'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin' is the traditional title of the unfinished record of his life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790; Franklin himself referred to the work as his "Memoirs". He was an inventor, statesman, a scientist, printer, and accomplished biographer. The book - considered to be one of the most famous and influential examples of an autobiography ever written - is divided in four parts, reflecting the different periods in which he wrote them. Written initially as a guide his son, the autobiography is an absorbing account of Franklin's eventful life.