Vash Young (January 18, 1889 – October 1965) was an American author of motivational and self-improvement books with a popular following during the Great Depression. His writings, especially his last book '' Fortunes for All''Young, Vash. '' Fortunes for All''. Dandi Books, Epsom, England. reveal much of his early life.

Early life

Vashni Young was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

on January 18, 1889. Though his first name was Vashni, he preferred Vash throughout his life. His paternal great-grandfather was a brother of

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

and was reputedly instrumental in founding the

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

settlement. Young's early life was one of deprivation and hardship. His father was more often absent than not, and his mother died when he was only 14. Young's schooling was cut short as he had to help support the family, including three younger siblings, then living with his grandparents. Tragedy struck again when his grandmother died and he left Salt Lake City at 16 years of age to seek his fortune in Chicago where his older brother was then living. He struggled to find employment initially due to his lack of education and basic numeracy. He eventually moved to New York City where he continued to battle depression, self-doubt and failure until the revelation that turned him into a success. His philosophy placed great emphasis on helping others, and a series of books were one expression of this.

Publications

In 1931, Young wrote ''A Fortune to Share'' soon after the change in his fortunes; this became a bestseller. Hicks, Granville - The Mystery of the Best Seller,

The English Journal ''English Journal'' (previously ''The English Journal'') is the official publication of the Secondary Education section of the American National Council of Teachers of English. The Peer review, peer-reviewed journal has been published since 1912 ...

, Vol. 23, No. 8 (Oct., 1934), pp. 621-629 This was followed in short order by ''Let's Start Over Again'', ''No Thank You'', ''The Go-Giver'' and ''Be Kind to Yourself'', all published by

Bobbs-Merrill The Bobbs-Merrill Company was an American book publisher active from 1850 until 1985, and located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Company history The Bobbs-Merrill Company began in 1850 October 3 when Samuel Merrill bought an Indianapolis bookstore ...

and written with the aid of co-authors. His last book, ''Fortunes for All'', written much later while Young was in active retirement at the age of 70, was intended to put together the background, philosophy and methods that had secured his fortune as a handbook for generations to follow. Unlike his earlier works, ''Fortunes for All'' was entirely his own work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Vash 1889 births 1965 deaths Writers from Salt Lake City American motivational writers