Allen was born in Leicester, England in 1864. After leaving school at the age of fifteen to support his family, Allen worked, read, and carefully observed the world around him. It was not until he was thirty-eight that he wrote "From Poverty to Power," one of his first motivational books. His next book, "As a Man Thinketh," established his reputation as an inspirational writer. Other books on spirituality included "The Eight Pillars of Wisdom" and "From Passion to Peace." Although his writing career lasted for only ten years, until his death in 1912, Allen produced twenty titles that influenced millions in the same manners as the words of Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale.