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T. Fisher Unwin (TFU) / Ernest Benn / Coward-McCann

T. Fisher Unwin Ltd., 1 Adelphi Terrace, London.



This publishing company was established by Thomas Fisher Unwin in 1882. It merged in about 1928 with the firm of Ernest Benn, so the later novels such as the children's story books by E.Nesbit were re-issued many times under the Benn imprint.

Some of the novels of E. Nesbit were published in the U.S.A. by Coward-McCann in both single titles or as collected editions, sometimes using pages printed in England and sometimes using Blampied's illustrations on the jacket or internally, but not always. Probably not all of these American editions have been identified.

T. Fisher Unwin also published books in the U.S.A. by arrangement with Thomas Seltzer of New York and in Canada through Longmans, Green and Company of Toronto using the dust jacket designed by Blampied.

Although presentation editions of novels were less common during the First World War, Ethel M. Dell's first novel, The Way of an Eagle was so popular that Fisher Unwin commissioned Blampied to illustrate a Fine Edition for the Christmas market in 1916. They may have seen his work in the presentation edition of The Money Moon by Jeffrey Farnol for Sampson, Low & Marston, published in 1914.

All of Blampied's other work for T. Fisher Unwin was to design dust jackets for novels, some of which were reprints of books by popular authors such as A.G. Hales (see left) and E. Nesbit, but others were for books which are now quite rare. For example, Mr Teddy, an uncommon novel by E.F. Benson, and the second novel by James Hilton, Storm Passage, which was not reprinted. One dust jacket, for a novel called Children of Transgression by G. Vere Tyler, is known only from an entry in the catalogue of the National Library of Wales: Dj by Blam.

Image of flier

Fisher Unwin flier advertising the novels of A.G. Hales (click to enlarge)

● Click on the thumbnail to see a large image; click on the link to see details of each book and an image, if available.



— 1916 —

Small image of illustration     TFU-16.1: The Way of an Eagle by Ethel M. Dell (Fine edition in a box with dust jacket and 12 colour drawings)


— 1917 —

Small image of illustration     TFU-17.1: Mr. Teddy by E.F. Benson (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration     TFU-17.2: Joan Avenel by Dora S. Forgan (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration     TFU-17.3: Enchantment by E. Temple Thurston (Novel with dust jacket)


— 1918 —

Small image of illustration     TFU-18.1: Greatheart by Ethel M. Dell (Novel with dust jacket)


— 1921 —

Small image of illustration     TFU-21.1: Lovers and Friends by E. F. Benson (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration     TFU-21.2: The Rocks of Valpré by Ethel M. Dell (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration      TFU-21.3: The Knave of Diamonds by Ethel M. Dell (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration     TFU-21.4: The Blue Lagoon by H. de Vere Stapoole (Novel with dust jacket)


— 1922 —

Small image of illustration      TFU-22.1: John Silence by Algernon Blackwood (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration     TFU-22.2: M'Glusky by A. G. Hales (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration     TFU-22.3: M'Glusky the Reformer by A. G. Hales (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration      TFU-22.4: Maid Molly by A. G. Hales (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration      TFU-22.10: Angel Jim by A. G. Hales (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration      TFU-22.5: The Watcher on the Tower by A. G. Hales (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration      TFU-22.6: Storm Passage by James Hilton (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration     TFU-22.7: My Alaskan Idyll by Hjalmar Rutzebeck (Biographical novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration     TFU-22.8: Children of Transgression by G. Vere Tyler (Novel with dust jacket)


Small image of illustration     TFU-22.9: Bedouin Love by Arthur Weigall (Novel with dust jacket)


— 1923 —

Small image of illustration      TFU-23.1: The Untamed. Horses of the Wild by David Grew (3rd & 4th imp, colour frontispiece and four line drawings)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.2: Trapping Wild Animals in Malay Jungles by Charles Mayer (4th imp only, internal illustrations)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.3: The Treasure Seekers (1899) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.4: The Would-Be-Goods (1901) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration      TFU-23.5: Nine Unlikely Tales (1901) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.6: Five Children and It (1902) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.7: The New Treasure Seekers (1904) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.8: The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.9: The Story of the Amulet (1906) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration      TFU-23.10: The Enchanted Castle (1907) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.11: The House of Arden (1908) E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.12: Harding's Luck (1909) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.13: Wet Magic (1913) by E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and frontispiece)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.14: The Yellow Seven by Edmund Snell (Dust jacket of novel)


Small image of illustration     TFU-23.15: Priscilla Séverac by Marcelle Tinayre (Dust jacket of novel)


— 1924 —

Small image of illustration     TFU-24.1: The Two Coyotes by David Grew (Dust jacket of novel)


— 1928 —

Not seen placeholder     BEN-28.1: The Complete History of the Bastable Family E. Nesbit (Dust jacket not seen; internal illustrations)



— 1930 —

Small image of illustration     TFU-30.1: The Five Children E. Nesbit (Dust jacket and internal illustrations) (Coward-McCann, U.S.A.)


— 1949 —

Small image of illustration     TFU-49.1: The Best Howlers (2nd edition) by Cecil Hunt (Rear of dust jacket)