About Select Pieces

By Benjamin Franklin

Published in 1801

Presumed First Edition, with an engraved title page. This volume is a collection of works by American polymath Benjamin Franklin entitled, “Select Pieces.” It was printed in 1801 near Ludlow, England and sold in London. The volume includes “Preliminary Address to ‘Poor Richard’s Almanac’,” “Advice to a Young Tradesman,” “Morals of Chess,” “A Parable against Persecution,” and several other works. Franklin often wrote using pseudonyms. He contributed articles and poems to several newspapers, journals, and magazines on various topics, some which are included in this volume. Franklin also was a successful publisher, who published “Poor Richard’s Almanac,” which was printed from 1732 to 1758 and sold 10,000 copies a year. He also published “The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle for all the British Plantations in America,” a monthly magazine that was printed from January to June in 1741. Franklin was one of America’s most versatile statesmen, scientists, and philosophers, and, with his scientific, political, and various other accomplishments, is one of America’s most influential Founding Fathers.