author
Emory Adams Allen
1854–1933
Best known for bringing big historical and scientific subjects to general readers, this American writer tackled prehistory, civilization, and public affairs in clear, ambitious books. His work is still remembered most for The Prehistoric World; Or, Vanished Races and the multi-volume History of Civilization.
2 Audiobooks
The Prehistoric World; Or, Vanished Races
by Emory Adams Allen
The Golden Gems of Life; Or, Gathered Jewels for the Home Circle
by Smith C. Ferguson, Emory Adams Allen
About the author
An American historian and writer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Emory Adams Allen is associated with a wide range of nonfiction works, including The Prehistoric World; Or, Vanished Races, History of Civilization, Our Canal in Panama, and Scenes Abroad. Catalog and public-domain sources consistently connect his name with large, explanatory books meant to introduce broad subjects to everyday readers.
His best-known book, The Prehistoric World (published in 1885), explores early human life and ancient cultures in accessible language. Contemporary editions emphasized that the book had been reviewed by scholars, which helps explain its lasting presence in library catalogs, Project Gutenberg, and audiobook collections.
Some sources list his birth year as 1853, while others give 1854, so that detail is not entirely consistent in the records available online. What is clear is that Allen wrote with a strong educational impulse, aiming to make history, archaeology, and world affairs understandable to a broad audience rather than a specialist readership.