“Mr. Bigelow has again revised his splendid work, first published
twenty-three years ago, and incorporated such discoveries as have been
made in the past five years. The editor may well boast that time has
indicated the artistic principle upon which the work was constructed of
letting Franklin tell his own story in his own way, beginning with the
autobiography and continuing the narrative with a most careful mosaic of
Franklin’s voluminous letters. And it is to be credited to Mr. Bigelow
that the ever-increasing fame of Franklin has made such substantial
advance in our own day, since such contemporary impetus was given to the
study of the man and his services by this very ‘Life of Franklin.’ It
is a unique biography, or rather autobiography, and, of course, it is
unapproachable in the case of its own particular subject. Until an equally
tireless and copious letter-writer as Franklin can be found another such
work is impossible.”--_Philadelphia Press._