Publications of John Kidgell

Note: The following printer, bookseller, or publisher lists are works in progress. They are generated from title page imprints and may reproduce false and misleading attributions or contain errors.

What does "printed by" mean? How to read the roles ascribed to people in the imprints.

In terms of the book trades, the lists below are sorted into up to four groups where: the person is designated in the imprint as having a single role:

  1. "printed by x"; or
  2. "sold by x"; or
  3. "printed for x" or "published by x";

or as having multiple roles in combination (which suggests a likelihood that the person is a trade publisher):

  1. "printed and sold by x"; "printed for and sold by x"; or "printed by and for x" and so on.

Printers (owners of the type and printing presses, and possibly owners of the copyright) may be identified by the words printed by, but printed by does not universally designate a person who is a printer by trade. Booksellers may be identified by the words sold by, but sold by encompasses a number of roles. Booksellers or individuals who owned the copyright are generally identified by the words printed for, but nothing should be concluded in this regard without further evidence, especially since "printed for" could signify that the named person was a distributor rather than a copyright holder. Trade publishers, who distributed books and pamphlets but did not own the copyright or employ a printer—and were not printers themselves—might be identified by the words printed and sold by. Furthermore, works from this period often display false imprints, whether to evade copyright restrictions, to conceal the name of the copyright holders, or to dupe unwitting customers. Ultimately, one must proceed with caution in using the following lists: designations in the imprints may not reliably reflect the actual trades or roles of the people named, and the formulas used in imprints do not consistently mean the same thing.

David Foxon discussed the "meaning of the imprint" in his Lyell Lecture delivered at Oxford in March 1976, with particular attention to "publishers" in the eighteenth-century context:

The fullest form of an imprint is one which names three people, or groups of people:
     London: printed by X (the printer), for Y (the bookseller who owned the copyright), and sold by Z.
In the eighteenth century the printer's name is rarely given, at least in works printed in London, and the form is more commonly:
     London: printed for Y, and sold by Z.
Very often in this period, and particularly for pamphlets, it is further abbreviated to:
     London: printed and sold by Z.
It is this last form which is my present concern. Z is usually what the eighteenth century called 'a publisher', or one who distributes books and pamphlets without having any other responsibility—he does not own the copyright or employ a printer, or even know the author.

D. F. McKenzie coined the term "trade publisher" for these publishers in his Sandars Lectures, also in 1976, on the grounds that their principal role was to publish on behalf of other members of the book trade (Treadwell 100).

Michael Treadwell cautions that "In this period the imprint 'London: Printed and sold by A.B.' normally means 'Printed at London, and sold by A.B.' and must not be taken to mean that A.B. is a printer in the absence of other evidence." Further, "The imprint 'published by' occurs only rarely in Wing and is almost always associated with the name of a trade publisher" (104). While there are exceptions to the rule, it is "certain," he explains, "that anyone who made a speciality of distributing works for others will show a far higher proportion than normal of imprints in one of the 'sold by' forms" (116), which appear in the imprint as "sold by," "printed and sold by," or "published by" (104). Treadwell gives Walter Kettilby as an example of "a fairly typical copyright-owning bookseller" (106)—his role is almost always designated by the phrase "printed for" on imprints.

A final caution: publisher is a word that should be used with some deliberation. Samuel Johnson defines it simply as "One who puts out a book into the world," but "published by" rarely appears on the imprint until later in the eighteenth century, and then primarily associated with newspapers and pamphlets. Treadwell observes that John Dunton names only five publishers among the 200 binders and booksellers in his autobiographical Life and Errors (1705) wherein he undertakes "to draw the Character of the most Eminent [Stationers] in the Three Kingdoms" (100). Treadwell also remarks, however, that "in law, anyone who offered a work for sale 'published' it. In this sense every work had one or more 'publishers', and every bookseller, mercury, and hawker was a 'publisher'" (114).

See:

  • Terry Belanger, "From Bookseller to Publisher: Changes in the London Book Trade, 1750–1850," in Book Selling and Book Buying. Aspects of the Nineteenth-Century British and North American Book Trade, ed. Richard G. Landon (Chicago: American Library Association, 1978).
  • Bricker, Andrew Benjamin. "Who was 'A. Moore'? The Attribution of Eighteenth-Century Publications with False and Misleading Imprints," in The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 110.2 (2016).
  • John Dunton, The Life and Errors of John Dunton (London: Printed for S. Malthus, 1705).
  • John Feather, "The Commerce of Letters: The Study of the Eighteenth-Century Book Trade," Eighteenth-Century Studies 17 (1984).
  • David Foxon, Pope and the Early Eighteenth-Century Book Trade, ed. James McLaverty (Oxford University Press, 1991).
  • Samuel Johnson, Dictionary of the English Language, (printed for J. and P. Knapton; T. and T. Longman; C. Hitch and L. Hawes; A. Millar; and R. and J. Dodsley, 1755).
  • D.F. McKenzie, The London Book Trade in the Later Seventeenth Century (Sandars lectures in bibliography, 1977).
  • Michael Treadwell, "London Trade Publishers 1675–1750," The Library sixth series, vol. 4, no. 2 (1982).

Printed for John Kidgell

  • Fundamental lavv the true security of sov'reign dignity, and the peoples liberty. London: Printed for John Kidgell and Thomas Malthus at the Golden-Ball near Grays-Inn-gate in Holborn, and at the Sun in the Poultrey, MDCLXXXIII. [1683]. ESTC No. R12726. Grub Street ID 60874.

Printed by and for, or by/for and sold by John Kidgell

  • Baxter, Richard. Church-history of the government of bishops and their councils abbreviated. Including the chief part of the government of Christian princes and popes, and a true account of the most troubling controversies and heresies till the Reformation. Written for the use especially o them, I. Who are ignorant or misinformed of the state of the ancient churches. II. Who cannot read many and great volumes. III. Who think that the universal church must have one visible soveraign, personal or collective, pope or general councils. IV. Who would know whether patriarchs, diocesans, and their councils, have been, or must be the cure of heresies and schismes. V. Who would know the truth about the great heresies which have divided the Christian world, especially the Donatists, Novatians, Arrians, Macedonians, Nestorians, Eutichians, Monothelites, &c. By Richard Baxter, a hater of false history. London: printed, and are to be sold by John Kidgell at the Atlas in Cornhill, near the Royal Exchange, MDCLXXX. [1680]. ESTC No. R13982. Grub Street ID 62036.

Author

  • Kidgell, John. Table-Talk. September 1745. London: printed for M. Cooper, at the Globe in Pater-Noster-Row, M.DCC.XLVII. [1747]. ESTC No. T49811. Grub Street ID 277559.
  • Kidgell, John. An answer to the advice to Mr. L-g-n, the Dwarf Fann-Painter at Tunbridge-Wells. To which is added, Table-Talk, In the Modish Taste. London: printed for H. Carpenter, in Fleet-Street [1748]. ESTC No. T61483. Grub Street ID 287175.
  • Kidgell, John. The card Vol. I. London: printed for the maker, and sold by J. Newbery, at the Bible and Sun, in St. Paul's Church-Yard, MDCCLV. [1755]. ESTC No. T68566. Grub Street ID 292725.
  • Kidgell, John. The card. ... Dublin: re-printed for the maker, and sold by Sam. Price, and Matthew Williamson, 1755. ESTC No. N26687. Grub Street ID 16054.
  • Kidgell, John. A discourse preach'd at Somerset-Chapel on Friday, February the 6th, 1756, being the day appointed for a general fast. By the Rev. John Kidgell, A.M. Assistant-Preacher to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Bangor; and Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Earl of March. Publish'd by particular Request. London: printed for L. Davis and C. Reymers, against Gray's-Inn-Gate, Holborn and at Lord Bacon's head in Fleet Street, [1756]. ESTC No. T1244. Grub Street ID 174614.
  • Kidgell, John. A discourse preach'd at Somerset-Chapel on Friday the 6th, 1756, being the day appointed for a general fast. By the Rev. John Kidgell, A. M. Assistant-Preacher to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Bangor; and Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Earl of March. Publish'd by particular Request. London: printed for L. Davis and C. Reymers, against Gray's-Inn-Gate, Holborn; And at Lord Bacon's Head in Fleet-Street, [1756]. ESTC No. T133231. Grub Street ID 182081.
  • Kidgell, John. A discourse preach'd at Somerset-Chapel on Friday, February the 6th, 1756, being the day appointed for a general fast. By the Rev. John Kidgell, A.M. Assistant-Preacher to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Bangor; and Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Earl of March. Publish'd by particular Request. London: printed for L. Davis and C. Reymers, against Gray's Inn-Gate, Holborn; And at Lord Bacon's Head in Fleet-Street, [1756]. ESTC No. T1245. Grub Street ID 174691.
  • Kidgell, John. A discourse preach'd at Somerset-Chapel on Friday, February the 6th, 1756, being the day appointed for a general fast. By the Rev. John Kidgell, A.M. ... London: printed for L. Davis and C. Reymers; and at Lord Bacon's head in Fleet Street, [1756]. ESTC No. N54675. Grub Street ID 38349.
  • Kidgell, John. A discourse preached at Berkley chapel, on the day of the general fast, 1761. By John Kidgell, A. M. Preacher of Berkley Chapel, Rector of Wolverston is Suffolk, and Chaplain to the Right Hon. the Earl of March. London: printed by W. Strahan, MDCCLXI. [1761]. ESTC No. T18020. Grub Street ID 216869.
  • Kidgell, John. A genuine and succint [sic] narrative of a scandalous, obscene, and exceedingly profane libel, entitled, An essay on woman, as also, of other poetical pieces, containing the most atrocious blasphemies. Submitted to the candor of the public. By the Rev. Mr Kidgell, A.M. ... [London]: Printed in the year, 1763. ESTC No. N48984. Grub Street ID 33432.
  • Kidgell, John. Original fables by the Reverend John Kidgell, ... London: printed for James Robson, 1763. ESTC No. T125117. Grub Street ID 175282.
  • Kidgell, John. A genuine and succinct narrative of a scandalous, obscene, and exceedingly profane libel, entitled, An essay on woman, as also, of Other poetical pieces, containing The most atrocious Blasphemies. Submitted to the Candor of the public, By the Rev. Mr. Kidgell, A. M. Rector of Horne in Surry; Preacher of Berkley Chapel, and Chaplain to the Right Hon. the Earl of March and Ruglen. London: printed for James Robson, bookseller to her Royal Highness the Princess Dowager of Wales, in New Bond-Street; and J. Wilkie, in St. Paul's Church Yard, [1763]. ESTC No. T40753. Grub Street ID 269792.
  • Kidgell, John. Fables originales, franois et anglois Ornées de figures en taille douce, gravées & propres à tre enluminées. = Original fables, French and English adorned with copper plates very proper for to Colour. Tom. I. A Londres: et se vend à Bruxelles. Chez A. Collaer, Libraire, prs du Poids de la Ville. J. Van Doren, Imprimeur-Libraire, rue dite Berg-Straet, MDCC.LXXII. [1772]. ESTC No. T122400. Grub Street ID 173097.