J. P. (James Perry) Johnston

J. P. Johnston, identified in library and ebook records as James Perry Johnston and born in 1852, was an American writer whose work drew heavily on his own experiences in business. In the opening of Twenty Years of Hus'ling, he says he was born near Ottawa, Illinois, on January 6, 1852, and later became known for writing about the comic setbacks, risky ventures, and persistence of an energetic hustler trying to make his way.

His best-known book, Twenty Years of Hus'ling, is presented as an autobiographical narrative and was later made widely available through Project Gutenberg. Contemporary catalog records also connect him with What Happened to Johnston, a sequel, and with other works centered on business life and personal adventure.

Reliable biographical information about Johnston is fairly sparse, which adds to his curiosity as an author. What does come through clearly is his voice: upbeat, fast-moving, and amused by failure as much as success, making his books appealing snapshots of American enterprise at the turn of the twentieth century.