Publications of S. R.

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 by S. R.

  • Dugdale, William. A perfect copy of all summons of the nobility to the great councils and parliaments of this realm, from the xlix. of King Henry the IIId. until these present times. With catalogues of such noblemen as have been summoned to Parliament in right of their wives, and of such other noblemen as derive their titles of honour from the heirs female ... Extracted ... by Sir William Dugdale. London [i.e. Birmingham]: printed by S. R. for Robert Clavell, MDCLXXXV [1795]. ESTC No. N11184. Grub Street ID 1178.

Printed for S. R.

  • Prince, John. An anti-pestilential pill, for stopping that dreadful plague which now rageth in the kingdom of France; ... Prescribed in a fast sermon preached on the eighth of December last, ... By John Prince, ... London: printed for S. R. and sold by J. Roberts, 1722. ESTC No. T22169. Grub Street ID 244861.

Author

  • R., S.. The courte of ciuill courtesie: fitly furnished with a pleasant porte of stately phrases and pithie precepts: assembled in the behalfe of all younge gentlemen, and others, that are desirous to frame their behauiour according to their estates, at all times, and in all companies: therby to purchase worthy prayse, of their inferiours: and estimation and credite amonge theyr betters. Out of Italian, by S.R. gent. Imprinted at London: y Richard Jhones, primo Ianuarij, 1577. ESTC No. S4860. Grub Street ID 148778.
  • R., S.. The choise of change: containing the triplicitie of diuinitie, philosophie, and poetrie. Short for memorie, profitable for knowledge, and necessarie for maners: whereby the learned may be confirmed, the ignorant instructed, and all men generally recreated. Newly set foorth by S.R. Gent. and student in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. At London: Printed by Roger Warde, dwelling neere Holburne Conduite, at the signe of the Talbot, An. Dom. 1585. ESTC No. S116010. Grub Street ID 135703.
  • R., S.. The choise of change: containing the triplicitie of diuinitie, philosophie, and poetrie. Short for memorie, profitable for knowledge, and necessarie for maners: whereby the learned may be confirmed, the ignorant instructed, and all men generally recreated. Newly set foorth by S.R. Gent. and student in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. At London: Printed by Roger Warde, dwelling neere Holburne Conduite, at the signe of the Talbot, An. Dom. 1585. ESTC No. S116012. Grub Street ID 135705.
  • R., S.. The choise of change: containing the triplicity of diuinitie, philosophie, and poetrie short for memorie, profitable for knowledge, and necessarie for maners: whereby the learned may be confirmed, the ignorant instructed, and all men generally recreated. Newly set foorth by S.R. Gent. and student in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. At London: printed by Roger Warde, dwelling neere Holburne Conduit, at the signe of the Talbot, an. Dom. 1585. ESTC No. S124600. Grub Street ID 143951.
  • R., S.. The choise of change: containing the triplicitie of diuinitie, philosophie, and poetrie, short for memorie, profitable for knowledge, and necessarie for maners: whereby the learned may be confirmed, the ignorant instructed, and all men generally recreated. Newly set foorth by S.R. Gent. and student in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. At London: printed by Roger Warde, dwelling neere Holborne Conduite, an. Dom. 1585. ESTC No. S94922. Grub Street ID 153041.
  • R., S.. The choise of change: containing the triplicitie of diuinitie, philosophie, and poetrie, short for memorie, profitable for knowledge, and necessary for maners: whereby the learned may be confirmed, the ignorant instructed, and all men generally recreated. Newly set foort by S. R. Gent. and student in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. At London: printed by Roger Warde, dwelling neere Holborne Conduite, at the signe of the Talbot, an. Dom. 1585. ESTC No. S94923. Grub Street ID 153042.
  • R., S.. The choise of change: containing the triplicitie of diuinitie, philosophie [and] poetrie, short for memorie, profitable for knowledge, and necessarie for maners: whereby the learned may be confirmed, the ignorant instructed, and all men generaly recreated. Newly set foorth by S.R. Gent. and studient in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. At London: printed by Roger Ward, dwelling neere Holborne Conduite, an. Dom. 1585. ESTC No. S3139. Grub Street ID 147426.
  • R., S.. The choise of change: containing the triplicity of diuinitie, philosophie, and poetrie short for memorie, profitable for knowledge, and necessarie for maners: whereby the learned may be confirmed, the ignorant instructed, and all men generally recreated. Newly set foorth by S.R. gent. and student in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. At London: printed by Roger Warde, dwelling neere Holburne conduit, at the signe of the Talbot, an. dom. 1585. ESTC No. S2854. Grub Street ID 147183.
  • R., S.. The choise of change: containing the triplicitie of diuinitie, philosophie, and poetrie. Short for memorie, profitable for knowledge, and necessarie for maners: vvhereby the learned may bee confirmed, the ignorant instructed, and all men generally recreated. Newly set foorth by S.R. Gent. and student in the Vniuersity of Cambridge. At London: Printed by Thomas Este, 1598. ESTC No. S112271. Grub Street ID 132034.
  • R., S.. The choise of change: containing the triplicitie of diuinitie, philosophie, and poetrie. Short for memorie, profitable for knowledge, and necessarie for maners: VVhereby the learned may bee confirmed, the ignorant instructed, and all men generally recreated. Newly set foorth by S.R. Gent. and Student in the Vniversitie of Cambridge. At London: Printed by Thomas Este, 1598. ESTC No. S112272. Grub Street ID 132035.
  • R., S.. Ruth revived. Oxford,: printed by L. Lichfield, and are to bee sold by T. Allam, 1639. ESTC No. S94823. Grub Street ID 152966.
  • R., S.. Nevves out of the Lovv-Countries, sent in two letters: the one to the Earle of New-Castle, the other to Captaine Crispe, now resident with his Majesty. Declaring the likelihood of civill warres to be betwixt the Prince of Orange, and the states of the United Provinces. [London]: First printed at Oxford for William Web, and since reprinted in London, 1643. ESTC No. R20937. Grub Street ID 85599.
  • R., S.. An exact and full relation of all the proceedings between the cavaliers, and the Northamptonshire forces at Banbury. VVith the present state and condition which that country [sic] is in at this present. VVhereunto is added the articles of agreement, made at Banbury, for pacification, and setling of the peace of that county, by the Commissioners of Array and the depnty [sic] lieutenants of the said county. [London]: Ian. 4. Printed for I. Wright in the Old-Bailey, 1643. ESTC No. R12383. Grub Street ID 60570.
  • R., S.. The Kings march with the Scots, and a list of the names of 3. lords, 12. knights, 6. great officers, and 3. doctors of divinity, with other gentlemen that submit to the Parliament upon the surrender of Newarke. Where wee tooke on Friday last, May the 8. 1646. 1. great peece of ordnance, called Sweet-lips. 2. great peece of ordnance more. 2. morter peeces, and divers small guns. 4000. armes, and 40 barrels of gun-powder. Many thousand weight of bullet, and all their ammunition and provisions, and all their bag and baggage. These being examined by the originall papers, are commanded to be printed, and are published according to order of Parliament. London: printed by Elizabeth Purslow, May 11. 1646. ESTC No. R200823. Grub Street ID 78308.
  • R., S.. A tender visitation of love to professors and profane, but especially to the inhabitants of the town of Waymouth. With some directions how they may try themselves, whether they are yet in their sins, or whether they are come to him that makes an end of sin. Also a warnin to all sorts of people, that they may repent of the evil of their wayes whilest the day of mercy lasteth, least repentance be hid from their eyes. Howl ye inhabitants of the earth, for the day of vengeance is at hand, the Lord will stain the glory of all flesh. Being written from the breathings of life, by a hand-maid of the Lord, S. R. London: printed for Thomas Simmons, 1661. ESTC No. R219656. Grub Street ID 94156.
  • R., S.. An elogie with an accrostick and an epitaph on the death of that laborious servant and minister of Christ, Mr James Janeway; who departed this life and put on imortality; the 16th. day of March 1673/4. London: printed for Thomas Cockeril, [1674]. ESTC No. R221031. Grub Street ID 95247.