For a Kinder, Gentler Society
Letters from France:
The Private Diplomatic Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin 1776 - 1785
  • Brett F. Woods
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Letters from France: . The Private Diplomatic Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin 1776 - 1785
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Brett Woods brings together a unique and perceptive collection of documents that not only offer a rare glimpse into the complex mind of Benjamin Franklin the diplomat, but also provide new insights into the French-American alliance against the British.

About the Author

Brett F. Woods, Ph.D., is a professor of history for the American Public University System. He received his doctorate from the University of Essex, England, and maintains an active research agenda, primarily directed to the Anglo-American colonial experience and British imperial studies.

Dr. Woods has written widely on political, military, and diplomatic history and is a regular contributor to ABC-CLIO’s military and political history reference collections. He has also been published numerous academic and mainstream publications including the Canadian Journal of History, the Asian Studies Review, the California Literary Review, and the Richmond Review (London).

He has published several books with Algora — volumes of annotated correspondence that illuminate our understanding of key figures in early American history.

About the Book
This selection of letters is an important contribution to the body of literature exploring French support to the American Revolution, and perhaps more importantly, provides an additional...
This selection of letters is an important contribution to the body of literature exploring French support to the American Revolution, and perhaps more importantly, provides an additional glimpse into the character and thought processes of Franklin, the diplomat. All other achievements aside, in his eight years in France Benjamin Franklin emerges as an extraordinary individual, distinguished as much as a philosopher as a statesman. Whether he is writing to peers such as John Adams and John Jay, to French officials such as the Marquis de la Fayette and Count de Vergennes, or even to long-time British friends such as David Hartley, Member of Parliament from Hull, and William Petty, the second Earl of Shelburne, Franklin always reveals much, if not quite all, of himself. And whether the subject might be prisoners of war and privateers, or rules of engagement and reconciliation with England, he writes with remarkable clarity, insight and, on occasion, humor: the portrait of a thoughtful man following a challenging course through uncertain times. The source material for this compilation is the 1817 text, The Private Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin. Where necessary, the editor has provided explanatory notes to assist the reader in placing the correspondence in its particular historical, political, or conceptual context. While there are a number of general texts that, to greater or lesser degrees, deal with this period of Franklin's life ' Brands (2000), Srodes (2002), and Morgan (2002), among others ' and these in addition to Schiff's 2005 release: A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America which deals specifically with the timeframe ' none offer any comprehensive inclusion of source material. To address this void in the literature, Woods embraces the subject, as the subtitle suggests, from a strictly documentary perspective. Thus, this text is both an original reference resource and a supplement to the existing literature. It presents, in its entirety, the original written correspondence which previous authors, in many cases, cite as the basis for their interpretation of events or conclusions of fact.
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February 2007 Reference & Research Book News | More »

Pages 236
Year: 2006
LC Classification: E302.6.F75A183
Dewey code: 973.3'2092--dc22
BISAC: HIS036030
BISAC: BIO010000
Soft Cover
ISBN: 978-0-87586-488-4
Price: USD 23.95
Hard Cover
ISBN: 978-0-87586-489-1
Price: USD 31.95
eBook
ISBN: 978-0-87586-490-7
Price: USD 23.95
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