A Great Improvisation : Franklin, France, and the Birth of America
By Stacy SchiffIn this dazzling work of history, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author follows Benjamin Franklin to France for the crowning achievement of his career
In December of 1776 a small boat delivered an old man to France. So begins an enthralling narrative account of how Benjamin Franklin--seventy years old, without any diplomatic training, and possessed of the most rudimentary French--convinced France, an absolute monarchy, to underwrite America's experiment in democracy.
When Franklin stepped onto French soil, he well understood he was embarking on the greatest gamble of his career. By virtue of fame, charisma, and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers, and hostile colleagues; engineered the Franco-American alliance of 1778; and helped to negotiate the peace of 1783. The eight-year French mission stands not only as Franklin's most vital service to his country but as the most revealing of the man.
In A Great Improvisation, Stacy Schiff draws from new and little-known sources to illuminate the least-explored part of Franklin's life. Here is an unfamiliar, unforgettable chapter of the Revolution, a rousing tale of American infighting, and the treacherous backroom dealings at Versailles that would propel George Washington from near decimation at Valley Forge to victory at Yorktown. From these pages emerges a particularly human and yet fiercely determined Founding Father, as well as a profound sense of how fragile, improvisational, and international was our country's bid for independence.
show more
Book details
- Paperback
- 528 pages
- English
- 0805080090
- 9780805080094
About Stacy Schiff
stacy schiff is the author of véra (mrs. vladimir nabokov), winner of the pulitzer prize; saint-exupéry, a pulitzer prize finalist; and a gre Read More about Stacy Schiff
More Books By Stacy Schiff
People who bought this also bought
Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way
Used Book
Big Ten Football, Its Life and Times, Great Coaches, Players, and Games
Used Book
Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East : What the Bible Says About the Future of the Middle East and the End of Western Civilization
Used Book
Cartoon Marriage: Adventures in Love and Matrimony by The New Yorker's Cartooning Couple
Used Book
Questions of Life (Alpha: A Practical Introduction To the Christian Faith, Includes Study Guide)
Used Book
Always Think Big: How Mattress Mack's Uncompromising Attitude Built the Biggest Single Retail Store in America
Used Book
The Pioneer Woman : Black heels to Tractor Wheels: A love Story book by Ree Drummond
Used Book