Tolkien and His Publisher: a Forty-Year Relationship

LOGOS 10(4) 2nd/JH 1/11/06 10:23 am Page 200

LOGOS Tolkien and his publisher: A forty-year relationship

Rayner Unwin A publisher who has and can hold a consistently bestselling author on his list is fortunate indeed, and this heart-beat of success helps to ameliorate the financial drain that many worthy but less suc- cessful ventures often incur. Of course a single author is not the only secret of a profitable company, but it certainly helps. I, and all my predeces- sors, were each blessed with just such an author, Entering publishing in 1951, who came to us early in his career, stayed loyally Rayner Unwin devoted his entire with us, and became our friend. George Allen had career to his family firm and to Ruskin, my father had Bertrand Russell, my cousin Philip had Thor Heyerdahl, and I had J R R the service of the book publishing Tolkien. The circumstances were very different, but industry. He succeeded his in each case both parties recognised the benefits of father, Sir Stanley Unwin, as the association, trusted each other, and worked pur- Chairman of George Allen & posefully together. My association with Tolkien began long Unwin in 1968 and continued before I got into publishing, and has continued for four years after his company through his family and his Estate long after his merged to become Unwin Hyman death. The eventual success of his books, though it in 1986. Unwin served for brought problems, also created wealth for both twenty years on the Council of author and publisher, and the necessary trust grew up that has now served all of us well for over sixty the UK Publishers Association, years. of which he was elected President My father believed that children were the in 1971. best judges of children’s books. As a young boy I had expressed my views on many books that father gave (This story of Rayner Unwin’s relationship with me to read. My brother and sister did just the same Tolkien is extracted from George Allen & with manuscripts suitable to their age and interests, Unwin: A Remembrancer, privately published by and we were paid a flat fee of one shilling for our writ- Merlin Unwin Books, £18 ISBN 1 873674 37 6, ten reports. For father it was a convenient and cheap which is reviewed on page 212 of this issue.) way of getting an outside reading. Every day he would sort through whatever books or typescripts had arrived, and allot them to appropriate readers either within the building or to specialists outside. Most outside readers were paid rather more than one shilling, but probably their judgments were considered more reliable than those of children. For our part it was a very worthwhile addition to our pocket-money, and being of a bookish inclination I welcomed these

Tolkien and his publisher: A forty-year relationship

occasional tasks and felt important to be making deci- doubt whether any author today, however famous, sions that helped father in his work. would get such scrupulous attention. The Hobbit was destined to sow the first The text should indeed have been seeds of a very rich harvest indeed. The typescript straightforward. When the first batch of proofs was single-spaced, and when published became a came through Tolkien found “some minor discrep- long book of over 300 printed pages. That my task ancies that come out in print and make it desirable had been no burden may be judged from my father’s to have the whole story together before passing for comment to Tolkien that I had read it again as soon press.” It was an ominous warning of what was to as it was in print “with even increased enthusiasm.” come, though at first, after all the proofs had duly My report was not distinguished in its spelling or its arrived, Tolkien made light of it. “The typesetting literary style, but it served its purpose. I was, after throughout was guilty of very few divergencies from all, only ten years old, and I certainly displayed all copy and in general proof corrections are light. But the self-important superiority of my age when I ought to have given the MS a revision.” Later on declaring the suitable age for prospective readers. in the same letter it becomes apparent that it was not just the odd letter or word that needed correc- Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who lived in his hob- tion: blocks of text needed to be replaced, but “I bit-hole and never went for adventures, at last have calculated the space line by line as carefully as Gandalf the wizard and his dwarves perswaded possible.” him to go. He has a very exiting time fighting With admirable calm Charles Furth, who goblins and wargs. At last they got to the lonley was then the publisher, replied, “it is not improba- mountain; Smaug, the dragon who gawreds it is ble that the printers will prefer to send revises of killed and after a terrific battle with the goblins he the whole book, because your author’s corrections returned home – rich! This book, with the help of are pretty heavy.” Revised proofs were produced and maps, does not need any illustrations it is good quickly dealt with. But Tolkien wrote a fortnight and should appeal to all children between the ages later, “I have (I fear) again altered eight words to of 5 and 9. rectify narrative errors that escaped my previous care; and I have also corrected necessarily about For several years I had very little more seven errors that descended from copy and also involvement, direct or indirect, with Tolkien. But escaped. I have marked in red a few new errors, and my father had a habit, that was sometimes unwise one or two others that were overlooked.” but in this case was fortunate, of letting authors see Even corrected revised proofs were not his readers’ reports. Thus, through my ingenuous enough to make perfect copy. Soon after publica- commendation, my existence was made known to tion on September 21, 1937 Tolkien acknowledged the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor. “a piece of private bad grammar, rather shocking in By the end of 1936 the typescript of The a philologist” when he used the incorrect plural of Hobbit had gone to the printers and a long, patient “dwarf” and wished he had substituted the archaic and courteous dialogue began to build up between word “dwarrow”. And early in the following year his author and publisher in order to ensure that this son, Christopher, ill in bed, was earning twopence children’s book by an unknown author was prepared a time for spotting further mistakes in the printed for press in exactly the way that Tolkien wanted. text. The dialogue was almost entirely conducted by let- Although the actual text of The Hobbit ter. In 1937 alone Tolkien wrote twenty-six letters produced problems enough, the greatest part of the to George Allen & Unwin and received thirty-one voluminous correspondence concerned maps, illus- letters in return. On Tolkien’s part these were all in trations and embellishments. Tolkien was always handwriting, often up to five pages long, detailed, apologetic about his skills as a draughtsman or as an fluent, often pungent, but infinitely polite and exas- artist. The maps proved worrying. “I have small skill peratingly precise. The time and patience that his and no experience of preparing such things for publishers devoted to what should have been a reproduction,” he protested. And when he sent in straightforward typesetting job is astonishing. I his first draft of The Hobbit jacket he added in