oach, the subject would be treated by using Franklin's own words. In his introduction, Whitfield J. Bell Jr. states that Franklin's words are taken,
...from the published volumes of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin and from the much greater mass of papers remaining to be edited, Thomas Fleming has selected and extracted materials for this biography. These selections, explained and annotated by the editor, present Benjamin Franklin largely in his own words. They show him in the many facets of his busy life, public and private; they reveal him in his intense commitment and in his wise reasonableness, moderation and unfailing good humor (Fleming 11).
Within that framework, Fleming has structured the papers so that the story flows in a chronological fashion, beginning with a Boston childhood and following him through his career. At first, the structure seems a bit confusing, but it becomes clear that Fleming's comments use the full page margins and Franklin's words are half-page. The first chapter is very confusing, since it is supposed to be about a boyhood that started in 1706, and the first document is from 1771. The difficulty is increased by the fact that Fleming switches from active to passive voice in an attempt to add energy to the writing.
According to the book jacket and the Introduction, this is a biography for people to read and enjoy, not
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