Publications of Benjamin Billingsley

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 Benjamin Billingsley

  • Brough, W. The holy feasts and fasts of the Church of England. With meditations and prayers, pious and proper for them. And some also upon the Sacraments, and other subjects of sacred and weighty consideration, both for Christian life and comfort, in sickness, and at death. By Dr. W. Brough D.G. and one of his late Majesties chaplains in ordinary, and author of Sacred principles, &c. London: printed for Benjamine Billingsley and Obadiah Blagrave, at the Printing-Press in Broadstreet, 1669. ESTC No. R173088. Grub Street ID 66778.
  • Baratti, Giacomo. The late travels of S. Giacomo Baratti, an Italian gentleman, into the remote countries of the Abissins, or of Ethiopia interior. Wherein you shall find an exact account of the laws, government, religion, discipline, customs, &c. of the Christian people that do inhabit there, with many observations which some may improve to the advantage and increase of trade with them. Together, with a confirmation of this relation drawn from the writings of Damianus de Goes, and Jo. Scaliger, who agree with the author in many particulars. Translated by G.D. London: printed for Benjamin Billingsley at the Printing-Press in Broad-street, and at the same sign in the piazza over against Popes-head-alley near the Royal Exchange in Cornhil, 1670. ESTC No. R11736. Grub Street ID 59992.
  • Ortho-methodoz itro-chymik?: or the direct method of curing chymically. Wherein is conteined [sic] the original matter, and principal agent of all natural bodies. Also the efficient and material cause of diseases in general. Their therapeutick way and means. I. Diætetical, by rectifying eating, drinking, &c. II. Pharmaceutick. 1. By encreasing and supporting the vital spirits. 2. By pacifying and indulging them. 3. By defacing or blotting out the idea of diseases by proper specificks. Lastly, by removing the extimulating or occasional cause of maladies. To which is added, The art of midwifery chymically asserted. The character of an ortho-cymist, and pseudochymist. A description of the sanative virtues of our stomach-essence. Also, giawo-mempsiz: or a just complaint of the method of the Galenists. By George Thomson, M.D. London: printed for B. Billingsley at the Printing-press in Cornhill, & S. Crouch at the upper end of Popes-Head-Alley, 1675. ESTC No. R222195. Grub Street ID 96227.
  • Phillippes, Henry. The purchasers pattern, much enlarged. The first part. Shewing the true value of land or houses, by lease, or otherwise. Whereunto is added many rules for the valuing of the ruined foundation in the City of London, and for the composing of differences between landlord an tenant about rebuilding them: also rules and tables for the valuing of all party-walls. Also tables of interest and rebate at 6 per cent. The second part. Shews the measuring of land, board, timber, &c. correcting the false wayes used by many therein. Also the art of gauging much enlarged, shewing not only the measuring of wine, beer, and ale vessels, but also the gauging of all manner of brewers tuns. With tables of the excise of beer and ale. Also many other rules and tables of weights and measures, forreign and domestick; tables of accounts, expences, &c. The fifth edition; by Henry Phillips. London: printed for Ben. Billingsley, at the Printing-Presse in Cornhill, and Sumuel Crouch, at the corner of Popes-Head-Alley next Cornhill, 1676 [i.e. 1677]. ESTC No. R213953. Grub Street ID 89290.
  • Neville, Robert. The great excellency, usefulness, and necessity of humane learning. Declared in a sermon, preached before the University, at Great St. Maries Church in Cambridge, August the 7th. 1681. By Robert Neville, B.D. late Fellow of the King's Colledge in Cambridge. London: printed for Benjamin Billingsley, at the Printing Press under the Piazza of the Royal Exchange in Cornhil, 1681. ESTC No. R10101. Grub Street ID 58500.
  • Wilmot, John. A pastoral dialogue between Alexis and Strephon, written by the right honourable, the late Earl of Rochester, at the Bath, 1674. London: printed for [Benj. Billingsley ..., 1682]. ESTC No. R182834. Grub Street ID 72780.
  • Monteage, Stephen. Debtor and creditor made easie: or, a short instruction for the attaining the right use of accounts. After the best method used by merchants. Fitted to the trades or wayes of dealing in these several capacities: the work or young scholar, the husband-man, or farmer, the country-gentleman, the retailing shop-keeper, the handicrafts-man, the merchant. By Stephen Monteage, merchant. The second edition with amendments. To which is added A maiden scholars advice trained up in this learning: which the author recommends to be read and practised in the first place. London: printed by John Richardson for Ben. Billingsley at the Printing Press in Cornhill, 1682. ESTC No. R180662. Grub Street ID 71610.
  • Lover of his country's peace.. The mystery of Ambras Merlins, standardbearer wolf. and last boar of Cornwal. With sundry other misterious prophecys, both ancient and modern, ... on the signification and portent of that prodigious comet, ... anno 1680 with the blazing star anno 1682, and the conjunctions of Saturn and Jupiter in October following, and since, all which do purport many sad calamitys to befall most parts of the Europian [sic] continent in general before the year 1699, ... the ruin of the House of Austria, ... and the Pope and Papicy [sic], the king and kingdom of France, with several other countrys in Europe, and the danger of an invation in England by the Turks, and then the convertion [sic] of the said nation to the Christian faith, ... which will be followed, (1) with the calling of the Iews, (2) the reducing of all wayes of religious worship into one by which an universal peace will ensue to all the earth. Written by a lover of his country's peace, anno Domini, 1683. [London: printed for Benj. Billingsley, at the printing-press under the Piazza of the Royal Exchange, 1683]. ESTC No. R10135. Grub Street ID 58531.
  • Strong, Nathaniel. England's perfect school-master. Directions for exact spelling, reading, and writing. Shewing how to spell or read any chapter in the Bible by four and twenty words only. With examples of most words, ... Lastly, directions for writing of letters, acquittances, bills ... Th seventh edition, much enlarged. By Nathaniel Strong ... London: printed by J. R. for Benjamin Billingsl[e]y, at the Printing-Press in Cornhil, near the Royal Exchange, 1697. ESTC No. R184739. Grub Street ID 74157.
  • Monteage, Stephen. Debtor and creditor made easy: or, a short instruction, for the attaining the right use of accompts, after the best method used by merchants. Fitted to the trades, or Ways of Dealing, in these several capacities: Viz. The Youth, or Young Scholar, The Husband-Man, or Farmer, The Country-Gentleman, The Retailing Shop-Keeper, The Handicrafts-Man, The Merchant. The fourth edition, corrected and amended. To which is added, instructions for rent-gatherers, &c. By Stephen Monteage. London: printed by T. W. for Benj. Billingsley at the Printing-Press at the Royal Exchange in Cornhill, 1708. ESTC No. N3450. Grub Street ID 22871.