A dangerous engine : Benjamin Franklin, from scientist to diplomat / Joan Dash ; pictures by Dušan Petričić.
| Author/creator | Dash, Joan |
| Other author | Petričić, Dušan illustrator. |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | 1st ed. |
| Publication Info | New York : Frances Foster Books, 2006. |
| Description | 246 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Contributor biographical information |
| Supplemental Content | Publisher description |
| Subjects |
| Contents | At home in the laboratory: Dangling boy -- Elektor and Elektron -- King's picture -- Jar -- Magically magic squares -- "Let the experiment be made" -- Lightning electrifies France -- Puzzling kite -- Change of direction -- At large in the world: Pennsylvania's man in London -- Questions -- Franklin under siege -- To France on a secret mission -- Astonishing news from Saratoga -- Rough beginnings -- Wounding of a proud man -- "Oh, God! It's all over!" -- Making peace -- Coming home -- Bibliography -- Source notes -- Index. |
| Abstract | At the time of his famous kite experiment, Benjamin Franklin was unaware that his theories about electricity had already made him a celebrity all over Europe, especially in France, where fashionable circles loved to discuss scientific discovery. Admired by the French court and beloved by French citizens, Franklin effectively became America's first foreign diplomat, later helping to enlist France's military and financial support for the American Revolution. A father of the revolution and a signer of the Constitution, Franklin was a lightning rod in political circles - "a dangerous Engine," according to a critic. And although he devoted the last twenty-five years of his life to affairs of state, his first love was always science. Handsome pen-and-ink drawings highlight moments in this revolutionary thinker's life. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-240) and index. |
| Awards note | James Madison Book Award Winner, 2007 |
| LCCN | 2004063204 |
| ISBN | 0374306699 |
| ISBN | 9780374306694 |