Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | H | Harper's Magazine

New books.

Article Excerpt
In his previous frolic as a biographer, Walter Isaacson was more forgiving than he should have been of Henry Kissinger, as if a secret bombing of Cambodia and a coup in Chile were mere blemishes on the game face of the great statesman. Isaacson has come a long way since, out of the swamp fevers of AOL Time Warner unto a Rocky Mountain high, from managing editor at Time magazine to CEO at CNN to president of the Aspen Institute. At Aspen every summer, the humanists used to dress up in togas and reenact Antigone, and perhaps they still do. Regardless, the change has been bracing for Isaacson. His new subject is a nicer person who did less harm.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: AN AMERICAN LIFE (Simon and Schuster, $30) synthesizes nearly everything ever written about Ben and decides that "the roots of much of what distinguishes the nation"--our "cracker-barrel humor and wisdom," "technological ingenuity," "pluralistic tolerance," "ability to weave together individualism and community cooperation," "celebration of meritocratic mobility," and even "the idealistic streak" in our foreign policy--can be found in his personality and example. Not only was he our "first great publicist" and "best scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, and business strategist" but he was also (the phrase is David Brooks's) "our founding Yuppie." Franklin, says Isaacson approvingly, "saw...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!