author
David V. (David Van) Bush
1882–1959
A minister, poet, and early self-help writer, he turned ideas about willpower, silence, and practical psychology into books aimed at everyday readers. His work sits at an interesting crossroads of religion, inspiration, and popular psychology in the early 20th century.
1 Audiobook
The Silence: What It Is and How To Use It
by David V. (David Van) Bush
About the author
Born in Meshoppen, Pennsylvania, on March 27, 1882, David Van Bush later became known as a minister, lecturer, poet, and author. Materials preserved by the State Historical Society of Missouri describe a life that included work as a minister in St. Louis, as well as a long writing career documented through correspondence, poetry, and published books.
Bush wrote across several genres, but he is especially associated with early popular psychology and self-improvement writing. Library and catalog records connect him with books such as Will Power and Success, Applied Psychology and Scientific Living, and The Silence: What It Is and How To Use It, works that aimed to make ideas about mental discipline, health, and personal progress accessible to general readers.
He also published poetry, and modern library summaries still describe him as both a reverend and a poet alongside his better-known self-help titles. Taken together, his books reflect a distinctly early-20th-century blend of moral instruction, motivational advice, and practical psychology.