This book was first published in 1904, and was written while Alfred William Lawson was still a professional baseball player. The stories arc follows a reckless adventurer who is thrown overboard from a ship and he ends up in a new utopian fantasy world. A substantial amount of story in Born Again comprises of one of the characters elucidating Lawson's ideas to another character. In this way, you can gain insight into the thought process of Lawson and realize his expectations from his book. Apart from the preaching that happens within dialogue, the story consists of a typical 19th century character melodrama. Born Again is considered a great read if you are interested in learning about Lawson's philosophy and gain an understanding of his psyche. The heartfelt story about the destitute man giving away the money he found to someone else in the book's preface, and Lawson considering it one of the most heroic deeds he has ever witnessed, sets the tone for this novel from the very beginning. The philosophies and concepts that were described in this novel, later came to be known as Lawsonomy.
A professional baseball player, aviator, and utopian philosopher, Alfred William Lawson lived from March 24, 1869, until November 29, 1954. He played baseball from 1887 through 1916 as a player, manager, and league promoter before making a name for himself in the U.S. aircraft business. He released two early aircraft trade publications. He was given some of the early air mail contracts, but was eventually unable to carry them out. He is widely credited as the airliner's inventor. In order to produce military training aircraft, he established the Lawson Aircraft Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Later, he established the Lawson Airplane Company in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to construct commercial airplanes. His best opportunity for commercial aviation success was shattered when his ambitious Lawson L-4 "Midnight Liner" crashed on May 8, 1921, during the launch of a demonstration flight. In the 1920s, Lawson preached healthy lifestyle choices, such as vegetarianism, and asserted that he had discovered the key to a 200-year life span. He wrote many books about these ideas, many of which were written in his signature typography. Later, he promoted both the Lawsonian religion and his own philosophy, Lawsonomy.
