Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard Improved (1732) and The Way to Wealth (1785)
As a writer, Benjamin Franklin was best known for the wit and wisdom he shared with the readers of his popular almanac, Poor Richard, under the pseudonym “Richard Saunders.” In 1758, for his twenty-fifth almanac, Franklin created a clever preface that repeated a number of his maxims from earlier almanacs, framed as an event in which Father Abraham advises a crowd attending a country auction that those seeking prosperity and virtue should diligently practice frugality, honesty, and industry. Reprinted as Father Abraham’s Speech and The Way to Wealth, this piece has been translated into many languages and is the most extensively reprinted of all of Franklin’s writings.
As a writer, Benjamin Franklin was best known for the wit and wisdom he shared with the readers of his popular almanac, <em>Poor Richard</em>, under the pseudonym “Richard Saunders.” In 1758, for his twenty-fifth almanac, Franklin created a clever preface that repeated a number of his maxims from earlier almanacs, framed as an event in which Father Abraham advises a crowd attending a country auction that those seeking prosperity and virtue should diligently practice frugality, honesty, and industry. Reprinted as <em>Father Abraham’s Speech</em> and <em>The Way to Wealth</em>, this piece has been translated into many languages and is the most extensively reprinted of all of Franklin’s writings.