Allen & Unwin: Difference between revisions

Allen & Unwin
Founded	1914 (United Kingdom) ; 1976 (Australian arm)
Founder	Stanley Unwin
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Headquarters location	Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia
Distribution	United Book Distributors (Australia); Atlantic Books (UK adult); Murdoch Books (UK children's); Trafalgar Square Publishing (North America, China); APD Singapore (Singapore); Wild Dog Press (South Africa)
Publication types	Books
Imprints	Arena, Crows Nest, House of Books, Inspired Living, Murdoch Books, Pier 9
Official website	www.allenandunwin.com

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George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when 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, with the backing of John Ruskin,^[2] becoming George Allen & Co. Ltd. in 1911 when it merged with Swan Sonnenschein and then George Allen & Unwin on 4 August 1914 as a result of Stanley Unwin's purchase of a controlling interest.^[3] Frank Arthur Mumby and Frances Helena Swan Stallybrass,^[4] Unwin's son 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.^[5]

Rayner Unwin retired at the end of 1985, and the firm was amalgamated in 1986 with 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.^[6]^[7] 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, 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 Australian/Vogel Literary Award.

In 2017, Allen & Unwin refused to publish the book Silent Invasion due to legal concerns that it "would be targeted by Beijing and its proxies in Australia."^[8]^[9]

References and sources

References

^ Rights & international sales
^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). "Allen, George" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). Vol. 12. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
^ George Allen and Unwin, Austlit. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
^ From Swan Sonnenschein to George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London: Allen & Unwin, 1955, pp. 7–8.
^ Unwin Books (George Allen & Unwin) – Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^ Smith, Anthony (27 November 2000). "Rayner Unwin". London: Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
^ FOB Search Results 191 – 200 of 409
^ Welch, Dylan (22 February 2018). "Chinese agents 'infiltrating church groups to undermine Australia's sovereignty'". ABC News. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
^ "Australian Book on China's 'Silent Invasion' Withdrawn At Last Minute Amid Legal Threats". Radio Free Asia. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2018.

Sources

"Records of George Allen & Unwin Ltd". University of Reading.

External links

[1] Rights & international sales

[2] Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). "Allen, George" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). Vol. 12. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

[3] George Allen and Unwin, Austlit. Retrieved 7 November 2023.

[4] From Swan Sonnenschein to George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London: Allen & Unwin, 1955, pp. 7–8.

[5] Unwin Books (George Allen & Unwin) – Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 1 January 2018.

[6] Smith, Anthony (27 November 2000). "Rayner Unwin". London: Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2010.

[7] FOB Search Results 191 – 200 of 409

[abc-8] Welch, Dylan (22 February 2018). "Chinese agents 'infiltrating church groups to undermine Australia's sovereignty'". ABC News. Retrieved 11 April 2018.

[rfa-9] "Australian Book on China's 'Silent Invasion' Withdrawn At Last Minute Amid Legal Threats". Radio Free Asia. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2018.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|Australian independent publishing company}}
+{{Short description|Australian publishing company}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
 {{More citations needed|date=December 2011}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
 {{Infobox publisher
 | image        = Allen & Unwin logo.svg
 | parent       =
 | status       =
-| founded      = 1914 (British arm) <br> 1976 (Australia)
+| founded      = 1914 (United Kingdom) <br> 1976 (Australian arm)
 | founder      = Stanley Unwin
 | successor    =
-| country      = Australia
+| country      = United Kingdom
-| headquarters = [[Crows Nest, New South Wales]], Australia
+| 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>
+| 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          = {{URL|http://allenandunwin.com}}
+| 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 went on to become one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and to establish 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''' 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 and then '''George Allen & Unwin''' in 1914 as a result of Stanley Unwin's  purchase of a controlling interest.<ref>Frank Arthur Mumby and Frances Helena Swan Stallybrass, ''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 nephew Philip helped run the company, which published the works of [[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 included the [[Muirhead Library of Philosophy]] and Unwin Books.<ref>[https://www.publishinghistory.com/unwin-books.html Unwin Books (George Allen & Unwin) - Book Series List], publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 1 January 2018.</ref>
+'''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.'''. Robin Hyman became chief executive of the combined Unwin Hyman. From this time Allen & Unwin was an Australia-based, child company 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 largest [[shareholder]] Unwin 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|publisher=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]].
+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|publisher=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 when the UK firm was bought by [[HarperCollins]]. Now known simply as "Allen & Unwin" the company went on to become the most successful "independent" in Australia and currently publishes up to 250 new titles a year.
+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>
-Allen & Unwin publishes across a broad range of areas including literary and commercial fiction, popular and serious non-fiction — including biography, memoir, history, true crime, politics, current affairs, and travel — academic and professional, children's books and books for teenagers. Amongst 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]].
-The Allen & Unwin head office is in [[Sydney]] and the company also publishes out of offices in [[Melbourne]], [[Auckland]], and [[London]]. Allen & Unwin also represents a number of leading independent British publishers in the Australian and New Zealand markets. These include [[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]], [[Faber and Faber|Faber & Faber]], [[Profile Books]] and [[Serpent's Tail]], [[Atlantic Books|Atlantic]] and Corvus, [[Granta]] and Portobello, [[Canongate Books|Canongate]], Nicholas Brealey, Icon, and Nosy Crow. Allen & Unwin distributes the [[Harry Potter]] series of books in Australia and New Zealand under the Bloomsbury imprint.
-Since the inaugural award in 1992, Allen & Unwin has been voted Publisher of the Year fourteen times including in 2020. The Founder and Chairman of Allen & Unwin is Patrick Gallagher, the CEO is Robert Gorman and the Publishing Director is Tom Gilliatt.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=438 |title=About A&U - Allen & Unwin - Australia |website=Allenandunwin.com |access-date=2016-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108062758/http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=438 |archive-date=8 November 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2020, Allen & Unwin sold its textbooks and professional lists to [[Taylor & Francis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadwaterllc.com/Pages/recenttransactions.html |title=Recent Transactions - Broadwater LLC|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref>
-==The Australian/Vogel Literary Award==
-In 1979, Niels Stevns (of Stevns and Company Pty Ltd which makes Vogel bread) created [[The Australian/Vogel Literary Award]] in collaboration with ''[[The Australian]]'' newspaper and Allen & Unwin. The award is for an unpublished manuscript by a writer under the age of 35. The award includes that the winning manuscript will be published by Allen & Unwin.
-==Legal case==
-In 2012, legal actions were initiated against Allen & Unwin regarding a book authored by [[Fairfax Media]] journalist Eamonn Duff. In the first case, the judge awarded $50,000 damages for breach of copyright in the unauthorised use of family photographs.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/schapelle-corbys-family-win-first-legal-fight-against-publisher-allen-unwin/story-e6frg6n6-1226628458253 |title=Schapelle Corby's Family Win First Legal Fight Against Publisher Allen & Unwin|newspaper=[[The Australian]] |access-date=2016-02-17}}</ref> Defamation cases followed, and in August 2014, two family members were awarded $325,000 in damages.{{cn|date=May 2020}}
 ==References and sources==
@@ Line 59: / Line 49: @@
 ==External links==
 {{Commons category|Allen & Unwin}}
-* {{Official website|http://www.allenandunwin.com/}}
+* {{Official website}}
 * [https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/21c63b4a-cfa4-3f19-9068-1f518c8ce0b7 Records of George Allen & Unwin Ltd] at [[Archives Hub]]
@@ Line 70: / Line 60: @@
 [[Category:HarperCollins books|*]]
 [[Category:News Corporation subsidiaries]]
+[[Category:1914 establishments in the United Kingdom]]

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Latest revision as of 00:58, 8 October 2024

George Allen & Unwin in the UK

Allen & Unwin in Australia

References and sources

Further reading

External links