William Walker Atkinson

Career as author and businessman

Atkinson's 1906 book Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World, is associated with the thinking behind the recent phenomena surrounding the 2006 movie, The Secret.

Due in part to his intense personal secrecy and extensive use of pseudonyms, he is now largely forgotten, despite having obtained mention in past editions of Who's Who in America, Religious Leaders of America, and several similar publications -- and having written more than 100 books in the last 30 years of his life.

William Walker Atkinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 5, 1862, to William and Emma Atkinson, both of whom were also born in Maryland. He began his working life as a grocer at 15 years old, probably helping his father. He married Margret Foster Black of Beverley, New Jersey, on October 1889 and they had two children. The first probably died young. The second later married and had two daughters.

Atkinson pursued a business career from 1882 onwards and in 1894 he was admitted as an attorney to the Bar of Pennsylvania. While he gained much material success in his profession as a lawyer, the stress and over-strain eventually took its toll, and during this time he experienced a complete physical and mental breakdown, and financial disaster. He looked for healing and in the late 1880's he found it with New Thought. From mental and physical wreck and financial ruin, he wrought perfect health, mental vigor and material prosperity, which he attributed to the application of the principles of New Thought.