James Churchward (February 27, 1851 to January 4, 1936) was a British occult writer, inventor, engineer, and fisherman. Churchward was born in Bridestow, Okehampton, Devon, England at Stone House to Henry and Matilda (nee Gould) Churchward. James had four brothers and four sisters. Churchward patented NCV Steel, armor plating to protect ships during World War I, and other steel alloys. After a patent-infringement settlement in 1914, James retired to his seven-acre estate on Lake Wononskopomuc in Lakeville, Connecticut, to try to answer the questions raised during his Pacific travels. In 1926, --This text refers to the paperback edition.