THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Working extempore from notes, Professor Brands seems in a hurry during these lectures--as well he should be; he has barely enough time to cover his subject. Franklin's capacious life spanned nearly the entire eighteenth century and encompassed diverse and complex elements, including politics, science, industry, and social economy. In fact, the amiable professor leaves out entire chunks of it. Nor do his assessments of his subject's character and motivations ring true. With two recent highly acclaimed biographies available, this deeply unsatisfying one is superfluous. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]