Unwin, Thomas Fisher (British, 1848–1935)

Thomas Fisher Unwin (24 January 1848 – 6 February 1935) was an English publisher and founder of the London firm T. Fisher Unwin (est. 1882). Born in London, he was the son of Jacob Unwin (1802–1855), founder of Unwin Brothers and the Gresham Press. Educated at the City of London School, Unwin began his career with the firm Jackson, Walford, and Hodder (a predecessor of Hodder & Stoughton). Establishing his own publishing house in 1882, he developed a list notable for literary discovery and for series publishing, including The Story of the Nations (from 1885), conceived in line with his liberal and internationalist outlook and influenced by the reformist interests of his wife.

Unwin was active in the institutional life of the British book trade. He co-founded the Johnson Club in 1884, marking the centenary of Samuel Johnson's death, and in 1896 was among the founders of the Publishers Association. He was married to Jane Cobden, daughter of the statesman Richard Cobden. His nephew, Stanley Unwin, later established the firm, George Allen & Unwin. Thomas Fisher Unwin retired in 1926 and died at Midhurst, Sussex, in 1935.