Born in 1864 in England,
James Allen took his first job at fifteen to support his family. Allen worked as a factory knitter and later a private secretary before writing his first book,
From Poverty to Power, in 1901. In 1903 he completed his best-known work:
As a Man Thinketh. Allen wrote nineteen books, including his spiritual journal,
The Light of Reason, before he died at age forty-seven in 1912. While not widely known during his lifetime, Allen later came to be seen as a pioneer of contemporary inspirational literature.
Ruth L. Miller served as associate professor at San Jose State University and as Director of Curriculum and Evaluation for Rogue Community College. She was ordained in the New Thought tradition and became the pastor of the Lifeways Center in Portland, Oregon. She is currently a traveling preacher, serving New Thought and Unitarian-Universalist churches in Oregon, Washington, and California.