Which publisher first issued J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit in 1937?

George Allen & Unwin first issued J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit in 1937.

The London publishing house released the book on 21 September 1937, with illustrations by Tolkien himself. The first edition quickly attracted strong reviews and sold out its initial print run. Its success encouraged the publisher to request a sequel, eventually leading Tolkien to write The Lord of the Rings.

George Allen & Unwin remained closely associated with Tolkien’s British publications. The company later became Allen & Unwin and was eventually absorbed into other publishing organizations. The American edition of The Hobbit was published by Houghton Mifflin, which is why readers sometimes name that company instead. The question asks for the first British publisher, not a later American publisher.