From Swan Sonnenschein to George Allen & Unwin Ltd
Author: F.A. Mumby and Frances H.S. Stallybrass Series: Routledge Library Editions: Publishing and Printing
Originally published in 1955,this book states that the lives of certain publishing houses are a direct reflection of the cultural history of the period in which they work. Of this sort of publisher no better examples could be found at the end of the nineteenth century than Swan Sonnenschein and George Allen.
8th October 2025
Hardcover
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Summary
Originally published in 1955,this book states that the lives of certain publishing houses are a direct reflection of the cultural history of the period in which they work. Of this sort of publisher no better examples could be found at the end of the nineteenth century than Swan Sonnenschein and George Allen.
Description
Originally published in 1955, From Swan Sonnenschein to George Allen & Unwin Ltd states that the lives of certain publishing houses are a direct reflection of the cultural history of the period in which they work. They draw their successes from the intellectual enthusiasms of the time and in no small measure contribute towards the education of their contemporaries. Of this sort of publisher no better examples could be found at the end of the nineteenth century than Swan Sonnenschein and George Allen. Both were men of serious purpose, with a sense of mission in their business activities. Sonnenschein, who later changed his name to Stallybrass, was the publisher of Bernard Shaw’s novels, of George Moore’s Confessions of a Young Man; the first English edition of Marx’s Capital; J. M. Barrie’s first novel, Better Dead; Edwards Carpenter’s Towards Democracy; and besides an immense list of books on Social Science – which were far ahead of their time – he launched, with Professor J. H. Muirhead, the famous Library of Philosophy.
George Allen’s business was founded exclusively upon Ruskin’s works, but later he published for Augustus Hare, Maurice Maeterlinck and Hillaire Belloc.
Such was the foundation upon which Stanley Unwin was able to build in 1914, when he acquired the assets of the combined firms of Sonnenschein and Allen.
Critic Reviews
Quote on original book cover:
“In proportion to its size the firm of George Allen and Unwin Ltd. has probably done more than any other to add to the common store of knowledge.” – F. A. Mumby in his Bookselling and Publishing
About the Author
F. A. (Frank Arthur) Mumby (1872–1954) was a journalist and historian of the British book trade.
Frances H. S. Stallybrass was the daughter of William Swan Stallybrass (formerly Sonnenschein).
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8th October 2025
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