Tucker, Tom. Bolt of fate; Benjamin Franklin and his electric kite hoax.

TUCKER, Tom. Bolt of fate; Benjamin Franklin and his electric kite hoax. Public Affairs. 297p. illus. notes. bibliog. index. c2003. 1586482947. $12.00. SA

Did he or didn't he fly a kite in a thunderstorm? Based on his research into Franklin's scientific studies and sly character, Tucker says he didn't. It's an interesting theory, but only supposition, as there is no hard evidence. However, Tucker's book is well worth reading for the detailed study of Franklin the scientist. He says that Franklin was a "multifaceted genius" who was also "a splendid master of the hoax," forced into fooling his contemporaries in science, especially the Royal Society in London, which ignored the papers he submitted describing his electrical theories. Tucker gives readers an exhaustive study of 18th-century electrical science, including popular interest in the phenomenon and experiments of the era. Walter Isaacson, the author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, disagrees with Tucker's dismissal of Franklin's work, as do others. Tucker also alleges that Franklin was alone responsible for an American victory in the Revolutionary War by persuading France to come to the Colonies' aid. In fact, France took years to back the American cause and John Adams played a key role. Franklin's tercentennial comes up in 2006, so perhaps Tucker needed a hook for a book that ploughs old ground. He makes Franklin's wit and humor shine and exposes several of the literary hoaxes of which Franklin was guilty. Recommended, but reader beware of the evidence. There are other major biographies by H.W. Brands, Walter Isaacson, and Edmund Morgan. Janet Julian, English Teacher, Grafton, MA

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.