Omar’s Reviews > The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and the Pursuit of Genius > Status Update
Omar
is on page 247 of 432
As a lover of science, even I sometimes find parts of the book to be a bit flat and academic (fun facts notwithstanding!).
But I’ve learned new things! On this page, for instance, I learned it was Franklin who helped Thomas Paine come to the colonies and even edited a draft of Common Sense. I’m also appreciating the decidedly *Newtonian* language in the Declaration of Independence.
— Jan 24, 2021 10:25AM
But I’ve learned new things! On this page, for instance, I learned it was Franklin who helped Thomas Paine come to the colonies and even edited a draft of Common Sense. I’m also appreciating the decidedly *Newtonian* language in the Declaration of Independence.
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Brendan
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Jan 25, 2021 12:02PM
How does this compare to some of the more typical bios of Franklin? Is the extra focus on science worthwhile or do you think that a reader can get enough info just by reading one of the others?
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That's a great question. Having not yet read my copy of Isaacson's biography, it's hard to say. It does seem, though, that this focuses on science in a more thorough way than any other work would do; it brings to the reader an appreciation (that Franklin himself would appreciate) that the "republic of letters" existed in parallel to the politics of the new Republic. The book elides over the political side as Founding Father a lot, which other books would probably please readers with more.
