Who Is James Allen?James Allen is a literary mystery man. His inspirational writings have influenced millions for good. Yet today he remains almost unknown. None of his nineteen books give a clue to his life other than to mention his place of residence - Ilfracombe, England. His name cannot be found in a major reference work. Not even the Library of Congress or the British Museum has much to say about him. James Allen never gained fame or fortune. That much is true. His was a quiet, unrewarded genius. He seldom made enough money from his writings to cover expenses.
Allen was born in Leicester, Central England, on November 28, 1864. The family business failed within a few years, and in 1879 his father left for America in an effort to recoup his losses. The elder Allen had hoped to settle in the United States, but was robbed and murdered before he could send for his family. The financial crisis that resulted forced James to leave school at fifteen. He eventually became a private secretary, a position that is called Administrative Assistant today. He worked in this capacity for several British manufacturers until 1902, when he decided to devote all his time to writing. Unfortunately, Allen's literary career was short, lasting only nine years, until his death in 1912. During that period he wrote nineteen books, a rich outpouring of ideas that have lived on to inspire later generations. Soon after finishing his first book, From Poverty To Power, Allen moved to Ilfracombe, on England's southwest coast. The little resort town with its seafront Victorian hotels and its rolling hills and winding lanes offered him the quiet atmosphere he needed to pursue his philosophical studies. As A Man Thinketh was Allen's second book. Despite its subsequent popularity he was dissatisfied with it. Even though it was his most concise and eloquent work, the book that best embodied his thought, he somehow failed to recognize its value. His wife Lily had to persuade him to publish it. James Allen strove to live the ideal life described by Russia's great novelist and mystic Count Leo Tolstoy - the life of voluntary poverty, manual labor and ascetic self-discipline. Like Tolstoy, Allen sought to improve himself, be happy, and master all of the virtues. 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. His day in Ilfracombe began with a predawn walk up to the Cairn, a stony spot on the hillside overlooking his home and the sea. He would remain there for an hour in meditation. Then he would return to the house and spend the morning writing. The afternoons were devoted to gardening, a pastime he enjoyed. His evenings were spent in conversation with those who were interested in his work. A friend described Allen as a frail-looking little man, Christ-like, with a mass of flowing black hair and noted that he wore a black velvet suit in the evenings. The friend continued, "He would talk quietly to a small group of us then - English, French, Austrian and Indian - of meditation, of philosophy, of Tolstoy or Buddha, and of killing nothing, not even a mouse in the garden." "He over-awed us all a little because of his appearance, his gentle conversation, and especially because he went out to commune with God on the hills before dawn." Allen insists that each person has the power to form his own character and to create his own happiness. He believes that the outer conditions of a person's life will always be directly related to his inner state. James Allen certainly gets us thinking, even if we would rather be doing something else. He teaches us how thought leads to action and shows us how to turn our dreams into realities. The philosophy of James Allen has brought success to millions. We become spiritually rich, Allen writes: when we are conscious of the oneness of all life; when we know the power of meditation; when we experience kinship with nature. At each moment in our lives, we are where our thoughts have taken us. We are the architects - for better or worse - of our futures.
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