Robert "Bob" Collier (1885-1950) was born April 19, 1885, in St. Louis, son of Mary Ferguson and John Collier. His mother died when he and his older brother were not yet teenagers. His father traveled widely as a foreign correspondent for Collier's Magazine (founded and published by his uncle, Peter F. Collier). Robert was educated in a church seminar school and was expected to become a priest, but before taking his vows, he decided against the life of a clergyman and headed for West Virginia to seek his fortune.

There he worked as a mining engineer and learned first-hand to deal with life and humanity. He was a prolific reader and the books in the mining company's office, which included applied business correspondence and books on advertising, gave him the basics of the writing that became his career.

For long months, he studied hundreds of books and courses on everything relating to New Thought metaphysics, occult, and success. Whole religions seemed to be built on it. He delved into the deepest mysteries of the Masters. It was a long time before he began to find parts that were really workable in everyday life, a long time before he realized tangible results from his efforts, but when results began, they came quickly.

Robert Collier had the idea for a long time for a set of books on practical psychology. He put this idea into action, working night and day writing the books. Within six months after the books were published, he received more than one million dollars worth of orders for them. The books were entitled, The Secret of the Ages . He sold over 300,000 sets of them. The books really worked. He received thousands of letters telling of results obtained from reading these books.

Robert Collier wrote four more courses, which he sold separately as, The God in You, The Secret Power, The Magic Word, and The Law of the Higher Potential. He later combined this excellent material into one book and named it, The Law of the Higher Potential. It has since been renamed, Riches Within Your Reach. He also condensed the seven volumes of The Secret of the Ages into one book, which has proven to be a best seller for many, many years. It has been translated into German, Italian, French, and Spanish, and sold all over the world.

Robert Collier was a devoted husband and the father of six children. He passed on in 1950, but his books endure. His inspirational writings have changed the lives of thousands.