Category: Invention Books

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: Student and Classroom Edition – A Comprehensive Review

A modernized autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

In the vast landscape of American historical literature, few works have maintained their relevance and impact quite like Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. This new Student and Classroom Edition, masterfully edited by James Strong, breathes fresh life into Franklin’s timeless narrative while preserving the distinctive voice that has captivated readers for nearly two and a half centuries. As we delve into this modernized edition, we discover how Franklin’s wisdom transcends time, speaking to contemporary readers with remarkable clarity and insight.

The edition’s most immediate achievement lies in its thoughtful modernization of Franklin’s 18th-century prose. Strong has accomplished what many editors attempt but few achieve: making historical text accessible without diminishing its authenticity. The careful updating of language removes barriers for modern readers while maintaining the wit, wisdom, and unique personality that make Franklin’s writing so engaging. This delicate balance ensures that students and general readers alike can fully appreciate Franklin’s narrative without struggling with archaic expressions or dated references.

What truly sets this edition apart is its comprehensive system of annotations and educational features. Rather than merely explaining historical references, these additions create a rich tapestry of context that brings Franklin’s world to life. Readers gain deep insight into colonial America’s social, political, and economic landscape, understanding not just what happened but why it mattered. The annotations transform potentially confusing references into valuable learning opportunities, helping readers appreciate the complex web of relationships and events that shaped early American history.

The educational value of this edition extends far beyond simple historical understanding. Strong has incorporated thoughtful discussion questions and project suggestions that encourage readers to apply Franklin’s principles to contemporary life. These features make the text particularly valuable for classroom use, enabling teachers to draw meaningful parallels between Franklin’s era and our own. Students can explore how Franklin’s insights on education, wealth-building, civic engagement, and personal development remain remarkably relevant to modern challenges.

Franklin’s systematic approach to self-improvement, detailed in his famous “Project for Moral Perfection,” takes on new significance through the lens of modern personal development theory. The editor demonstrates how Franklin’s methodical approach to character building can be adapted for contemporary use, offering readers practical frameworks for goal setting, habit formation, and personal growth. This connection between historical wisdom and modern application makes the text particularly valuable for readers interested in both historical understanding and practical self-improvement.

The autobiography’s insights into early American business and entrepreneurship prove especially relevant for modern readers. Franklin’s journey from apprentice printer to successful businessman and diplomat offers timeless lessons in professional development, networking, and financial management. The editor’s notes effectively highlight these lessons, helping readers understand how Franklin’s principles can be applied in today’s professional landscape. His approach to building social capital through organizations like the Junto club provides a fascinating historical perspective on modern networking practices.

In terms of historical significance, this edition excels at contextualizing Franklin’s personal narrative within the broader sweep of American history. Readers gain invaluable firsthand insights into colonial American life, the formation of democratic ideals, and the intellectual climate of the Enlightenment. The editorial additions help readers understand these historical elements while drawing meaningful parallels to current events, making the text a valuable resource for understanding both past and present.

The edition’s presentation of Franklin’s writing style deserves special mention. The modernized language flows naturally while preserving Franklin’s distinctive voice and humor. The page layout balances clarity with comprehensiveness, making the text accessible without sacrificing academic rigor. This attention to presentation ensures that readers can focus on content without struggling with format or organization.

For classroom use, this edition proves exceptionally valuable across multiple disciplines. In American History courses, it serves as an essential primary source for understanding colonial and revolutionary periods. Literature classes benefit from its examples of early American autobiographical writing, while business studies programs can draw on its insights into American entrepreneurship. The text’s discussion of civic virtue and democratic principles makes it equally valuable for civics education.

Independent learners will find this edition particularly welcoming. The clear chapter summaries and reflection prompts provide structure for self-directed study, while the application exercises help readers connect historical insights to personal experience. This accessibility to independent readers maintains academic rigor while making the text approachable for a general audience.

The book’s value extends beyond traditional academic settings. Business professionals seeking historical perspective on American enterprise will find Franklin’s insights remarkably relevant. Those interested in personal development can draw practical wisdom from his systematic approach to self-improvement. History enthusiasts will appreciate the detailed context provided for Franklin’s observations and experiences.

While the edition achieves its primary goals admirably, there are areas where it could be enhanced. Some historical contexts could be expanded further, particularly regarding international influences on Franklin’s thinking. Additional comparative analysis with other autobiographies of the period might provide useful perspective. However, these are minor considerations in what is otherwise an exemplary educational resource.

The target audience for this edition is broad yet focused. High school and college students will find it an invaluable resource for understanding both early American history and timeless principles of personal development. History enthusiasts will appreciate the depth of historical context, while business professionals can draw relevant lessons from Franklin’s experiences. The text’s accessibility makes it suitable for general readers interested in American history or biography.

In conclusion, this Student and Classroom Edition of Franklin’s autobiography represents a significant achievement in making historical texts relevant for contemporary readers. It successfully bridges the centuries, making Franklin’s wisdom accessible and applicable to modern life while maintaining the authentic voice that has inspired readers for generations. Whether used in an educational setting or for personal enrichment, this edition serves as an excellent gateway to understanding both early American history and timeless principles of personal development.

For anyone seeking to engage with one of history’s most remarkable minds while gaining practical wisdom for modern life, this edition of Franklin’s autobiography proves an invaluable resource. It stands as a testament to the enduring relevance of Franklin’s insights and the possibility of making historical wisdom accessible to contemporary readers without sacrificing authenticity or depth.

This book is now available on Amazon.

December 8, 2024
Review: Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cashing In On Your Inventions

Title: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cashing In On Your Inventions (2nd Edition)

Author: Richard C. Levy

Price: $12.31 (Amazon)

In all honesty, and in the interests of full disclosure, I have to confess that something has always rubbed me the wrong way about the “Complete Idiot’s Guide” series, that, much like the rival “For Dummies” seemingly endless series of books seems to put down its intended audience by its very titles. I’m no “complete idiot” or “dummy,” even if there are things I need to become more informed about, and these titles always seemed to imply some lack of innate intelligence, rather than merely an ignorance of a particular subject matter.

That being said, I’ll have to admit, after perusing this book, that it does take care of business and explains what the novice inventor needs to know in a readable and understandable manner.

If you’ve read any book in this series, you know about the lively and graphically entertaining format, and the way i n which things are carved up into bit size chunks, with lots of little useful details that would otherwise take endless hours to compile. The book is divided into 23 chapters and each chapter into very subject specific subsections. It concludes with a glossary, agreement templates, and a listing of resources.

The chapters on patents and other intellectual property subjects are far more detailed than in many similar books, and cover conducting patent searches for prior art, applying for utility patents, plant patents, design patents, branding a product or line of products, trademarks and trade secrets, copyrights and the patent examination process at the federal level. There may be portions of some of this you may want to skim if it is not immediately applicable to your situation, but the book makes a handy reference work for later reading on such subjects when needed.

The author, Richard C. Levy, is a noted innovator in the realm of toys and games, and is the creator of the popular Furby toy and such games as “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” “Advertising,” and “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.” It is no surprise then to find that he has a lot of practical advice to offer about the devising of toys and games, while not limiting the book’s horizons to that narrow a class of products. He goes into fairly elaborate detail about the importance of creating models, mock-ups and prototypes.

The discussion on how to find a licensing partner and how to present and promote your concept are also very useful and leave little to the imagination, including the use of presentation software like PowerPoint and the use of Skype or similar video conferencing software to make presentations and answers questions from a distance when it is not possible or practical to be there in person.

The chapter on “Negotiating You Deal” is excellent, and includes the whimsical “Levy’s 10 Commandments of Contract Negotiation,” some of which the author admits to having paid a price to learn. The financial nitty-gritty of advances, royalties, guarantees and options are all addressed as is the issue of who pays for the process of obtaining patents and trademarks and in whose name they are held.

In the end, I have to acknowledge that this is a well-written, information packaged, and beneficial book for inventors.

I just still wish they would call it something like “The Intelligent Person’s Guide to Cashing In On Your Inventions!”

(Available in Paperback and Kindle from Amazon)

February 21, 2013
Book Review: The Independent Inventor’s Handbook

Title: The Independent Inventor’s Handbook: The Best Advice from Idea to Payoff

Author: Louis Foreman and Jill Gilbert Welytok

Price: $10.17 (Amazon)

The Independent Inventor’s Handbook Review

There are many other books that cover much of the same ground but few do it so entertainingly and in such a fun and easy to digest manner. The Independent Inventor’s Handbook is Co-written by Jill Gilbert Welytok, an experienced patent attorney, and PBS star Louis J. Foreman, who created the series Everyday Edisons and is himself a noted inventor, the material is presented in a double column format with plenty of illustrations, photos, drawings, even cartoons, with sidebars with fascinating factual tidbits drawn from real life.

That is not to say that The Independent Inventor’s Handbook exalts form over content, but the old saying that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down is absolutely accurate. While there may be some academic drudges who would prefer a grey print only presentation that drones on from detail to detail, most of us will find this book much more palatable and a heck of a lot more fun. If yo u’ll like me, you’ll start flipping through it at random and quickly get engrossed while sitting on the couch or lying in bed, and soon realize that its hours later and that you’ve gotten engrossed in the volume and lost track of time.

Some of the material, presented with a sense of humor, hammers home such essential lessons as “14 Licensing Land Mines to Avoid” and “10 Things Not to Tell a Potential Investor.” Often, having a firm grasp of what not to do or say can be just as important, if not more so, than knowing what to do or say. The chapter on obtaining protection for your invention is detailed and chock full of practical advice based on the experience of the patent attorney co-author, and she attempts to show how you can do much of it with a minimum of paid legal assistance.

Also excellent in The Independent Inventor’s Handbook is the chapter entitled “First Define the Market, Then Design the Product.” There may, after all, be some terrific ideas yet unex plored for new model whips to use with a horse and buggy, but clearly an extremely limited market for them in the contemporary world. Also of note is a chapter on “Finding the Funds to Bring a New Product to Market.” Many books in this genre neglect to explain the ins and outs of writing a business plan, and pitching investors.

The focus of The Independent Inventor’s Handbook is aiding inventors who come up with useful marketable consumer products, rather than more highly specialized industrial manufacture techniques or extremely high tech gadgets. The flow of the book is like a story, with everything interrelated and interwoven, and plenty of practical examples of successful inventors and innovators who managed to change our world and our everyday lives in so many little – and sometimes big –ways, while racking up fortunes from modest beginnings.

Available in Paperback at Amazon

February 5, 2013
The Inventor’s Bible Book Review

Title: The Inventor’s Bible: How to Market and License Your Brilliant Ideas

Author: Ronald Louis Docie Sr.

Cost: $15.99 At Amazon

Book Review

Clocking in at 376 pages, substantially longer than many similar books, this “Inventor’s Bible” begins with chapters on how to commercialize your general concept into a marketable product, formulating a strategy for obtaining patent protection, doing market and industry research and test marketing to fine tune a product concept, and how to go about the licensing process, including the important role that the use of disclosure agreements, properly drafted, can play in being able to present your invention or idea to companies without having it be stolen. Each chapter ends with a case study, making the general concepts clear in a living way.

The Inventor’s Bible also discusses an often neglected topic—the fact that ultimately, you often can no longer do it alone in today’s market. A chapter entitled “Victory through Teamwork” contains a frank discussion of when it is essential to use professional help in obtaining patent protection, effectively communicating your invention, and responding proactively to possible patent infringement. It also examines how to go about the search to find and hire the best competent professionals to be on your “team.” An appendix contains a number of useful charts, an overview of the patent process, criteria to evaluate your invention, and a boilerplate disclosure agreement that can easily be modified and used.

A section towards the end labeled resources is by itself worth the relatively modest price of this substantial book, covering essential information on government contracts and programs, conducting patent searches, other valuable publications for inventors, information about trade shows, and resources for small businesses generally.

The Inventor’s Bible comes in both paperback and ebook editions. A terrific 74-page workbook presented at the very end summarizes in many ways the steps outlined in more detail throughout the text and guides the user step by step through the process of transforming your invention or concept into a viable and marketable product. There is very useful contact information for both manufacturers and distributors whose participation can mean all the difference between a runaway good seller and a product that, despite any inherent great potential just sits on the shelf unnoticed.

Make no mistake about it—this is a book for the inventor who is ready to get down and dirty and get serious about making money with their idea. It is not for the idly curious or the dilettante unwilling to put in some serious effort and apply some serious thought. For those willing to put in the time and effort, it is likely that the rewards will come, provided of course, that the initial invention or concept was worthy of being marketed.

The Inventor’s Bible could have benefited from a more det ailed discussion of publicity, advertising, and public relations, those essential elements to creating a buzz about a product and making a new product something that the consumer has to have and believes he really needs, even if there was no real “need” for it before.

(Available in both Paperback and Kindle editions)

February 4, 2013
Invention Book Review: How to License Your Million Dollar Idea

Title: How to License Your Million Dollar Idea: Cash In On Your Inventions, New Product Ideas, Software, Web Business Ideas, And More

Author: Harvey Reese

Cost: $15.72 At Amazon

Book Review

This is the now third edition of what has become regarded as a venerable basic bible for many inventors, whether rightly or wrongly. The focus of How to License Your Million Dollar Idea is extremely broad and incorporates, in its title and its contents, both “inventions” in the traditional sense, whether consisting of tangible products or software such as smartphone apps, and the far more amorphous and intangible licensable ideas like new methods of doing business on the web.

That said, the author may have weakened the focus of a generally valuable book by trying to do too much in one book. The sections discussing the licensing of software, for instance, have a bit of a flavor of being simply slapped together and added at the last minute without any real depth. The topic is clearly worthy of more detailed treatment, and the reality is that the intellectual property issues involved there, by themselv es, are relatively complex, and almost necessitate a fuller treatment addressing some of the ways in which patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret principles can overlap and interact.

There is increasingly, it seems to me, a real need for a book that focuses in on the sole topic of generating, protecting, and licensing new methods of doing business on the Internet. While the once rising star that was Groupon, for instance, may have become somewhat eclipsed recently, the story of how that concept was developed and how it so quickly became popularized has a host of lessons for the creative inventor lurking in it. Groupon was hardly the first such phenomenon, and the next Groupon, or Facebook, or… is undoubtedly out there, today not more than a glimmer in a person’s eye. This book hints at that amazing prospect, but does not really attempt to fully explore it.

How to License Your Million Dollar Idea has also been criticized by some for engaging in a bit too much promotion and marketing of the author’s own invention marketing services, but I think that any mature and worldly wise reader will be able to spot such statements and take them with a grain of salt.

The strength of the book is its description of the licensing process, drawn from the author’s own experiences and knowledge of the contemporary marketplace. It is less helpful when it comes to methods of generating ideas, although he does spend some time on it, and gives some concrete historical examples, but without a truly fleshed out analysis of the brainstorming process that led to the spark of invention. This may be less troubling for those of us who already have a head clogged full of innovations, who really need specific knowledge as to how to convert all that creativity into a marketable commodity.

How to License Your Million Dollar Idea is also relatively weak on concretely presenting steps to take to protect a licensable idea or concept. In summation, while there is much of value here, this may not necessarily be the best book to begin with if you are new to the subject area.

(Paperback and Kindle Editions are available of the book).

January 30, 2013