Allen & Unwin

George Allen & Unwin Ltd. was a British publishing firm formed when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased the older firm of George Allen.

Related Topics:
British - Publishing - Firm - Sir Stanley Unwin

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Best remembered for publishing the highly successful works of J.R.R. Tolkien, the firm prospered under Sir Stanley and his son Rayner S. Unwin (who as a child had reviewed The Hobbit). Its London offices were long at 40 Museum Street.

Related Topics:
J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit - London

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Rayner Unwin had just retired at the end of 1985, Merlin and Corydon Unwin having taken over, when the firm was amalgamated in 1986 with Bell & Hyman to form Unwin Hyman Limited. Robin Hyman, who had first bought the older firm of Arthur Bell, became chairman and chief executive of both Allen & Unwin and Bell & Hyman, and chief executive of the combined Unwin Hyman; Rayner Unwin returned for a while as part-time chairman of Unwin Hyman, retiring again at the end of 1988.

Related Topics:
1985 - 1986 - 1988

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It was over the objections of largest shareholder Unwin that Hyman sold the firm to HarperCollins, the book-publishing arm of Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

Related Topics:
Shareholder - HarperCollins - Rupert Murdoch

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It is now part of the Orion Publishing Group.

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