Benjamin Franklin and His Enemies Paperback – June 8, 1998

Well worth reading, especially if you previously readVan Dorn's biography. Otherwise you may miss muchof what is missing in Middlekauff's book. Great for anyBen Franklin fan!/

An especially well focused biography; author Robert Middlekauff examines the men that became Franklin's friends and his enemies with an eye to reasoning WHY alliances and enmities developed. Not a psychological study by any means, instead a very insightful look into the characteristics of personalities which caused them to attract, or repel.The odd hatreds and detestations that came about between the characters involved in Franklin's attempt to rid Pennsylvania of the proprietary government of the Penns, and later still the animosities that developed within the diplomatic delegation to France are examined as penetratingly as any written account that I have encountered. Silas Deane's alleged (never demonstrated) larceny, Arthur Lee's near-psychotic sense of self importance, John Adam's conflicted sense of duty and jealousy are clearly laid out with careful scholarship and documentation. But it is author Middlekauff's clever "connecting the dots" that makes the read a successful historical examination.As ever, it is the enemies that garner more attention and interest than the friends. The opening chapters therefore make a less successful impression on the reader. Here the personalities and events seem less connected - more the laundry-list of names and personality traits that mesh well with Franklin's. Still, a well done, very interesting and important read of Franklin and the Revolutionary era. 4½ stars, if I could give it, but not five, the early chapters don't keep-up with the rest of the book. Also see  Beaumarchais and the American Revolution  for an interesting & succinct look at the Deane, Lee, Adams conflict on the supply of French weapons to the Continental Army.-----kindle edition-----Disappointing! This is the quality of e-book publication that could be expected of the early years; lots of odd artifacts appear from the formatting to e-book process - most notably an endless stream of (now incorrect) hyphenation that no longer fits with the changed format. More annoyingly, all of the strengths of the electronic format (the hyperlinks) are ignored. The citations are not linked: swipe up/down chapter change is not implemented, the index is not linked, and there are no page numbers. If this were a bargain book some of this might be excusable, but at ~$16 - more is expected; at half the price you can buy this book in hardcover! This is not an e-book by current expectations - it is a hasty conversion from the original format. e-book publication quality for University of California Press, ★☆☆☆☆, shoddy.