Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Harvard Classic Series)

Starting Harvard classic reading.
📖 Vancouver’s Classical Plays & Novels Group Presents: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
(from Harvard Classics, Book 1)
📅 Date: July 27th
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: 658 Homer St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2R4

This week, we’re reading one of the most influential self-portraits in Western literature: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. It’s the first volume in the Harvard Classics, a 51-volume anthology published in 1909 and often called the “Five-Foot Shelf of Books.” The set was designed by Harvard’s president Charles W. Eliot, who believed that a well-rounded liberal education could be achieved by reading just 15 minutes a day from these works.

> “A man who has the sense to read the Harvard Classics may save himself years of college.” – Charles W. Eliot

Franklin’s autobiography is more than just a story about a founding father—it’s a guidebook for self-improvement, personal discipline, and ambition. Through wit, practicality, and keen insight, Franklin takes us from his modest beginnings as a Boston printer’s apprentice to the heights of diplomacy and scientific discovery.

### Why Read This Book?

• It’s a window into the mind of one of the most self-made individuals in history.
• Franklin writes with clarity, charm, and sharp observation—it’s surprisingly modern.
• His story offers timeless lessons in habit formation, productivity, humility, and lifelong learning.
• Plus, you’ll learn how one man basically invented the concept of the “morning routine.”

> “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” – Benjamin Franklin

### Discussion Topics

• Is Franklin’s system of self-discipline realistic—or too idealistic?
• What can we take from his “13 virtues” today?
• What role did printing and literacy play in Franklin’s rise?
• Does Franklin sound like the kind of person we’d admire today?
• How does this compare to other autobiographies we’ve read?

If you’ve never cracked open the Harvard Classics, this is a perfect place to start. If you’ve read Franklin before—well, you know it’ll be a lively conversation.
If you can’t find us on the night, text 604-615-5275.
We’ll have copies at the table—come curious and caffeinated.