The Science of Getting Rich is a book written by the New Thought Movement writer Wallace D. Wattles and published in 1910 by the Elizabeth Towne Company.
According to USA Today, the text is "divided into 17 short, straight-to-the-point chapters that explain how to overcome mental barriers, and how creation, rather than competition, is the hidden key to wealth attraction.
"[1] The contents of the book are commonly regarded as pseudoscientific in nature rather than based on legitimate wealth creation or investment strategies.
According to Mitch Horowitz, the editor-in-chief of the Jeremy Tarcher imprint of Penguin Books, which reprinted The Science of Getting Rich in 2007, Wattles' "Certain Way" descended from the "mental healing movement" that had started earlier with Phineas P. Quimby in the mid-19th century.
According to Horowitz, mental healing and positive thinking theories for prosperity were joined by late 19th century trends such as Transcendentalism and a belief in the power of science and that "All these currents came together, and this philosophy that we call 'New Thought,' was born out of them.
[1] The continuing influence of The Science of Getting Rich is such that in addition to reprints and audio versions of the book itself, there are a number of web domains whose names are based on its title.