Q: This is the first edition to identify the author of The Kybalion as William Walker Atkinson. How were you able to determine that he was, in fact, the author?
A:For several years now I have been working on the first biography of William Walker Atkinson (1862-1932). Besides his legacy as a New Thought author and one of the first Americans to write about yoga, perhaps Atkinson’s best known work has been The Kybalion. When I began to look at Atkinson and The Kybalion, I encountered all of the online rumors and speculation that claimed the book was written by several authors or was written by initiates in a secret occult school. As I uncovered more information on Atkinson, between his other writings, biographical information and early translations of his work, it became very clear that he was The Kybalion’s sole author. Much of the new information that is in the introduction to this definite edition of The Kybalion is the result of a close reading of Atkinson’s works and a great deal of research and old-fashioned detective work.
Q: Did Atkinson write The Kybalion on his own, or were there coauthors?
A: No less than ten people other than Atkinson have been suggested as authors or co-authors of The Kybalion. The pseudonym “Three Initiates” certainly did not help the confusion, as it allowed many to believe that there were actually three authors of The Kybalion, even though a triple-authored work would be a logistical nightmare. When you place The Kybalion next to William Walker Atkinson’s other works, it is quickly apparent that it is a product of his pen. The Kybalion is written with his same style and has the same quirks of speech, and it addresses the same themes in Atkinson’s other works. There are also a few written records from around the time of The Kybalion’s publication that are the most conclusive evidence of Atkinson’s sole authorship. There is no comparable evidence that supports anyone else being involved with The Kybalion’s creation.
http://www.tarcherbooks.net/who-wrote-the-kybalion/