T. Fisher Unwin
T. Fisher Unwin was a London publisher founded in 1882 that issued the first books of Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham before merging into Ernest Benn in 1926.
- Editions tracked
- 26
- First editions
- 11
- Books
- 25
- Years
- 1891 to 1925
T. Fisher Unwin is a publisher active from 1891. We track 26 editions it published between 1891 and 1925, 11 of them first editions across 25 books. Each book lists its first edition and the points that identify it.
About T. Fisher Unwin
T. Fisher Unwin was a London publishing house founded in 1882 by Thomas Fisher Unwin, remembered for spotting new writers in the 1890s and for publishing the first books of Joseph Conrad and W. Somerset Maugham.
Unwin was married to the Liberal politician Jane Cobden. The firm worked from Paternoster Square in its early years, moved to the Adelphi in 1905 and also ran a branch in Leipzig. Much of its reputation rested on series aimed at a growing middle-class readership, above all the Pseudonym Library and the Overseas Library.
Conrad first offered Almayer's Folly for the Pseudonym Library under the name "Kamudi". The firm's reader, Edward Garnett, saw its promise, and Unwin published it under Conrad's own name in 1895, followed by An Outcast of the Islands and Tales of Unrest. Maugham's first novel, Liza of Lambeth, followed in 1897. The list also included Henrik Ibsen, Friedrich Nietzsche, H. G. Wells, Olive Schreiner, W. B. Yeats, Ford Madox Ford, Ouida, Sigmund Freud and E. Nesbit.
The founder's nephew, Stanley Unwin, trained at the firm before gaining control of George Allen & Sons in 1914 and founding George Allen & Unwin. Thomas Fisher Unwin retired in 1926, and his firm was merged into Ernest Benn Limited.
We have not yet written the guide to T. Fisher Unwin's first-edition conventions. Until we do, check each book's own page: we list its points where we know them. Know how T. Fisher Unwin marked its firsts? Tell us.
Authors
Published by T. Fisher Unwin
Spot the first: P. 110, last lines: letters, including the word 'of', missing from the text (first state)
Frequently asked questions
How many T. Fisher Unwin books does MyVolumes track?
We track 26 editions published by T. Fisher Unwin, 11 of them first editions, across 25 books.
Where these facts come from
- T. Fisher Unwin, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- T. Fisher Unwin (London, publisher, fl. 1882 to 1926), Varshavsky Collection (varshavskycollection.com)
- Joseph Conrad, Almayer's Folly, first edition, Bauman Rare Books (baumanrarebooks.com)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 20 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.