Besides having invented the late-night TV talk show in 1953, entertainer and musical composer Steve Allen went on to have a many-faceted career. He wrote more than 50 books, fourteen of which were published by Prometheus Books, the publishing house founded by Paul Kurtz. For nearly three decades he and Kurtz were colleagues and friends. A philosopher, as well, and a dynamic advocate for rationalism and reason, Allen wrote about religion, politics and social issues. Unalterably opposed to censorship, he was nevertheless a harsh critic of the trend towards coarseness in popular culture. Allen died in 2000, so he was spared the spectacle of the United States of America’s 45th president.