c. 1908. Franklin's Autobiography began as a letter to his son William, and ended up as a letter to the world. Franklin wrote the first five chapters in England in 1771, the second section in Paris in 1774-5, and the final chapters upon his return to the U.S. in 1778. Part self-help book (Franklin includes a step by step plan to attain the 13 virtues), part biography, and part philosophical treatise - Franklin's salty prose, championing pragmatism and common sense, seems in many ways a self-conscious attempt to describe the making of an American.