The dramatic story of a founding father, his illegitimate son, and the tragedy of their conflict during the American Revolution--from the acclaimed author of The Lincolns . Ben Franklin is the most lovable of America's founding fathers. His wit, his charm, his inventiveness--even his grandfatherly appearance--are legendary. But this image obscures the scandals that dogged him throughout his life. In The Loyal Son, award-winning historian Daniel Mark Epstein throws the spotlight on one of the more enigmatic aspects of ...
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The dramatic story of a founding father, his illegitimate son, and the tragedy of their conflict during the American Revolution--from the acclaimed author of The Lincolns . Ben Franklin is the most lovable of America's founding fathers. His wit, his charm, his inventiveness--even his grandfatherly appearance--are legendary. But this image obscures the scandals that dogged him throughout his life. In The Loyal Son, award-winning historian Daniel Mark Epstein throws the spotlight on one of the more enigmatic aspects of Franklin's biography: his complex and confounding relationship with his illegitimate son William. When he was twenty-four, Franklin fathered a child with a woman who was not his wife. He adopted the boy, raised him, and educated him to be his aide. Ben and William became inseparable. After the famous kite-in-a-thunderstorm experiment, it was William who proved that the electrical charge in a lightning bolt travels from the ground up, not from the clouds down. On a diplomatic mission to London, it was William who charmed London society. He was invited to walk in the procession of the coronation of George III; Ben was not. The outbreak of the American Revolution caused a devastating split between father and son. By then, William was royal governor of New Jersey, while Ben was one of the foremost champions of American independence. In 1776, the Continental Congress imprisoned William for treason. George Washington made efforts to win William's release, while his father, to the world's astonishment, appeared to have abandoned him to his fate. A fresh take on the combustible politics of the age of independence, The Loyal Son is a gripping account of how the agony of the American Revolution devastated one of America's most distinguished families. Like Nathaniel Philbrick and David McCullough, Epstein is a storyteller first and foremost, a historian who weaves together fascinating incidents discovered in long-neglected documents to draw us into the private world of the men and women who made America. "The history of loyalist William Franklin and his famous father has been told before but not as fully or as well as it is by Daniel Mark Epstein in The Loyal Son . Mr. Epstein, a biographer and poet, has done a lot of fresh research and invests his narrative with literary grace and judicious sympathy for both father and son."-- The Wall Street Journal
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Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $5.50, very good condition, Sold by Pumpkin Wholesale Ltd rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Abingdon, Oxon, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2017 by Random House USA Inc.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. "This poignant, absorbing portrait of Benjamin Franklin and his son William is a powerful reminder that America? s fight for independence was also an agonizing civil war, in this case pitting a father against his beloved son. In exploring Franklin? s tormented relationship with William, the royal governor of New Jersey, who remained loyal to Britain, Epstein brilliantly illuminates the American Revolution? s tragic human cost."?
Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $26.46, new condition, Sold by Pearlydewdrops rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Haywards Heath, WEST SUSSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2017 by Random House Inc.
Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $9.05, good condition, Sold by Aspen Book Company rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Ballantine Books.
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Good. A well-loved companion. Corners and cover might show a little wear and you could find some notes or highlights. The dust jacket might be MIA it might have been a library book and extras aren't guaranteed-but the story's all there!
Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $9.83, good condition, Sold by Idaho Youth Ranch Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Boise, ID, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Random House Publishing Group.
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Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dust cover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or limited small stickers. Book may have a remainder mark or be a price cutter.
Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $9.84, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Random House Publishing Group.
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May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $10.03, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Ballantine Books.
Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $10.03, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Ballantine Books.
Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $10.03, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Ballantine Books.
Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $10.03, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Ballantine Books.
Add this copy of The Loyal Son: the War in Ben Franklin's House to cart. $10.03, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Ballantine Books.
