Encounter Books is deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and founding publisher Peter Collier.

Collier was a distinguished author and editor for over forty years. During that time, he wrote novels, short stories and screenplays, along with best-selling biographies including The Rockefellers: An American Dynasty; The Kennedys: An American Dream; The Fords: An American Epic; and Destructive Generation (all with David Horowitz).

His most recent books include Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty, with photographs by Nick Del Calzo, Political Woman: The Big Little Life of Jeane Kirkpatrick (2012), Wings of Valor: Honoring America’s Fighter Aces (2016), and Choosing Courage: Inspiring True Stories of What It Means to Be a Hero (2016).

In 1998, Collier founded Encounter Books in partnership with the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. On the launch of Encounter in San Francisco, Collier remarked that “the Gutenberg galaxy is imploding…serious nonfiction publishing is an endangered species.” Collier succeeded in establishing Encounter as a premier publisher of serious non-fiction books on a wide array of topics ranging from art, culture, history, science, religion, and philosophy to a host of public policy issues.

After Collier’s retirement in 2006, Roger Kimball took the reins of Encounter and moved its headquarters to New York City. Kimball offered these thoughts on Collier’s passing:

Peter Collier was a loyal friend, a wise counsellor, and one of the most astute culture warriors I have ever encountered. Creating Encounter Books was just one of his many enterprises. With Encounter, Peter forged not just a publishing platform, but also a welcoming home for conservative-minded writers whose labors and insights are ignored or rejected by the megaphones of the left-leaning establishment.  We are the grateful heirs of Peter’s work. I miss his counsel and even more his friendship. 

Collier’s contributions to Encounter Books, to countless authors, and to the American political landscape are enduring and profound. He will be greatly missed.

Requiescat in pace.