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Robert Collier Letter Book
Robert Collier's sales letters were successful because he wrote to his readers' needs. Although Collier wanted folks to order products, his letters were friendly and personal, and he always began by looking at things from the reader's perspective. His sales shrewdness and writing expertise placed hundreds of millions of dollars in his clients' pockets, and he is still today considered America's premier sales letter copywriter.
Finally, after many years, "The Robert Collier Letter Book" is back in print. This book contains his now-legendary collection of classic sales letters -- there is no added, extraneous advertising to inflate its price. Those who have been successful in selling have learned what to say and how to say it. These brilliant sales letters, created by Robert Collier, can help you learn to do both, quickly and easily.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
273 people are currently reading
2270 people want to read
About the author
Robert Collier
340 books112 followersRobert Collier was an American author of self-help, and New Thought metaphysical books in the 20th century. He was the nephew of Peter Fenelon Collier, founder of Collier's Weekly. He was involved in writing, editing, and research for most of his life. His book The Secret of the Ages (1926) sold over 300,000 copies during his life. Collier wrote about the practical psychology of abundance, desire, faith, visualization, confident action, and personal development.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 18, 2015
This book is still under copyright with Robert Collier Publications. Please be sure you are purchasing the Authentic Robert Collier work published by the family of Robert Collier. The authentic version has the following ISBN's 9780912576200, 9780912576206 (softcovers) and 9780912576219, 9780912576213 (hardcovers). Avoid pirated versions.
January 30, 2021
I don't know what to make of it. It's good but it's not necessary. But the good recompenses for the unnecessary. Any book that writes about writing has one common flaw: redundancy. But in Robert's case, I'll call it repetition; and as the book is for marketers, repetition is one of the essential tools to convincing people to buy stuff they don't need. So, I'll give him that. It's okay Robert, you're fine. You sold millions of copies for O. Henty. Remember The Gift of Magi from school? That O. Henry. Yaini, that's simply awesome!
Also, I suggest simply go for Chapter IX called The Six Essentials if you've not been forced by someone to read this. I won't say what these essentials are because then what's the point of writing a review? And maybe look into a few good letters from here and there as well just to sit back and appreciate good writing skills.
I'm copying one of the most successful circulars written for "When the Rattlesnake Struck," just for the sake of it:
"On the one side, we showed a judge and his lovely daughter. On the other, a tough-looking character and his daughter. In between was reproduced the following letter:
Judge:
When you sent me up for four years, you called me a rattlesnake. Maybe I am one-anyhow, you hear me rattling now. One year after I got to the pen, my daughter died of-well, they said it was poverty and the disgrace together. You've got a daughter, Judge, and I'm going to make you know how it feels to lose one. I'm free now, and I guess I've turned to rattlesnake all right. Lookout when I strike! Yours respectfully,
RATTLESNAKE"
Hm. Loved it.
Also, I suggest simply go for Chapter IX called The Six Essentials if you've not been forced by someone to read this. I won't say what these essentials are because then what's the point of writing a review? And maybe look into a few good letters from here and there as well just to sit back and appreciate good writing skills.
I'm copying one of the most successful circulars written for "When the Rattlesnake Struck," just for the sake of it:
"On the one side, we showed a judge and his lovely daughter. On the other, a tough-looking character and his daughter. In between was reproduced the following letter:
Judge:
When you sent me up for four years, you called me a rattlesnake. Maybe I am one-anyhow, you hear me rattling now. One year after I got to the pen, my daughter died of-well, they said it was poverty and the disgrace together. You've got a daughter, Judge, and I'm going to make you know how it feels to lose one. I'm free now, and I guess I've turned to rattlesnake all right. Lookout when I strike! Yours respectfully,
RATTLESNAKE"
Hm. Loved it.
January 5, 2018
Boring but Useful
This book is about how to properly write copy, from the perspective of a man who has successfully sold millions of dollars worth of products using these techniques.
The Robert Collier Letter book starts with the author outlining the core principles of copywriting:
1. The Opening: Get the attention of your target reader by establishing contact with what he's already interested in, and the emotions that he's likely to be preoccupied with.
2. The Description and Motive: Once you have the attention, generate interest by showing how your offer can give him something he desires the most - in other words, don't emphasize your product, but paint a picture of how it will help him achieve what he wants. Appeal to emotions, not the intellect.
3. The Proof: when it makes sense to do so, offer facts or testimonials which give objective evidence of the truth of what you're saying.
4. The Hook: make the offer time-sensitive or limited in some way to spur immediate action, otherwise they will feel inclined to set your letter aside
5. The Close: tell the reader exactly what they need to do and how to do it, making it easy to close the sale
The book goes into a great amount of detail on each of these principles. The best thing is that the author doesn't just keep these concepts abstract; he offers literally dozens of examples of letters that he's written - using these principles - that have sold thousands or millions of dollars. Ultimately, this is where the real value of this book is.
As you read the dozens and dozens of examples that Robert Collier has put into this book, you will start to see the pattern of what he's doing and how he's applying the principles. What is most fascinating about this is that the same principles apply, regardless of what type of product is being sold. Collier gives examples of how to write copy for selling books, socks, jackets, bags, magazine subscriptions, and more. By showing these examples he proves his point that, to paraphrase, copywriting is not about WHAT you're selling, it's about the IDEA behind what is being sold. You sell ideas, not products.
This is definitely a book to be read for the sake of study and not for entertainment. While it's fascinating to read some of Collier's letters and KNOWING that they have brought him a hell of a lot of money, they are extremely boring to read. They all read in a very similar way, which I suppose is good for the sake of copywriters, but it makes it boring to read through over 400 pages of this material. So again, read this book for studying and not for entertainment.
My 2 star rating is purely from the standpoint of a reading experience, for the reason that I mentioned above: it became quite the slog to finish this book due to how long it is and how repetitive the content comes across as. I suppose that if I am ever in a situation to write copy and earn money from it, and if using this book as a reference material brings me even 10% as much money as Collier has earned from it, then I'd probably come back to good-ol' Goodreads and update this to be 5 stars.
This book is about how to properly write copy, from the perspective of a man who has successfully sold millions of dollars worth of products using these techniques.
The Robert Collier Letter book starts with the author outlining the core principles of copywriting:
1. The Opening: Get the attention of your target reader by establishing contact with what he's already interested in, and the emotions that he's likely to be preoccupied with.
2. The Description and Motive: Once you have the attention, generate interest by showing how your offer can give him something he desires the most - in other words, don't emphasize your product, but paint a picture of how it will help him achieve what he wants. Appeal to emotions, not the intellect.
3. The Proof: when it makes sense to do so, offer facts or testimonials which give objective evidence of the truth of what you're saying.
4. The Hook: make the offer time-sensitive or limited in some way to spur immediate action, otherwise they will feel inclined to set your letter aside
5. The Close: tell the reader exactly what they need to do and how to do it, making it easy to close the sale
The book goes into a great amount of detail on each of these principles. The best thing is that the author doesn't just keep these concepts abstract; he offers literally dozens of examples of letters that he's written - using these principles - that have sold thousands or millions of dollars. Ultimately, this is where the real value of this book is.
As you read the dozens and dozens of examples that Robert Collier has put into this book, you will start to see the pattern of what he's doing and how he's applying the principles. What is most fascinating about this is that the same principles apply, regardless of what type of product is being sold. Collier gives examples of how to write copy for selling books, socks, jackets, bags, magazine subscriptions, and more. By showing these examples he proves his point that, to paraphrase, copywriting is not about WHAT you're selling, it's about the IDEA behind what is being sold. You sell ideas, not products.
This is definitely a book to be read for the sake of study and not for entertainment. While it's fascinating to read some of Collier's letters and KNOWING that they have brought him a hell of a lot of money, they are extremely boring to read. They all read in a very similar way, which I suppose is good for the sake of copywriters, but it makes it boring to read through over 400 pages of this material. So again, read this book for studying and not for entertainment.
My 2 star rating is purely from the standpoint of a reading experience, for the reason that I mentioned above: it became quite the slog to finish this book due to how long it is and how repetitive the content comes across as. I suppose that if I am ever in a situation to write copy and earn money from it, and if using this book as a reference material brings me even 10% as much money as Collier has earned from it, then I'd probably come back to good-ol' Goodreads and update this to be 5 stars.
December 24, 2019
First thing I want to warn: the version on Amazon is FULL OF ERRORS AND TYPOS! It ruined the reading experience completely, as every single page contains at least some combinations of weird characters and typo.
Ignoring all that, this is simply an AMAZING book! It was written decades ago (1941), but the letters and principles mentioned are as relevant in 2020 as in 1941. And you can apply basically all the examples to write ads for today's age.
Just think about it. Totally insane.
If you're serious about copywriting, just grab a copy ASAP.
(Last warning: it may be tedious and boring at times, but just keep reading!)
Ignoring all that, this is simply an AMAZING book! It was written decades ago (1941), but the letters and principles mentioned are as relevant in 2020 as in 1941. And you can apply basically all the examples to write ads for today's age.
Just think about it. Totally insane.
If you're serious about copywriting, just grab a copy ASAP.
(Last warning: it may be tedious and boring at times, but just keep reading!)
June 14, 2019
One of the 7 best ad man books ever written. This book will make you rich if you let it.
May 14, 2024
This book is 20% theory and 80% examples. The theory is bang on. They comprise of all the checkboxes for a converting sales copy. The arduously long example sales letters, however, are outdated in today's attention economy (this book was originally published in 1931). The examples are not applicable in either website copywriting, email marketing, or advertising. This book could've been "the handbook" for advertisers and salesmen, but unless you're still trying to write sales letters, there are better books out there that are worth reading.
June 1, 2022
This is a brilliant book on classic sales letters. You get dozens and dozens of examples of letters that worked but there’s not much breakdown on why they worked.
I think this would be a great reference but as a book, there’s very little substance, just a lot of examples, which is refreshing Innoway because most copy writing books give very few examples.
The one big caveat to look out for is that I went through this book as an audiobook and I do not recommend that. This should be a printed reference only. I will find a printed version of this book, but listening to one semi-repetitive sales letter after another after another after another is a bit tough to take in an audiobook
I think this would be a great reference but as a book, there’s very little substance, just a lot of examples, which is refreshing Innoway because most copy writing books give very few examples.
The one big caveat to look out for is that I went through this book as an audiobook and I do not recommend that. This should be a printed reference only. I will find a printed version of this book, but listening to one semi-repetitive sales letter after another after another after another is a bit tough to take in an audiobook
April 14, 2025
This is a boring, textbook style read but is fun to skim. As a fan of historical fiction, it was fun to read some slice of life details about the early twentieth century. The advertisement for a home radio was particularly funny. It's a device that allows famous people to talk to you in your own house!
I also liked the perfume ad, which described its scent as having the “essence of music and laughter, the sweetness of flowers on a dewy morn- all magically imprisoned in crystal.” This colorful language is sadly absent from today's advertising. Perhaps Paris Hilton should take note for the next time she feels the need to dump a new fragrance on us peasants.
I also liked the perfume ad, which described its scent as having the “essence of music and laughter, the sweetness of flowers on a dewy morn- all magically imprisoned in crystal.” This colorful language is sadly absent from today's advertising. Perhaps Paris Hilton should take note for the next time she feels the need to dump a new fragrance on us peasants.
March 18, 2017
One of the best copywriting books of all time. There are DOZENS of sales letters selling a wide variety of products - books, courses, clothes, luggage and more - and Collier's commentary. This book is recommend by Derek Johanson (founder of CopyHour) and Ramit Sethi (founder of I Will Teach You To Be Rich).
March 8, 2021
Robert Collier offers abundant examples of promotional letter writing from a bygone era. It's fascinating to see how, despite all the technological advances, human nature remains the same.
I found that the age of the samples was actually helpful because it helped me to see the principles underlying the actual writing. If you are familiar with search engine marketing, you will notice many similarities between Collier's tactics and, for example, campaigns in Google Ads.
Collier also discusses the interplay between marketing and business strategy, including accounting and product development. His samples deserve careful study because they provide highly relevant guidance for marketers today.
I found that the age of the samples was actually helpful because it helped me to see the principles underlying the actual writing. If you are familiar with search engine marketing, you will notice many similarities between Collier's tactics and, for example, campaigns in Google Ads.
Collier also discusses the interplay between marketing and business strategy, including accounting and product development. His samples deserve careful study because they provide highly relevant guidance for marketers today.
March 13, 2023
Robert Collier was one of the greatest sales letter writers of all time. This book contains his most effective letters. He sold millions of books, including the Harvard Classics 50-Volume, 5-Foot Shelf of Knowledge by mail. He also wrote the metaphysical classic The Secret of the Ages, the book that 100 years later became the basis for Rhonda Byrnes book and movie The Secret.
February 10, 2022
"A knowledge of your product is essential ... but familiarity with human reactions, human responses to familiar stimuli, is even more important." (p. 346)
"It is difficult to get much worked up over statistics. You read with comparative indifference that 36,000 people are killed and 1,000,000 injured each year in auto accidents. But just let you witness a little child being run down, let you hear the anguished cry of its mother, let you look at the pitiful, mangled remains, and you will never feel indifferent again. Every time you read of an accident, you will see again that mangled child, you will think of the bereft mother, and you will resolve to DO something to see that this wholesome slaughter is stopped.
"The same is true of any catastrophe - of earthquakes, of floods, of famine or war. We cannot visualize them in the mass. The only way to make us feel them is to tie them into the story of one victim." (p. 428)
"It is difficult to get much worked up over statistics. You read with comparative indifference that 36,000 people are killed and 1,000,000 injured each year in auto accidents. But just let you witness a little child being run down, let you hear the anguished cry of its mother, let you look at the pitiful, mangled remains, and you will never feel indifferent again. Every time you read of an accident, you will see again that mangled child, you will think of the bereft mother, and you will resolve to DO something to see that this wholesome slaughter is stopped.
"The same is true of any catastrophe - of earthquakes, of floods, of famine or war. We cannot visualize them in the mass. The only way to make us feel them is to tie them into the story of one victim." (p. 428)
March 18, 2022
TIMELESS CLASSIC
This book may have been written almost one hundred years ago, but i its message still rings true today. Study reasons why people buy, and their buying habits . Write sales letters based on that information if you want make any kind of profit.
This book may have been written almost one hundred years ago, but i its message still rings true today. Study reasons why people buy, and their buying habits . Write sales letters based on that information if you want make any kind of profit.
April 11, 2022
Educational, but too boring to listen to - just tons of ads get read repeatedly (actually minor changes between ads of the same product) But you can see the impressions, and he followed many of the rules for advertising even upheld today. Okay book with good examples, but too much repetition.
June 12, 2025
If you think this book is outdated, you have learnt nothing at all about how marketing really works. Just because we no longer do things a certain way does not mean how we do it now is better.
In many cases, it is worse.
In many cases, it is worse.
December 30, 2017
This is a book you’ll need to come back to time and time again. Inspiration for copy.
April 25, 2019
Classic copywriting
November 19, 2019
Good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2020
Great copywriting book that provides many examples through each chapter. Understand the person's target audience as you read each sales letter.
December 26, 2020
Very old and very classic sales letters.
February 27, 2022
I haven't had a chance to read i very well might seem to have more in common then just a name 🤔
February 11, 2023
Barbant
February 20, 2023
This book made me want Turtle Soup. Remarkable.
July 12, 2024
A lot of info no longer relevant.
November 23, 2024
Amazing collections of letter and strategies which worked in 19oos , must read : contains hidden nuggets of wisdom if you look past all the outdated method of delivering the marketing msgs..
December 27, 2016
Nuggets inside
February 28, 2017
Lots of wonderful classic ads to read and enjoy. Perhaps more useful as a historical document than a guide to copywriting, though I still found many of the examples instructive (as well as the "Six Essentials" of a good letter). An interesting portal back in time, to a world where it was universally assumed that people would want to read books recommended by the principal of Harvard, that everyone knew who Antony and Cleopatra were, and that all working adults were men. From a marketing perspective, I find this age harder to parse, but I'm glad to live in it all the same.
February 25, 2016
Highly technical and very dated examples, this book continues to be a master work of understanding human psychology. It's a series of examples of letters that motivated people to buy (compared with those that didn't do as well).
December 5, 2015
Wow. It was a tough read atleast for me. The starting chapters were interesting. Whereas the last chapter thing get really boring, might be the story part im not interested in or its over all very lengthy.
February 2, 2014
Fantastic book of Robert Collier's sales letters. Absolute essential for studying advertising and marketing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews