- On first editions Eyre & Spottiswoode put the year of publication either under its name at the foot of the title page or in a "first published" statement on the back of the title page.
- Later printings are listed on the back of the title page, with "Reprinted" and the year added after the first publication date, so a single date with no reprint lines points to a first printing.
Publisher · founded 1739 · London
Eyre & Spottiswoode
Eyre & Spottiswoode was a London King's Printer that began publishing books in 1929, issuing Gormenghast and Room at the Top before merging with Methuen.
- Editions tracked
- 34
- First editions
- 12
- Books
- 33
- Years
- 1905 to 1971
About Eyre & Spottiswoode
Eyre & Spottiswoode was a London printing firm, for generations the King's (or Queen's) Printer, that became a general book publisher in 1929 and later merged into Methuen.
The business traces its origins to the printing house William Strahan established in 1739. Charles Eyre received a patent as King's Printer in 1767, and by 1785 Andrew Strahan shared the post with him. From 1819 Andrew Strahan's nephews Andrew and Robert Spottiswoode took over the management, and by the nineteenth century the official printing business traded as Eyre and Spottiswoode, while a separate private printing arm became Spottiswoode, Ballantyne and Co. The firm was reappointed King's Printer on Edward VII's accession in 1901.
In 1929 it set up Eyre & Spottiswoode (Publishers) Ltd, with Douglas Jerrold as a director and later chairman. Graham Greene was a director from 1944 to 1948 and built up the fiction list. The firm published Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast (1950), John Braine's Room at the Top (1957) and Patrick White's Voss (1957).
Eyre & Spottiswoode became part of Associated Book Publishers in 1958 and was merged with Methuen in the 1970s, trading as Eyre Methuen.
Identification
How to identify Eyre & Spottiswoode first editions
Authors
Books
Published by Eyre & Spottiswoode
Spot the edition: Dust jacket: blue decorative design rather than the later red jacket (first state jacket)
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify an Eyre & Spottiswoode first edition?
- On first editions Eyre & Spottiswoode put the year of publication either under its name at the foot of the title page or in a "first published" statement on the back of the title page. - Later printings are listed on the back of the title page, with "Reprinted" and the year added after the first publication date, so a single date with no reprint lines points to a first printing.
How many Eyre & Spottiswoode books does MyVolumes track?
We track 34 editions published by Eyre & Spottiswoode, 12 of them first editions, across 33 books.
Where these facts come from
- Eyre & Spottiswoode, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Eyre and Spottiswoode, Grace's Guide (gracesguide.co.uk)
- Gormenghast (novel), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Room at the Top (novel), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Voss (novel), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- First-Edition - Identification by Publisher (Allen and Patricia Ahearn), ILAB, 2010 (ilab.org)
- First Editions of Today and How to Tell Them (3rd edn), H. S. Boutell, Internet Archive, 1949 (archive.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.