Mr. James Parton has, I think, written the most interesting and exhaustive life of Franklin, although it is not artistic and is full of unimportant digressions. Sparks has collected most of his writings, which are rather dull reading. The autobiography of Franklin was never finished,—a unique writing, as frank as the “Confessions” of Rousseau. A good biography is the one by Morse, in the series of “American Statesmen” which he is editing. Not a very complimentary view of Franklin is taken by McMaster, in the series of “American Men of Letters.” See also Bancroft’s “United States.”
