George Allen & Unwin.

Publisher.

From the description of Letters, 1959. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 173203744

The firm of George Allen & Sons began in 1871 as the publisher of John Ruskin, acquiring the publishing branch of Bemrose & Sons in 1909. In 1911 it merged with Swan Sonnenschein to form George Allen & Co. Ltd. Financial difficulties ensued under George Allen's succeeding sons and daughter, and a Receiver for the Debenture Holders was appointed on 2 January 1914. Stanley Unwin, who had previously worked for his uncle T. Fisher Unwin, acquired an interest, and the firm of George Allen & Unwin Ltd was formally registered on 4 August 1914. The following month the company moved from Rathbone Place to 40 Museum Street. There were four original directors: Stanley Unwin, Colonel Philip Hugh Dalbiac, who took care of the authors' accounts; Cecil A. Reynolds, who acted as secretary; and Edgar L. Skinner, who managed the advertising. Unwin controlled all trade matters. In practice most of the work of running the business fell into Unwin's hands, partly because the other three directors were required to perform war work elsewhere. By 1934 he had full control of the business, which he retained until his death in 1968.

Unwin was a Nonconformist and a liberal thinker, and his views were often reflected in the books published by the firm, such as work by Bertrand Russell, J.A. Hobson, L.T. Hobhouse and Ramsay MacDonald. He was keen to introduce foreign works to English readers, and throughout his career published many translations. Allen & Unwin also published books about India and by Indian authors from the 1920s onwards, helping to increase understanding of Indian affairs. In 1928 Unwin purchased the firm of Williams & Norgate, which was then sold to his remaining co-director, E.L. Skinner, as part of the deal which saw Skinner's departure from the firm in 1934. Other acquisitions were the Dublin firm of Maunsell, publisher of the playwright J.M. Synge, and a controlling interest in The Bodley Head, shared with competitors Jonathan Cape and J.M. Dent and finally sold in 1957. The firm survived both wartime paper rationing and the destruction of 1.4 million books in a bombing raid, and towards the end of the war purchased the assets of Elkin Mathews and Marrot, previously noted for belles lettres, and Thomas Murby & Co., the leading geological publisher. Notable post-war successes included The Kon-Tiki Expedition (1950) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-5).

In 1986 Allen & Unwin merged with Bell & Hyman, forming the company Unwin Hyman, which was then purchased by HarperCollins in July 1990. HarperCollins sold the Unwin Hyman academic division to Thomson Books' Routledge division. Routledge was subsequently acquired by the Taylor & Francis Group. Allen & Unwin is still an independent publishing firm in Australia and New Zealand.

From the guide to the Records of George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1884-1983, (Reading University: Special Collections Services)