Many of the principles that would become standard in the movement, including the Law of Attraction, were clearly laid out in his Your Forces and How to Use Them,[1] released as a series of essays during 1886–1892.

Prentice Mulford was born in Sag Harbor, New York, in 1834, and in 1856 sailed to California where he would spend the next 16 years.

[2] During this time, Mulford spent several years in mining towns, trying to find his fortune in gold, copper, or silver.

After leaving the mining life, Mulford ran for a position on the California State Assembly in Sacramento.

Mulford spent five years as a writer and editor for various papers and was named by many San Franciscans a "Bohemian" because of his disregard for money.