In Out from the Heart

James Allen—considered a founding father of the self-help genre—offers his thoughts on "the heart and the life," "the nature and power of mind," "formation of habit," "doing and knowing," "first steps in the higher life," "mental conditions and their effects," and "exhortation." Allen's wisdom has a certain gravitas and is all the more inspiring given his challenging and inspiring life story. Born in England in 1864, Allen had to begin working at the age of fifteen after his father was murdered while seeking work in America. Allen thus worked for nine years as a factory knitter, then secretary. Pair this with Allen's other timeless classics such as As A Man Thinketh and Eight Pillars of Prosperity.