The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and the Pursuit of Genius

by Joyce E. Chaplin

Book Overview

Famous, fascinating Benjamin Franklin -- he would be neither without his accomplishments in science. Joyce Chaplin's authoritative biography considers all of Franklin's work in the sciences, showing... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465009557
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Linking science works with problem-solving at the social and political levels

THE FIRST SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE PURSUIT OF GENIUS comes from a history professor at Harvard, who shows how Franklin's evolving status as a scientific genius lends to appreciating his works and the evolution of science as a whole. There have been many biographies of Franklin over the years; but this is the first to narrow the focus on his scientific investigations and how they led to his political prominence. All of his scientific research is considered, linking science works with problem-solving at the social and political levels. New research into documents from his early career and those of his colleagues lend to a unique discussion here. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch