Dorothy Jean Hulst, a free-lance writer, had as one of her favorite books As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen. In this short volume, Allen expressed his belief that an individual, through the power of positive thought, forms his or her own character and consequent happiness. Hulst was inspired by the content of Allen's book but tired of the mental exercise required to substitute feminine equivalents for masculine terms. Using a pencil, she crossed out all masculine references, replacing them with feminine words. The result, As A Woman Thinketh, allows women to identify directly and personally with Allen's concepts.

James Allen was a quiet literary genius who worked in a picturesque town on the northern seacoast of England. During his brief writing career--nine years--he produced 19 books. As A Man Thinketh, the second and shortest, is his best-known work.