Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack (Dover Thrift Editions)

Only after reading this does it become blatantly obvious how enlightened Ben really was. As a non-american, you hear very little about who the man was, however this book really shows his effortless brilliance.

If many of the quotes in this almanac seem familiar, it is because they have been repeated often since Benjamin Franklin set them down. Many times , he seems to be speaking directly to us about modern problems, both national and personal. If more people read and heeded these proverbs, we'd all be a lot better off.

Horrible print quality- full of misaligned text that's too blurry to read
Horrible constrruction- binding on hard cover cracked when I opened it for the first time

At least if they printed it on toilet paper, I could have found some use for it.

Book was ordered earlier this year and given as a Christmas gift, unfortunately its too late to return it. This is not the book that it says it is. Besides the cover this book has nothing to do with Poor Richard or Ben Franklin; the book itself is about Bit Coins. Very disappointed and unfortunately this is not the first time this Christmas season that the store's products are not up to snuff ..... they used to be a much better company and at least had some quality to their offerings.

the audiobook is like a nursery rhyme with constant music. I thought it would be a collection of his work in a clear way. whatever he's still a OG but didn't get much out of this. Might try his auto bio next.

Franklin's timeless compilation of whit and wisdom is truly a classic. The book contains some of the most interesting and impressive collection of comments that Franklin was able to put in this compendium. While many are ascribed to Franklin, he specifically does not take credit for the adages himself. Rather, he indicates that they are commonly utilized comments and expressions of the vernacular.

The individual enticements cover all areas of thought and society. He was able to capture these moments of brilliance and publish them so that they are available for all time. Such common phrases and expressions are recognizable to most readers. When Franklin says, "You can bear your own Faults, and why not a Fault in your Wife?" the reader sees these as aphorisms that are applicable as well in 2006 as they were when he published them back in the 18th Century.

While Franklin may not have penned all these witticisms personally, he surely did massage them through his brilliant mind. Such comments as "Time is an herb that cures all diseases" and "Better slip with Foot than Tongue" are metaphors that all could have come up with, but Franklin was the one who wrote them down for all time. In fact, the reader can open virtually any page in the book and find something that is applicable to whatever situation is at hand.

The book is an essential part of all reader's libraries. It is recommended for every and all serious readers.

Dover thrift books are cheap and easy to take anywhere. I would not recommend them for scholarly work in the least. But, they are good for a leisurely read.
The Wit and Wisdom is a collection of aphorisms taken from the the pages of the almanack. In terms of background information, there is some (minimal) biographical information about Benjamin Franklin and even less information on the almanack.
The adages are aranged by general subject. Some of the aphorisms will seem familiar since a couple are repeated in the book under different subject headings.
I like that the book gives you some quick words of wisdom which can still be applicable today. It also gives one a brief glimpse of what the late 1700s thought of as important or problematic.
It is worth the dollar.

Franklin is the American Merlin. He is scientist, sage, and savant. This book is a collocation of his proverbs from "Poor Richard's Almanac." It reads like a typical quote book, but it goes deeper. Franklin has wisdom tempered with humor and a gift for coining gold phrases. I recommend it for any fan of Covey's "Seven Habits" or Allen's "As A Man Thinketh." You return to the ancient virtues that made those ancient so interesting.
One of the gems in this books is the list of Franklins personal virtues. Both Steven Covey and Hyrum M. Smith of Franklin Planners based their research in this plan for perfection. Get your children inculcated with these virtues of an authentic genius and patriot. They and we need all the help we can get.

This book contains hundreds of proverbs which were first published in 1732. Poor Richard's Almanack originally consisted of weather predicitions, jokes, recipes and proverbs. The proverbs of this book are arranged in 30 categories like contentment and discontentment, diligence, love, marriage, friendship, honesty, pride etc. A wonderful collection of old sayings concerning a lot of interesting topics!

For example, my favorite Franklin quote about taxes - which is so very true today - is this:

"Taxes are indeed very heavy [however] we are taxed twice as much by our Idleness, three times as much by our Pride, and four times as much by our Folly."

You have to think about that one for a second to realize how powerfully true it is. For all the time we waste complaining about taxes, it would be better to just work hard and not waste our money, and instead save as much as we can. (Not that I'm a fan of taxes, mind you. Just saying...)

And the book is full of so many other deep self-help truths like that. Get Poor Richard's Almanac but beware! It's not the kind of text you can speed-read through. Instead you must digest everything slowly.

What can you say about this book.........other than it's a collection of timeless sayings and thoughts from the mind of one of America's original great thinkers. This should be required reading (in all formats)for high school students if for no other reason than to have them explore humor without 4-letter words. Once read, some of these bits of wisdom will stay with you for life. Enjoy and pass along. You will be a part of re-braining this country!

Though Benjamin Franklin never suggests that all the words are his, his assembly of commonly used phrases and sayings provides the reader with material that will make them think. Do remember, that this doesn't read like a novel.