Sir Stanley Unwin was a British publisher who worked closely with J.R.R. Tolkien, and was the founder of Allen & Unwin publishing company. He was known for publishing most of Tolkien's various works. He is also the recipient of many of Tolkien's Letters.
History[]
In 1936, J.R.R. Tolkien sent in a copy of The Hobbit for publication, and Stanley Unwin gave the manuscript to his ten year-old son, Rayner Unwin to read, and paid him a shilling to give a report on. Based on Rayner's report, he decided to publish The Hobbit. After the book became a success, he requested a sequel from Tolkien. In return, Tolkien gave him an early draft of The Silmarillion, and a manuscript of The Lay of Leithian; however it was turned down for being "too Celtic". In response to the feedback, Tolkien created The Lord of the Rings, which became a bestseller.
