Rayner Unwin

At last they got to the lonely mountain; Smaug, the dragon who guards it is killed and after a terrific battle with the goblins he returned home – rich!This book, with the help of maps, does not need any illustrations it is good and should appeal to all children between the ages of 5 and 9."

"[5] Unwin was also responsible for the first UK publication of the Roald Dahl children's books James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Dahl had been struggling to find a publisher for these titles in the UK, but caught the attention of Unwin after Unwin's daughter Camilla became captivated by a copy of James and the Giant Peach that her schoolfriend Tessa Dahl (Roald's daughter) had given her.

[1] His father had been preparing him for the role during his time at the firm; Rayner's older brother David had decided to pursue a career as a children's author instead.

David Unwin later wrote in his memoirs: "I have always felt guilty at my defection, for by taking my place Rayner sacrificed his own promising career as an author".

In 1989, the new firm faced serious difficulties when managing director Robin Hyman became seriously ill at a time when the company's profits were declining rapidly.

[3] Before the contract was signed, Unwin resigned as a protest,[3] and he remarked to his friends: "I feel I've betrayed my father.

[3] Late in his life, Rayner wrote A Winter Away From Home (1995), a young-adult history book about Dutch explorer William Barents and his 16th-century voyages to the Arctic.

The two families had known each other for a long time, as Stanley Unwin and Harold Curwen had attended Abbotsholme School together.

[3] They later moved to Limes Cottage, a Grade II listed property in the Buckinghamshire village of Little Missenden.

[10] The Trustees are Adrian Stephenson, Frances Pra-Lopez, and Merlin Spedding Unwin, son of Rayner.