Allen, James (1864-1912)

British writer of self-improvement books that present a very individual blend of mysticism and New Thought. Like his contemporary Ralph Waldo Trine in America, Allen helped popularize New Thought in Great Britain with his numerous popular inspirational books. According to his wife, Allen "wrote when he had a message, and it became a message only when he had lived it in his own life and knew that it was good."

Born in Leicester, England, on November 28, 1864, he suffered much ill-health as a child. His father died when he was 14, and he had to earn his living and help support his mother. He worked hard at various jobs and studied poetry, drama, philosophy, and religion in his spare time. At the age of 24, he experienced what he described as "the Cosmic Vision" after reading Sir Edwin Arnold's Light of Asia (1879), a famous poem based on the teaching of Buddha. This transient illumination returned in a more permanent form ten years later and led to the writing of his first book, From Poverty to Power (1901), which went into seven editions. After the success of this book, Allen found it possible to live by his writings. With his wife, Lily, he moved to Ilfracombe, Devon.

Allen was not ambitious, avoided publicity, and lived simply on a modest income from his writings. He derived inspiration for his books from solitary meditation. He published 19 books and edited two journals: The Epoch and The Light of Reason. Some of his books were quite short in length but influential in their succinct inspiration. His best-known work, As a Man Thinketh, went into six editions and influenced many thousands of readers. It remains a classic of its kind and has been frequently reprinted. Allen died January 24, 1912.

Sources:

Allen, James. As a Man Thinketh. 1890. Reprint, Philadelphia: David O. McKay, n.d.

——. By-Ways of Blessedness. Libertyville, Ill.: Sheldon University Press, 1909.

——. From Poverty to Power. New York: R. F. Fenno, 1907.

——. The Life Triumphant. Libertyville, Ill.: Sheldon University Press, 1908.