Ben Franklin鈥檚 84 years of life were crammed with ideas, events, writings and revolution. It鈥檚 hard to imagine anyone living today engaged in such a rich sprawl of activities encompassing a craft apprenticeship, science and politics. Walter Isaacson鈥檚 Benjamin Franklin (Simon and Schuster, 拢10.99/$16.95) is a curiosity-satisfying and enthralling biography, full of information. For example, Marie Antoinette loved his armonica, a musical device made from wine glasses.
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