What was the name of the publisher that first issued J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit?

George Allen & Unwin was the publisher that first issued J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. The London firm published the novel in 1937 after Tolkien submitted the manuscript for consideration.

The company’s chairman, Stanley Unwin, supported publication after his young son Rayner read the manuscript and responded positively. Rayner Unwin later became an important figure in the firm and wrote the report that helped persuade his father to publish the book.

George Allen & Unwin also published The Lord of the Rings in three volumes between 1954 and 1955. Tolkien’s relationship with the firm therefore extended beyond one successful children’s book and became a major part of the publication history of Middle-earth.

The company later became part of larger publishing organizations, and its name changed over time. It should not be confused with Tolkien’s American publisher, Houghton Mifflin, which handled United States editions of his works.