Benjamin Franklin (1705/1706?1790) was an American polymath and politician. He is is among the most important of America's Founding Fathers. Franklin was the first American scientist to be treated seriously by Europeans and becamea a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1756. His inventions and civic contributions are innumerable. Franklin made his fortune as a printer and newspaper publisher, but then used it to benefit the people at large. Franklin's Autobiography is a compilation of four documents written between 1771 and his death. It covers his life through 1757. Famous for its easy-going style, it is among the most remarkable rags-to-riches stories in all literature. Humble and honest, it recounts the hard work, determination, and continual self-improvement that made his success possible. This book is in the Deseret Alphabet, a phonetic alphabet for writing English developed in the mid-19th century at the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah).