Which publisher first released J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit in the United Kingdom?

George Allen & Unwin first released J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit in the United Kingdom.

The firm published the book on 21 September 1937 after Stanley Unwin’s young son, Rayner, read the manuscript and gave it a favorable report. That unusual internal recommendation helped persuade the publisher to issue Tolkien’s story. The first edition was illustrated by Tolkien himself and introduced readers to Hobbiton, Bilbo Baggins, the Dwarves, and Smaug.

George Allen & Unwin also published The Lord of the Rings in Britain. The company later became part of larger publishing organizations, but its name is inseparable from Tolkien’s first major commercial success. American publication was handled separately, so a question about the first United Kingdom release specifically points to George Allen & Unwin.