living in Ireland when they began.

   The Chieftains took traditional Irish music and infused it with a new energy and style. They soon developed a cult following, but after doing the sound track for the movie Barry Lyndon (early 70's) their popularity exploded. Even after upwards of 30 albums, they and constant touring, their popularity never falters.

   The Chieftains : The Authorized Biography by John Glatt tells the story of how it all happened. If it weren't all true, it would sound wildly improbable.

   For anyone interested in Irish music, this book is a must.

5 comments about Natural Blonde: A Memoir.

1. This is a very entertaining book, full of interesting anecdotes about a wide range of people. Liz Smith is known as the gossip columnist who doesn't sling mud, and what a relief that is! In this age of tell-all tabloid journalism, she has remained a cut above and is all the more fascinating because of it. This is perfect reading that delivers one from the harsh realities of everyday life, but which is not at all escapist. Liz Smith has the gift of being in the right place at the right time with the right people and writing about it with graceful humor.



2. Oddly dull, considering the author makes her living by writing and that her writing is on gossip.
   
   I was surprised at how many times I thought to myself, "I guess you had to be there," in response to her narration of an allegedly wild and crazy party.
   
   I was amused when she noted how something or another she wrote created a "sensation." Perhaps they created a sensation among certain cliques in Manhattan or the Hamptons, but they didn't hit my radar screen. Just goes to show how each of us is the center of our own universe.
   
   Possibly the most irksome feature in the book was when she'd refer to "my friend so-and-so" [insert extremely interesting person's name here]in passing, without offering up any information about that person. Instead, she squandered many pages on the likes of the Trumps and others of that ilk.
   
   She kept my interest most when she described her childhood and young adulthood.



3. Liz Smith was gossip columnist par excellence but, no, she wasn't a natural blonde. The book is full of photos (half her life, she had dark hair) with the famous and infamous. She was the ultimate party girl in the early fifties in New York.
   
   She had a lovely mother but her two grandmothers looked like mine in Tennessee. Age was not good for women in the thirties, forties, and fifties unless they were rich and, though her father owned a farm and horses, they were not on the upper scale. She liked Tom Mix, the cowboy and never got over her desire to be a real cowgirl; kept his picture even through two marriages.
   
   Growing up in Texas, she had a lot of LBJ's 'bigger-than-thou' bravado. Seems to me I remember her at one of his press conferences but she claims the closest she got to doing a piece on the Johnson daughters for Cosmopolitan was a clandestine meeting at the St. Regis Hotel with Homer Busby, an aide to the president. She'd known him at the University of Texas where she was a journalism student. She says she was in her 'tart' dressing at the time, min-skirt and all.
   
   The photo display shows her with a plethora of important people always partying. She is shown with a young Barbara Walters, who describes her as "provacative without being vicious." She was not impressed with Sonny and Cher, put them down; guess they weren't "classy" enough. Sonny went on to become a Mayor.
   
   There are photos of her with Liberace, Truman Copote, and Bill Clinton. She had an active social life and was the Joan Rivers of her time. In 1976, she wrote a column for New York Daily News.
   
   A memoir is just that, memories we want people to know about us, and she furnishes a full plate. She sought a campy, bohemian life and had a ball fulfilling it on a large scale.



4. After reading this autobio, I feel I know little more about Liz than I would have from reading her resume. She chronologically recounts the passage of her life without revealing much about herself personally or emotionally. She gushes over most people. Most seem to like her too, but aside from her generous charity work, it's hard to understand why, since we don't learn much about her as a person. She conveniently elects not to reveal the names of those she wishes to protect, while having no qualms about publishing gossip about those she doesn't. The last portion of the book is marginally more interesting than the first.



5. Go. Go now and get this book. Lots of lovely yummy tidbits from a sweet-spirited, good writer. I'm not usually keen on memoirs, but not one page of the book bored me. A fabulous read and a great gift--for yourself.

No comments about Charles Dickens: A Concise Biography (Pocket Biographies).