5. The Man Who Frightened Franklin

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. A chronology of Franklin's Life and Curiosity ix
4. Introduction: Benjamin Franklin Enters My life xv
5. Part I: Some Facets of Franklin's Personality
6. 1. Franklin, Hitler, Mussolini, and the Internet 3
7. 2. The Only Founding Father in a Sports Hall of Fame 17
8. 3. Three Women, Three Styles 24
9. 4. Grand father, Fathers, And Sons 38
10. Part II: Enigmas and Tricks
11. 5. The Man Who Frightened Franklin 61
12. 6. Franklin and the Unfortunate Divine 73
13. 7. Franklin's Most Baffling Correspondent 88
14. 8. Franklin and the Mystery Turk: The Morals of Chess 105
15. 9. Franklin and Mesmer: A Confrontation 114
16. Part III: His Country's Envoy 127
17. 10. Outfitting One's Country for War: A Study in Frustration 129
18. 11. Franklin's Choice of a Dinner Set 140
19. 12. Franklin and the Nine Sisters 148
20. 13. The Duchess, the Plenipotentiary, and the Golden Cap of Liberty 158
21. 14. Franklin Plays Cupid 164
22. 15. Was Franklin Too French? 168
23. Part IV: Back at Home
24. 16. Innocents on the Ohio: The American Utopia of Dr. Guillotin 185
25. 17. Franklin and Slavery: A Sea Change 196
26. Epilogue: Around the Table, They Remember Franklin 206
27. Abbreviations 229
28. Notes 233
29. Index 253