Robert Middlekauff
Benjamin Franklin and His Enemies
$26.95, £15.95 paperback
978-0-520-21378-4
Available Now
274 pages,
March 1996, Available worldwide
Categories: History; United States History; Autobiographies & Biographies; American Studies
March 1996, Available worldwide
Categories: History; United States History; Autobiographies & Biographies; American Studies
"An ingenious subject, and Middlekauff develops it with elegance and grace."—Gordon S. Wood, New York Review of Books
"His purpose is neither to vilify Franklin nor to defend him against scurrilous attack, but rather to understand better how human passions have powerfully shaped public events."—T.H. Breen, New York Times Book Review
"Middlekauff's sensible and sensitive portraits of Franklin and the people with whom he came into conflict in middle and old age remind us that a period of our history we are tempted to see as costume drama was a time of passionate and potentially fatal seriousness."—Robert Wilson, Washington Post
"A fascinating account of Franklin's foes. ... Finely detailed and compelling character sketches of Franklin and those who loathed him. . . . Middlekauff has provided us an unblinking look at the crack and blisters in an American icon."—Michael D. Schaffer, Philadelphia Inquirer
""Those who think they already know all about Benjamin Franklin, and that probably most of us, should appreciate historian and UC prof Robert Middlekauff's new look at this American icon."—East Bay Express Books
"A tribute to Franklin's magnitude that an entire volume could be devoted to his enemies. . . Those schooled in the Revolutionary Period will enjoy exploring another dimension of Franklin's life. Those who aren't students in this field will increase their knowledge of U.S. history, and will benefit from knowing that heroes, even those on $100 bills, have faults."—Catholic News Service
"A very readable history of America's first diplomat."—Library Journal
"An original contribution to the extensive literature on Franklin."—Kirkus Reviews
"Middlekauff's portrait deepens understanding of Franklin's emotional life."—Berkeleyan
"In uncovering a little-known aspect of the great man's personality, his passionate anger, Middlekauff reveals a fully human Franklin, one whose life, while indeed remarkable, was not without its hostile relationships and great disappointments."—News (Kansas)
"A fresh perspective. . . . Benjamin Franklin and His Enemies is superb portraiture and a graceful illumination of its principals and their remarkable period—from a perspective that widens the historical canvas engagingly."—Woody West, Washington Times
"A marvelous book. . . . In prose that is agile, luminous, and consistently compelling, with judgments of men and women that are sharp and shrewd, he has mounted an interpretation of Franklin's antagonisms that does illuminate the man and the public life in which he participated." --Michael Zuckerman, New England Quarterly
"In Middlekauff's able hands, Benjamin Franklin becomes . . . a passionate man who was moved by his hatreds as much as by reason and good will and whose judgment was often clouded as a result. ... Middlekauff's Franklin had many enemies—and he himself knew how to hate more than he knew how to love. ... This beautifully drawn portrait of Franklin and his enemies is graceful and well-balanced." --Sheila L. Skemp, William and Mary Quarterly
"His purpose is neither to vilify Franklin nor to defend him against scurrilous attack, but rather to understand better how human passions have powerfully shaped public events."—T.H. Breen, New York Times Book Review
"Middlekauff's sensible and sensitive portraits of Franklin and the people with whom he came into conflict in middle and old age remind us that a period of our history we are tempted to see as costume drama was a time of passionate and potentially fatal seriousness."—Robert Wilson, Washington Post
"A fascinating account of Franklin's foes. ... Finely detailed and compelling character sketches of Franklin and those who loathed him. . . . Middlekauff has provided us an unblinking look at the crack and blisters in an American icon."—Michael D. Schaffer, Philadelphia Inquirer
""Those who think they already know all about Benjamin Franklin, and that probably most of us, should appreciate historian and UC prof Robert Middlekauff's new look at this American icon."—East Bay Express Books
"A tribute to Franklin's magnitude that an entire volume could be devoted to his enemies. . . Those schooled in the Revolutionary Period will enjoy exploring another dimension of Franklin's life. Those who aren't students in this field will increase their knowledge of U.S. history, and will benefit from knowing that heroes, even those on $100 bills, have faults."—Catholic News Service
"A very readable history of America's first diplomat."—Library Journal
"An original contribution to the extensive literature on Franklin."—Kirkus Reviews
"Middlekauff's portrait deepens understanding of Franklin's emotional life."—Berkeleyan
"In uncovering a little-known aspect of the great man's personality, his passionate anger, Middlekauff reveals a fully human Franklin, one whose life, while indeed remarkable, was not without its hostile relationships and great disappointments."—News (Kansas)
"A fresh perspective. . . . Benjamin Franklin and His Enemies is superb portraiture and a graceful illumination of its principals and their remarkable period—from a perspective that widens the historical canvas engagingly."—Woody West, Washington Times
"A marvelous book. . . . In prose that is agile, luminous, and consistently compelling, with judgments of men and women that are sharp and shrewd, he has mounted an interpretation of Franklin's antagonisms that does illuminate the man and the public life in which he participated." --Michael Zuckerman, New England Quarterly
"In Middlekauff's able hands, Benjamin Franklin becomes . . . a passionate man who was moved by his hatreds as much as by reason and good will and whose judgment was often clouded as a result. ... Middlekauff's Franklin had many enemies—and he himself knew how to hate more than he knew how to love. ... This beautifully drawn portrait of Franklin and his enemies is graceful and well-balanced." --Sheila L. Skemp, William and Mary Quarterly
In this engaging study of the much-loved statesman and polymath, Robert Middlekauff uncovers a little-known aspect of Benjamin Franklin's personality—his passionate anger. He reveals a fully human Franklin who led a remarkable life but nonetheless had his share of hostile relationships—political adversaries like the Penns, John Adams, and Arthur Lee—and great disappointments—the most significant being his son, William, who sided with the British. Utilizing an abundance of archival sources, Middlekauff weaves episodes in Franklin's emotional life into key moments in colonial and Revolutionary history. The result is a highly readable narrative that illuminates how historical passions can torment even the most rational and benevolent of men.
The Mathers, by Robert Middlekauff