James Allen

Allen was born in Leicester, England, in 1864. At 15 he was forced to
leave school and go out to work; his father, who had left for the United
States following the failure of the family business, had been robbed and
murdered. Allen was employed with several British manufacturing firms
until 1902, when he began to write full time. Moving to Ilfracombe on
the south-west coast of England, he settled down to a quiet life of reading,
writing, gardening, and meditation.
As a Man Thinketh was the second of 19 books that Allen wrote in
a decade. Although considered his best work, it was only published at
his wife's urging. Other books include From Poverty to Power, Byways
of Blessedness, The Life Triumphant and Eight Pillars of Prosperity.
Allen died in 1912.