Blackwell
Blackwell is the Oxford academic publisher that grew from the Blackwell's bookshop (1879), first issued Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations in 1953, and was bought by Wiley in 2007.
- Editions tracked
- 52
- First editions
- 30
- Books
- 47
- Years
- 1930 to 2008
About Blackwell
Blackwell is the Oxford academic publishing house that grew out of the Blackwell family bookshop, opened by Benjamin Henry Blackwell on Broad Street, Oxford, in 1879, and is now part of Wiley-Blackwell.
The firm's first publication was Henry Beeching's Mensæ Secundæ in 1897, and it issued J. R. R. Tolkien's early poem "Goblin Feet" in 1915. Basil Blackwell joined the family firm in 1913, after an apprenticeship with a London publisher, and took charge when Benjamin Henry died in 1924. He also rescued the Shakespeare Head Press for fine editions. Sources disagree on when the separate publishing company began: Wikipedia gives both 1922 (as Basil Blackwell & Mott) and 1926 (as Blackwell Publishers).
A scientific list was added in 1939 as Blackwell Scientific Publishing. Blackwell published the first edition of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations in 1953, after the author's death, as a German and English text translated by G. E. M. Anscombe.
In 2001 Blackwell Science and Blackwell Publishers merged to form Blackwell Publishing, which bought BMJ Books in 2004. John Wiley & Sons agreed to buy the business in November 2006 and completed the deal in February 2007 for £572 million, combining it with Wiley's scientific, technical and medical publishing as Wiley-Blackwell. The Blackwell's bookshops were a separate business and were bought by Waterstones in 2022.
How to spot a Blackwell first edition
We have not yet written the guide to Blackwell's first-edition conventions. Until we do, check each book's own page: we list its points where we know them. Know how Blackwell marked its firsts? Tell us.
AuthorsFiona Bowie (3)Alister McGrath (3)Ludwig Wittgenstein (3)Winifred Aldrich (2)Peter S. Baker (2)Norbert Elias (2)Barbara Johnstone (2)Guillaume Apollinaire (1)Zygmunt Bauman (1)C. A. Bayly (1)
Published by Blackwell
- 1st Blackwell2000 Other Not yet valued I own The Anthropology of Religion, Blackwell 2000 Log in to want this
- Blackwell2000 Other Not yet valued I own The Anthropology of Religion, Blackwell 2000 Log in to want this
- Blackwell2005 Hardback Not yet valued I own The Anthropology of Religion, Blackwell 2005 Log in to want this
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify a Blackwell first edition?
Check the title page and the copyright page: a Blackwell first edition gives the first date of publication with no later impression or edition stated. Each book's page here lists its own points.
How many Blackwell books does MyVolumes track?
We track 52 editions published by Blackwell, 30 of them first editions, across 47 books.
Where these facts come from
- Blackwell Publishing, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Blackwell's, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Philosophical Investigations, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026.