The Truth About Publishing

"It is by books that mind speaks to mind, by books the world's intelligence grows, books are the tree of knowledge."

-C. Kegan Paul, a British nineteenth century publisher

The Truth About Publishing (1926) by Sir Stanley Unwin is a classic about book publishing as a business and an art. Although written during early twentieth century, when publishing was quite different from now, it offers an insight in publishing at that time infused with Unwin's view that books are not mere commodities.

In Unwin's words, his objective was not to teach publishing, but to give information to those outside the business, particularly to all devoted to literature, whether writers or readers.

This book offers an engaging glimpse into publishing for students of history, publishers and others interested in the world of publishing.

SIR STANLEY UNWIN (1884-1968), a prominent British publisher who founded George Allen & Unwin publishing in 1914, published many books by writers such as Gandhi, Bertrand Russell, and J. R. R. Tolkien. Throughout his career, Sir Stanley was influential in the book trade and wrote many books about publishing, including The Truth About Publishing (1926) and The Price of Books (1925).