Respected historian of science Ronald Numbers here examines one of the most influential, yet least examined, religious leaders in American history -- Ellen G. White, the enigmatic visionary who founded the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Numbers scrutinizes White's life (1827-1915), from her teenage visions and testimonies to her extensive advice on health reform, which influenced the direction of the church she founded. This third edition features a new preface and two key documents that shed further light on White -- transcripts of the trial of Elder Israel Dammon in 1845 and the proceedings of the secret Bible Conferences in 1919.

Ronald L. Numbers (1942-2023) was the William Coleman Professor of the History of Science and Medicine emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During his career, he served as president of the History of Science Society, the American Society of Church History, and the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science. His many honors and awards included a Guggenheim Fellowship as well as the George Sarton Medal for his lifetime of exceptional scholarship. He authored and edited numerous books including The Creationists, Darwinism Comes to America, and the eight-volume Cambridge History of Science.