Chautauqua Institution co-founder Rev. John Heyl Vincent was a prolific writer on religion, education, and history. Among Vincent’s numerous published works were a few autobiographical writings. These essays describing family and personal history were forgotten soon after Vincent's death in 1920. More than a century later, thirty-three of his personal narratives have been gathered into a single volume. John Heyl Vincent’s Reminiscences invites readers to learn directly from Bishop Vincent about the experiences that shaped his life, his convictions, and the Chautauqua idea.

Timothy S. Binkley, MDiv, M.A., is a public historian and professional archivist and who serves Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, as Head of Special Collections and Archives. He is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, one of the Historic Peace Churches. From 2009 to 2020, Binkley served as Archivist at Southern Methodist University’s Bridwell Library, where he became the caretaker of John Heyl Vincent’s personal papers.