How long does it take to read The First American?
the life and times of Benjamin Franklin
The First American by H. W. Brands takes about 13 hours 55 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 13 hours 55 minutes
A week or two of reading
First published 2000. 759 pages, about 208,725 words.
28 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 23 hours 12 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 13 hours 55 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 8 hours 42 minutes |
The page count is the median across 4 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
He was the foremost American of his day, yet today he is little more than a mythic caricature in the public imagination. Benjamin Franklin, perhaps the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America, comes vividly to life in this masterly biography.Wit, diplomat, scientist, philosopher, businessman, inventor, and bon vivant, Benjamin Franklin was in every respect America's first Renaissance man. From penniless runaway to highly successful printer, from ardently loyal subject of Britain to architect of an alliance with France that ensured America's independence, Franklin went from obscurity to become one of the world's most admired figures, whose circle included the likes of Voltaire, Hume, Burke, and Kant. Drawing on previously unpublished letters and a host of other sources, acclaimed historian H. W. Brands has written a thoroughly engaging biography of the eighteenth-century genius. A much needed reminder of Franklin's greatness and humanity, The First American is a work of meticulous scholarship that provides a magnificent tour of a legendary historical figure, a vital era in American life, and the countless arenas in which the protean Franklin left his legacy.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Subjects: Biography, Politics and government, Scientists, Statesmen, Printers, Biographies
