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Legion Memorial Library - Mellen

Poor Richard's women: Deborah Read Franklin and the other women behind the Founding Father
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published:
Boston : Beacon Press, [2022].
Format:
Book
Physical Desc:
224 pages ; 24 cm
Status:
Description
“An engrossing look at the human side of Benjamin Franklin . . . Using a post-feminist lens that’s critical of gender essentialism, Stuart rescues these women from obscurity . . . This is a terrific read: poignant, provocative, and probing.”
—Library Journal, Starred Review

A vivid portrait of the women who loved, nurtured, and defended America’s famous scientist and founding father.


Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin—the thrifty inventor-statesman of the Revolutionary era—but not about his love life. Poor Richard’s Women reveals the long-neglected voices of the women Ben loved and lost during his lifelong struggle between passion and prudence. The most prominent among them was Deborah Read Franklin, his common-law wife and partner for 44 years. Long dismissed by historians, she was an independent, politically savvy woman and devoted wife who raised their children, managed his finances, and fought off angry mobs at gunpoint while he traipsed about England.

Weaving detailed historical research with emotional intensity and personal testimony, Nancy Rubin Stuart traces Deborah’s life and those of Ben’s other romantic attachments through their personal correspondence. We are introduced to Margaret Stevenson, the widowed landlady who managed Ben’s life in London; Catherine Ray, the 23-year-old New Englander with whom he traveled overnight and later exchanged passionate letters; Madame Brillon, the beautiful French musician who flirted shamelessly with him, and the witty Madame Helvetius, who befriended the philosophes of pre-Revolutionary France and brought Ben to his knees.

What emerges from Stuart’s pen is a colorful and poignant portrait of women in the age of revolution. Set two centuries before the rise of feminism, Poor Richard’s Women depicts the feisty, often-forgotten women dear to Ben’s heart who, despite obstacles, achieved an independence rarely enjoyed by their peers in that era.
Also in This Series
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Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Ashland Adult Nonfiction
973.3 STU
Available
Aug 23, 2022
More Like This
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780807011300, 0807011304

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
"Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin—the thrifty inventor-statesman of the Revolutionary era—but not about his love life. Poor Richard’s Women reveals the long-neglected voices of the women Ben loved and lost during his lifelong struggle between passion and prudence. The most prominent among them was Deborah Read Franklin, his common-law wife and partner for forty-four years. Long dismissed by historians, she was an independent, politically savvy woman and devoted wife who raised their children, managed his finances, and fought off angry mobs at gunpoint while he traipsed about England. Weaving detailed historical research with emotional intensity and personal testimony, Nancy Rubin Stuart traces Deborah’s life and those of Ben’s other romantic attachments through their personal correspondence. We are introduced to Margaret Stevenson, the widowed landlady who managed Ben’s life in London; Catherine Ray, the twenty-three-year-old New Englander with whom he traveled overnight and later exchanged passionate letters; Madame Brillon, the beautiful French musician who flirted shamelessly with him, and the witty Madame Helvetius, who befriended the philosophes of pre-Revolutionary France and brought Ben to his knees." -- Amazon.com.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Stuart, N. R. (2022). Poor Richard's women: Deborah Read Franklin and the other women behind the Founding Father. Boston, Beacon Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Stuart, Nancy Rubin, 1944-. 2022. Poor Richard's Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father. Boston, Beacon Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Stuart, Nancy Rubin, 1944-, Poor Richard's Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father. Boston, Beacon Press, 2022.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Stuart, Nancy Rubin. Poor Richard's Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father. Boston, Beacon Press, 2022.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Grouped Work ID:
2e8b67de-cf7e-84d0-0489-f77a620510e1
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Record Information

Last Sierra Extract TimeMar 25, 2024 07:55:17 PM
Last File Modification TimeMar 25, 2024 07:55:40 PM
Last Grouped Work Modification TimeMar 25, 2024 07:55:21 PM

MARC Record

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5050 |a "A most awkward ridiculous appearance" -- "A man and not an angel" -- "Like a faithful pair of doves" -- "In the dark, all cats are grey" -- "Kisses in the wind" -- The ghost wife -- Home, but not in his heart -- "One continued state of suspense" -- "How i long to see you" -- "I desire that you may love me forever" -- "By the way, what did you do to that shoulder?" -- "Prudence is not your strongest point" -- "As long as we exist, you will not be abandoned" -- "We are apt to forget that we are grown old".
520 |a "Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin—the thrifty inventor-statesman of the Revolutionary era—but not about his love life. Poor Richard’s Women reveals the long-neglected voices of the women Ben loved and lost during his lifelong struggle between passion and prudence. The most prominent among them was Deborah Read Franklin, his common-law wife and partner for forty-four years. Long dismissed by historians, she was an independent, politically savvy woman and devoted wife who raised their children, managed his finances, and fought off angry mobs at gunpoint while he traipsed about England. Weaving detailed historical research with emotional intensity and personal testimony, Nancy Rubin Stuart traces Deborah’s life and those of Ben’s other romantic attachments through their personal correspondence. We are introduced to Margaret Stevenson, the widowed landlady who managed Ben’s life in London; Catherine Ray, the twenty-three-year-old New Englander with whom he traveled overnight and later exchanged passionate letters; Madame Brillon, the beautiful French musician who flirted shamelessly with him, and the witty Madame Helvetius, who befriended the philosophes of pre-Revolutionary France and brought Ben to his knees." -- Amazon.com.
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