Psychiana Man: A Mail-Order Prophet, His Followers, and the Power of Belief in Hard Times

Soon after the 1929 stock market crash, Frank Bruce Robinson created Psychiana, a correspondence course promising health, wealth, and happiness to those who believed in the "God Power." An ingenious mass-marketing pioneer, his self-help mail-order religion swept the United States and spread to countries worldwide. By May 1936, Robinson faced charges of passport fraud. Central to the investigation was Robinson's true identity. He was not all he claimed to be, and his small-town trial captivated the country and made national headlines. A biography of Robinson combined with an in-depth historical examination of Psychiana, this book traces the improbable rise and fall of a master charlatan while giving voice to his unwavering followers--from a dust bowl farmer to a former heavyweight boxing champion. Their stories reveal how adversity can galvanize faith in a false prophet, and paint an intriguing, intimate portrait of a nation challenged by a brutal depression and war.

Author: Brandon R. Schrand
Publisher: Washington State University Press
Published: 03/30/2021
Pages: 344
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 9.60h x 6.60w x 0.90d
ISBN13: 9780874224047
ISBN10: 0874224047
BISAC Categories:
- True Crime | Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions
- Biography & Autobiography | General