author
Prentice Mulford
1834–1891
An early New Thought writer with a gift for plainspoken inspiration, this 19th-century author mixed adventure, humor, and philosophy in a way that still feels surprisingly direct. His work helped shape later ideas about the power of thought and self-mastery.
1 Audiobook
Prentice Mulford's story: life by land and sea
by Prentice Mulford
About the author
Born in Sag Harbor, New York, in 1834, Prentice Mulford led a restless, wide-ranging life before becoming known as a writer. He went to California during the Gold Rush era, tried his hand at mining and other jobs, and drew on those experiences in lively autobiographical and humorous writing.
He became both a literary humorist and an early voice in what later came to be called the New Thought movement. Mulford is especially remembered for essays gathered under Your Forces and How to Use Them and for the White Cross Library series, where he wrote in an accessible, conversational way about mind, character, habit, and the practical effects of thought.
What makes his work stand out is the blend of frontier experience and spiritual self-help. Rather than sounding distant or abstract, his writing often feels personal and encouraging, which helps explain why readers still return to him more than a century after his death in 1891.