Editing Allen & Unwin

{{Short description|Australian publishing company}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox publisher
| image        = Allen & Unwin logo.svg
| parent       =
| status       =
| founded      = 1914 (United Kingdom) <br> 1976 (Australian arm)
| founder      = Stanley Unwin
| successor    =
| country      = United Kingdom
| headquarters = [[Crows Nest, New South Wales|Crows Nest]], New South Wales, Australia
| distribution = [[Penguin Random House|United Book Distributors]] (Australia)<br>[[Atlantic Books]] (UK adult)<br>[[Murdoch Books]] (UK children's)<br>[[Trafalgar Square Publishing]] (North America, China)<br>APD Singapore (Singapore)<br>Wild Dog Press (South Africa)<ref>[https://www.allenandunwin.com/about-allen-and-unwin/rights-and-international-sales Rights & international sales]</ref>
| keypeople    =
| publications = Books
| topics       =
| genre        =
| imprints     = Arena, Crows Nest, House of Books, Inspired Living, [[Murdoch Books]], Pier 9
| revenue      =
| numemployees =
| nasdaq       =
| url          = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''George Allen & Unwin''' was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when [[Stanley Unwin (publisher)|Sir Stanley Unwin]] purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co.  It became one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and established an Australian subsidiary in 1976.  In 1990 Allen & Unwin was sold to [[HarperCollins]], and the Australian branch was the subject of a [[management buy-out]].

==George Allen & Unwin in the UK==
'''George Allen & Sons''' was established in 1871 by [[George Allen (publisher)|George Allen]], with the backing of [[John Ruskin]],<ref>{{cite DNB12|wstitle=Allen, George|volume=12}}</ref> becoming '''George Allen & Co. Ltd.''' in 1911 when it merged with [[William Swan Sonnenschein|Swan Sonnenschein]] and then '''George Allen & Unwin''' on 4 August 1914 as a result of Stanley Unwin's  purchase of a controlling interest.<ref>[https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A37984 George Allen and Unwin], Austlit. Retrieved 7 November 2023.</ref> Frank Arthur Mumby and Frances Helena Swan Stallybrass,<ref>''From Swan Sonnenschein to George Allen & Unwin Ltd.'', London: Allen & Unwin, 1955, pp. 7–8.</ref> Unwin's son [[Rayner Unwin|Rayner S. Unwin]] and his nephew Philip helped him to run the company, which published works by [[Bertrand Russell]], [[Arthur Waley]], [[Roald Dahl]], [[Lancelot Hogben]] and [[Thor Heyerdahl]]. It became well known as [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s publisher some time after publishing the popular children's fantasy novel ''[[The Hobbit]]'' in 1937, and its [[high fantasy]] sequel ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' novel in 1954–1955. Book series published by the firm in this period include the [[Muirhead Library of Philosophy]] and '''Unwin Books''', a paperback imprint.<ref>[https://www.publishinghistory.com/unwin-books.html Unwin Books (George Allen & Unwin) – Book Series List], publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 1 January 2018.</ref>

Rayner Unwin retired at the end of 1985, and the firm was amalgamated in 1986 with [[George Bell & Sons|Bell & Hyman]] to form '''Unwin Hyman Ltd.''', with Robin Hyman as chief executive. From this time "Allen & Unwin" continued only as the name of the Australian subsidiary of Unwin Hyman. Rayner Unwin returned for a while as part-time chairman of Unwin Hyman, retiring again at the end of 1988. It was over the objections of Rayner Unwin, the largest [[shareholder]], that in 1990 Hyman sold the firm to HarperCollins.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rayner Unwin|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/nov/27/guardianobituaries.books|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=2010-06-12|location=London|first=Anthony|last=Smith|date=2000-11-27}}</ref><ref>[http://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/Watch/fob_search_results_next.cfm?FOBFirmName=A&FOBNote=&locSTARTROW=191 FOB Search Results 191 – 200 of 409]</ref> HarperCollins has since sold Unwin Hyman's academic book list to [[Routledge]].

==Allen & Unwin in Australia==
Allen & Unwin Australia Pty Ltd became independent in July 1990 by means of a management buy-out after the UK firm was bought by [[HarperCollins]]. Now known simply as "Allen & Unwin", the company went on to become the most successful "independent" publisher in Australia. It currently publishes up to 250 new titles a year. Among the many authors published by Allen & Unwin are [[Alex Miller (writer)|Alex Miller]], [[Christos Tsiolkas]], [[Garth Nix]], [[Jodi Picoult]], [[Kate Morton]], [[Michael Connelly]], [[Thomas Keneally]], [[Peter Corris]], [[Paul Keating]], [[Stephanie Dowrick]], and [[Christopher Hitchens]]. Allen & Unwin is also co-sponsor and publisher of the annual [[The Australian/Vogel Literary Award|Australian/Vogel Literary Award]].

In 2017, Allen & Unwin refused to publish the book ''[[Silent Invasion (book)|Silent Invasion]]'' due to legal concerns that it "would be targeted by Beijing and its proxies in Australia."<ref name="abc">{{Cite news |last=Welch |first=Dylan |date=2018-02-22 |title=Chinese agents 'infiltrating church groups to undermine Australia's sovereignty' |language=en-AU |website=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-22/book-reveals-extent-of-chinese-influence-in-australia/9464692 |access-date=2018-04-11}}</ref><ref name="rfa">{{Cite news |date=13 November 2017 |title=Australian Book on China's 'Silent Invasion' Withdrawn At Last Minute Amid Legal Threats |language=en |website=[[Radio Free Asia]] |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/book-11132017110421.html |access-date=2018-04-11}}</ref>

==References and sources==
;References
{{reflist}}
;Sources
*{{cite web|url=http://www.reading.ac.uk/special-collections/collections/sc-allen-unwin.aspx|title=Records of George Allen & Unwin Ltd|publisher=[[University of Reading]]}}

==Further reading==
* Frank Arthur Mumby and Frances Helena Swan Stallybrass, ''From Swan Sonnenschein to George Allen & Unwin Ltd.'' London: Allen & Unwin, 1955. With an introduction by Dr. John Murray.
*Philip Unwin, ''The Publishing Unwins'' (London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1972)
*Rayner Unwin, ''George Allen and Unwin: A Remembrancer'' (Ludlow: Merlin Unwin, 1999)
*Stanley Unwin, ''The Truth About a Publisher'' (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1960)

==External links==
{{Commons category|Allen & Unwin}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/21c63b4a-cfa4-3f19-9068-1f518c8ce0b7 Records of George Allen & Unwin Ltd] at [[Archives Hub]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen and Unwin}}
[[Category:Allen & Unwin books| ]]
[[Category:Book publishing companies of Australia]]
[[Category:Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:HarperCollins books|*]]
[[Category:News Corporation subsidiaries]]
[[Category:1914 establishments in the United Kingdom]]