本傑明‧富蘭克林自傳(英漢對照)（簡體書）

《本傑明．富蘭克林自傳》是本傑明．富蘭克林晚年根據自己的人生經歷寫成的一本為世人所讚頌的經典自傳。它實際上是富蘭克林寫給兒子威廉．富蘭克林的一部家書，於1771年動筆，寫至1788年，前後歷時17年之久。在這本自傳中，富有啟蒙時代樂觀進步精神與人道主義思想的富蘭克林袒露心扉，以平易的文風，詳細敘述了他艱苦創業、自學成才、堅持不懈奮鬥的歷程和為人處世的原則，包含了他和治學、創業、寫作、革命、外交、處世、做人等方面的成功經驗與失敗教訓。他相信人類憑藉知識和理性足以解決發展中的種種難題，並諄諄告誡讀者不要拋棄以勤勞節儉為核心的美德。

本傑明．富蘭克林，資本主義精神最完美的代表，18世紀美國最偉大的科學家、發明家，著名的政治家、思想家、文學家、外交家、航海家以及美國獨立戰爭的偉大領袖。他參與起草了《獨立宣言》和美國憲法，積極主張廢除奴隸制度，深受美國人民的崇敬。在科學研究上，他發明了避雷針、雙焦眼鏡、玻璃琴等。他的一生給人類生活帶來了不可估量的影響。

《本杰明?富蘭克林自傳》編輯推薦：美國開國巨人的成長筆記，人類歷史上最動人的勵志讀本。本杰明?富蘭克林盡管出身貧寒，只念過兩年書，但通過刻苦自學，令人難以置信地成為功勛卓著的政治家、有多項成果的科學家、成功的實業家……他的成功，令無數尋夢者著迷，他的自傳也成為爭相傳閱的必讀書。在《本杰明?富蘭克林自傳》中，富蘭克林用樸素的人生智慧，揭開成才之路的謎底。
《本杰明?富蘭克林自傳》開創現代西方自傳文學傳統的奠基之作。《本杰明?富蘭克林自傳》具有很高的文學價值，它與法國思想家盧梭的《懺悔錄》、德國作家歌德的《詩與真》共同成為開創了現代西方自傳文學傳統的奠基之作，成為后人研究其他傳記作品的基礎。
《本杰明?富蘭克林自傳》英漢對照，圖文并茂。《本杰明?富蘭克林自傳》為英漢對照版本，自傳以平易的文風敘述了富蘭克林艱苦創業、自學成才、堅持不懈的奮斗歷程。譯文流暢而樸實。同時書中配以有關本杰明?富蘭克林的很多插圖，不僅能幫助閱讀，還能對那個時代美洲、歐洲的人情風貌有大致的了解。

培養人文素質 成就國際通才
若想精通一門語言，沒有對其文化背景的深入了解恐怕永遠難登大雅之堂。在全球化日益成為國際主流的今天，英語作為西方文化頭牌語言的重要性已日益凸顯——今日世界，恐怕在地球上的任何角落，人們都可以用英語問路、用英語聊天、用英語購物、用英語交友、用英語在跨文化間作深度交流。
正如許多西方人熱切地想了解中國文化一樣，中國的英語學習者對西方文化及人文的了解也處于熱切的需求中。是的，如果對西方的歷史、文學、藝術、宗教、哲學沒有一個最基本的了解，就連好萊塢大片想要看懂都會成為一個問題；而西方文化貢獻給社會的普世價值恰恰是它深厚的人文傳統及“民主、自由、博愛”等現代理念，不了解這些，則與任何稍有層次和品位的西方人的交流都將難以順暢。
另一方面，國內的英語學習及愛好者如再停留在日常生活的English In General的層次上，將難以適應深度溝通和交流的需要，因此，對專業英語及文化背景的深入了解及學習將是提升英語能力的必由之路。有鑒于此，我們編寫了本套叢書——《人文英語雙語讀物》，為讀者奉上原汁原味的人文閱讀精華，其或選自原典正文、或選自專業教材、或選自網絡熱帖，由精研此業者掇菁擷華，輯錄成冊，希望能幫助讀者在學習英語的同時又能品味西方文化的獨特魅力。
讀萬卷書行萬里路，在我們無法踏上萬里之路以愉耳目的時候，我們可以用閱讀來滋養心靈，拓展人生版圖。于某一日午后，拋開世俗的紛擾，挑一靜謐之處，一杯香茗，幾卷書冊，品文化，長知識，學英語，在書頁和文字之間觸摸大千世界的真諦，在閱讀中將知識內化成自己的修養，此為人生至樂。
文化共語言同飛，思想與閱讀共舞。讓我們的目光穿越時光、穿越語言，在原汁原味的英語閱讀中品味人類文明共有的人文素質、人文素養、人文情懷、人文理念……并在此過程中成就自己的文化修養及完美人生。

ChapterOneALettertoMySon第一章致兒子的信ChapterTwoToMeetMissRead第二章初識李德小姐ChapterThreeToBreakwithRalph第三章與拉爾夫絕交ChapterFourAtKeimer'sPrintingHouse第四章在凱莫爾的印刷廠ChapterFiveToStartANewspaper第五章開始經營報紙ChapterSixTheSequelofAutobiography第六章自傳續篇ChapterSevenToPublishtheFirstAlmanack第七章出版第一本曆書ChapterEightThePreachingofMr．Whitefield第八章懷特菲爾德先生講道ChapterNineTheOutbreakofWar第九章戰爭爆發ChapterTenToReturntotheAssembly第十章回到議會ChapterElevenGoingtoEngland第十一章前往英國ChapterTwelveMyEngagementintheTaxingAct第十二章參與討論徵稅法案

Chapter One A Letter to My Son
Dear son:
I have ever had pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of my ancestors. You may remember the inquiries I made among the remains of my relations when you were with me in England, and the journey I undertook for that purpose. Imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to know the circumstances of my life, many of which you are yet unacquainted with, and expecting the enjoyment of a week’s uninterrupted leisure in my present country retirement, I sit down to write them for you. To which I have besides some other inducements. Having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred, to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far through life with a considerable share of felicity the conducing means I made use of, which with the blessing of God so well succeeded, my posterity may like to know, as they may find some of them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated. That felicity, when I reflected on it, has induced me sometimes to say, that were it offered to my choice, I should have no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to correct some faults of the first. So I might, besides correcting the faults, change some sinister accidents and events of it for others more favorable. But though this was denied, I should still accept the offer. Since such a repetition is not to be expected, the next thing most like living one’s life over again seems to be a recollection of that life, and to make that recollection as durable as possible by putting it down in writing.
Hereby, too, I shall indulge the inclination so natural in old men, to be talking of themselves and their own past actions; and I shall indulge it without being tiresome to others, who, through respect to age, might conceive themselves obliged to give me a hearing, since this may be read or not as any one pleases. And, lastly（I may as well confess it, since my denial of it will be believed by nobody） perhaps I shall a good deal gratify my own vanity. Indeed, I scarce ever heard or saw the introductory words, “Without vanity I may say”, but some vain thing immediately followed. Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life.
And now I speak of thanking God, I desire with all humility to acknowledge that I owe the mentioned happiness of my past life to His kind providence, which lead me to the means I used and gave them success. My belief of this induces me to hope, though I must not presume, that the same goodness will still be exercised toward me, in continuing that happiness, or enabling me to bear a fatal reverse, which I may experience as others have done: the complexion of my future fortune being known to Him only in whose power it is to bless to us even our afflictions.
The notes one of my uncles (who had the same kind of curiosity in collecting family anecdotes) once put into my hands, furnished me with several particulars relating to our ancestors. From these notes I learned that the family had lived in the same village, Ecton, in Northamptonshire8, for three hundred years, and how much longer he knew not（perhaps from the time when the name of Franklin, that before was the name of an order of people, was assumed by them as a surname when others took surnames9 all over the kingdom）, on a freehold of about thirty acres, aided by the smith’s business, which had continued in the family till his time, the eldest son being always bred to that business; a custom which he and my father followed as to their eldest sons. When I searched the registers at Ecton, I found an account of their births, marriages and burials from the year 1555 only, there being no registers kept in that parish10 at any time preceding. By that register I perceived that I was the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations back. My grandfather Thomas, who was born in 1598, lived at Ecton till he grew too old to follow business longer, when he went to live with his son John, a dyer at Banbury, in Oxfordshire, with whom my father served an apprenticeship. There my grandfather died and lies buried. We saw his gravestone in 1758. His eldest son Thomas lived in the house at Ecton, and left it with the land to his only child, a daughter, who, with her husband, one Fisher, of Wellingborough, sold it to Mr. Isted, now lord of the manor there. My grandfather had four sons that grew up, viz.: Thomas, John, Benjamin and Josiah. I will give you what account I can of them, at this distance from my papers, and if these are not lost in my absence, you will among them find many more particulars.