Orison Swett Marden
Writers

Orison Swett Marden Net Worth

Orison Swett Marden was an inspirational author and founder of 'Success' magazine, who rose above his difficult circumstances to become self-reliant. He was part of the New Thought Movement, and wrote many articles for 'The Nautilus' magazine, as well as over twenty books, many of which are still read today. His most famous book, 'Pushing to the Front', sold many copies and is considered a classic in the genre of self-help literature. He left behind a collection of unpublished manuscripts before his death.
Orison Swett Marden is a member of Writers

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Inspirational Author
Birth Place New England, United States
Died On 1924

💰 Net worth

Orison Swett Marden, a renowned Inspirational Author based in the United States, is esteemed for his profound impact on countless individuals seeking personal and professional development. His net worth is projected to range from $100K to $1M in the year 2024. Marden's wealth is a testament to the widespread recognition and appreciation for his transformative writings, which have motivated and influenced people from all walks of life. Through his timeless books and powerful messages, Marden continues to inspire readers to unlock their potential and strive for greatness.

Biography/Timeline

1848

Marden was born 11 June 1848 in Thornton Gore, New Hampshire to Lewis and Martha Marden. When he was three years old, his mother died at the age of twenty-two, leaving Orison and his two sisters in the care of their father, who was a farmer, hunter, and trapper. When Orison was seven years old, his father died from injuries incurred while in the woods. Consequently, the children were shuttled from one guardian to another, with Orison working for five successive families as a "hired boy" to earn his keep.

1890

In addition to Samuel Smiles, Marden cited as influences on his thinking the works of Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. and Ralph Waldo Emerson, both of whom were influential forerunners of what, by the 1890s, was called the New Thought Movement.

1894

Pushing to the Front (1894) became the single greatest runaway classic in the history of personal development books at that time. American Presidents william McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, as well as England's Prime Minister william Gladstone, praised the book. People like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and J. P. Morgan cited it as inspiration. In summing up the scope and impact of Marden's first literary effort, Connolly states that "[t]wo hundred and fifty editions of Pushing to the Front have so far [in 1925] been published in this country alone. It is known and read in practically every country in the world." Marden went on to write fifty or more books and booklets during his career. Each of his books has produced dozens of famous quotes, and he is considered the base and inspiration of dozens of modern authors of self-help and motivation.

1897

Founded in 1897, Marden's Success magazine eventually grew to a circulation of about half a million subscribers. The publication had its own building and printing plant in New York and was backed by a workforce of two hundred or more employees. For his magazine, Marden wrote articles that focused on self-culture, personal development and principles of success. Other articles featured personal interviews of successful men and women. Notable public figures included the late President Teddy Roosevelt, the poet Julia Ward Howe, inventors Thomas Alva Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, and leading industrialists such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. Over fifty of these interviews were later compiled into book form. The magazine is still published today by Dallas-based SUCCESS Partners.

1900

Margaret Connolly, a contemporary who worked for Marden's publishing firm in the early 1900s, describes the incident of the hotel fire, his narrow escape from death, and the loss of his original manuscript, which he later re-wrote and entitled Pushing to the Front. Marden's unwavering determination to start from scratch after this devastating loss was characteristic of the man and his writings. Connolly writes:

1903

Marden served as editor-in-chief in supervising the publication of the Consolidated Encyclopedic Library (1903, 1906, 1907), a collaborative work of nineteen volumes written for the benefit of the general public and young people in particular. He was also a regular contributor to Elizabeth Towne's New Thought magazine, Nautilus, during the first two decades of the twentieth century. During this time he served as the first President of the early New York City-based New Thought organization League for the Larger Life.

1913

Most of Marden's books are now in Public Domain & available in eBook format for free but few are rare to find and unavailable online like "The Exceptional Employee (1913). A fairly extensive list can be found on Amazon Kindle's Timeless Wisdom Collection. Many of these eBooks seem to have been conscientiously proofread for correct spelling and provide navigable chapter links. Some of them are also available in other languages, such as German (see Amazon Kindle's Erfolgsklassiker - i.e., Success Classics).

1925

Note: Information condensed from Margaret Connolly's The Life Story of Orison Swett Marden (1925) and Wende Marden Sinnaeve's Out of the Ashes - The Life Story of Orison Swett Marden (2004). Those marked with an asterisk are plausible approximates where no exact year was found. Events where no approximate year can be ascertained are marked (--).

Some Orison Swett Marden images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.