Editor Mark Skousen (of the Skousen family of writers and scholars) has taken it upon himself to "compleat" the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Late in life, Franklin began writing up his autobiography, but only reached about 1757, when he was about fifty. Of course, he had much significant work to do after this: Parliament lobbyist, scientist, sometime printer and writer, member of the Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence editor, ambassador to France, peacemaker, President of Pennsylvania, Constitutional Convention, etc., etc., etc. It is a pity that Franklin never finished his task, but we can't be mad at him. He was old and busy. Skousen has scoured numerous letters and writings of Franklin for biographical information, and lightly edited them into a narrative-like form. The result does mimic the tone of Franklin's first effort, and Skousen has done an excellent job ensuring that all aspects of Franklin's life are present.

It is a tad lengthy. I believe fifty pages could have judiciously been cut from the text. (Franklin's earnest desire to have been born two- or three-hundred years hence is repeated at least three times.) Franklin was circumspect about his dalliances with the ladies in his original autobiography, but Skousen gives full details of Franklin's attempted wooings of various French ladies. (Even Franklin's cringe-worthy attempt [pp. 174-175] to bed Madame Helvétius by claiming her dead husband was cavorting with his dead wife in Elysium, so they should hook up here on earth.) Now, Franklin's ways with women is important to his BIOgraphy, but would he have expounded upon it in his AUTObiography? Probably not. He would have been a tad more discreet. These are my only two problems with Skousen's selection.

Skousen cites all his material in the modern, non-noted manner. A good introduction, afterword, list of sources, list of important dates, a cast of characters, and an index is included. So too are several color plates, with a few odd black-and-white images in the early part of the text (like Skousen and the editors began an attempt to illustrate the text throughout and then said, "To heck with it. We'll just have some color plates in the middle.").

As to Franklin the man? Just like my review of the original Autobiography, Franklin's pragmatism, ecumenicism, public-mindedness, entrepreneurship, and joie de vivre is a story that should be told and emulated by all no matter their gender, age, creed, race, or color, i.e., by every American. In many ways Franklin is the quintessential American.

But, all in all, this is an excellent "compleation" of Franklin's autobiography. Read in conjunction with a standard biography of Franklin is fruitful and heartily recommended.

[I am reviewing the hardcover edition, The Compleated Autobiography, ISBN 0895260336. It works fine as a standalone work. You can also get the same in paperback, titled The Compleated Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin, Volume Two: 1757-1790, ISBN 9781596985292. The latter ties in to another Skousen edited work, Franklin's original autobiographical text, titled: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Volume One: 1706-1757, ISBN 9781596980303. If you want both the original, unfinished autobiography and this "compleated" autobiography, I recommend getting the paperback set.] ( )