Publications of William Adlard

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 William Adlard

  • Haywood, Eliza. Clementina; or, the history of an Italian lady, who made her escape from a monastery, for the love of a Scots nobleman. London: printed by W. Adlard, Wine-Office-Court, Fleet-Street, for Francis Noble, at his Circulating Library, near Middle-Row, Holbour; and John Noble, at his Circulation Library, in St. Martin's Court, near Leicester-Square, MDCCLXVIII. [1768]. ESTC No. T75384. Grub Street ID 298110.
  • Mauduit, Antoine-RenĂ©. A new and complete treatise of spherical trigonometry: in which are contained the orthographic, analytical and logarithmical solutions of the several cases of spherical triangles, Whether right-angled or oblique; A Comprehensive Theory of the Fluxions of these Triangles; and A Variety of Curious and Interesting Particulars not to be met with in any other Treatise upon this Subject. Carefully translated from the French of Mr. Mauduit, by W. Crakelt. London: printed by W. Adlard, Wine Office-Court, Fleet-Street: and sold by the translator, in Charterhouse Square; and by H. Turpin, Bookseller, in St. John's Street, West-Smithfield, MDCCLXVIII. [1768]. ESTC No. T100581. Grub Street ID 154516.
  • The test of friendship: or, the history of Lord George B-, and Sir Harry Acton, Bart. In two volumes. ... London: printed by W. Adlard; for Francis Noble; and John Noble, 1769. ESTC No. N67198. Grub Street ID 48804.
  • The advancement of arts, manufactures, and commerce; or, descriptions of the useful machines and models contained in the repository of the Society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures, and commerce: illustrated by designs on fifty-five copper-plates. Together with An Account of the Several Discoveries and Improvements Promoted by the Society, in Agriculture, Manufactures, Mechanics, Chemistry, and the Polite Arts; And also in the British Colonies in America. By Willia Bailey, Register to the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. London: printed by William Adlard, Printer to the Society: and sold by the author; also by R. Dodsley, Bookseller, in Pall-Mall; and G. Pearch, Bookseller, in Cheapside, MDCCLXXII. [1772]. ESTC No. T88288. Grub Street ID 308258.
  • Nickalls, Joseph. To the Honourable Lord Warden, and assistants of Dover Harbour. The Report of Joseph Nickalls, Engineer, (made in Obedience to an Order received at Walmer Castle, Sept. 2, 1775) on the said Harbour. Together with a general Plan of the same, and of such other Works as appears to me the most proper, for rendering it a complete Artificial Harbour. London: printed by W. Adlard, Salisbury-Court, Fleet-Street, MDCCLXXVII. [1777]. ESTC No. T56505. Grub Street ID 282951.
  • Hervey, Frederic. The naval history of Great Britain; from the earliest times to the rising of the Parliament in 1779. ... By Frederic Hervey, ... and others. In five volumes. ... London: printed by William Adlard; for J. Bew, 1779. ESTC No. T155103. Grub Street ID 198980.
  • Loccatelli, Giovanni Battista. Stanze di Giambattista Locatelli, Veronese, accademico veneto. alla Reale Accademia di Pittura, Scultura, ed Architettura, di Londra. Tradotte in verso sciolto inglese, dal Sig. Giovanni Povoleri, Vicentino. [London: printed by William Adlard, 1780]. ESTC No. N37149. Grub Street ID 25103.
  • Lancaster, Thomas, of Sedbergh. The christian duty of thanksgiving. A sermon, preached at Hanworth in the county of Middlesex, on Thursday, April 23, 1789, being the day appointed for a solemn thanksgiving to Almighty God, for His Majesty's happy recovery. By Thomas Lancaster, Curate of Feltham, and Master of an Academy at Parson's Green, Middlesex. London: printed by William Adlard: and sold by Edward Beetham, No 27, Fleet Street; And all the Booksellers in Town and Country, [1789]. ESTC No. T128083. Grub Street ID 177718.
  • Paine, Thomas. Agrarian justice, opposed to agrarian law, and to agrarian monopoly. Being a plan for meliorating the condition of man, by creating in every nation a national fund, ... By Thomas Paine, ... [London]: Paris: printed by W. Adlard. London: re-printed for T. Williams, 1797. ESTC No. T164851. Grub Street ID 203109.

Printed for William Adlard

  • Foote, Samuel. Wit for the ton! The convivial jester; or, Sam Foote's last budget opened. Containing original and authentic anedotes, bon mots, jocose Remarks, poignant Repartees, whimsical Occurrences, queer Hums, inimitable Witticisms, &c. of that immortal Child of Humour The English Aristophanes; with authentic memoirs of his life and writings, and a particular Recital of the many laughable Incidents which befel him in the former, and the various whimsical Occurrences that gave rise to the latter. Since we mean to make you laugh, Our Motto is an Epitaph. Sam Foote is dead, yet do not weep; His Wit alive will ever keep; And tho' his Body's under Ground, You'll find his Humour here abound. Poor Sam now with the Worms resides, Yet here a Friend with Care provides Enough of him to shake your Sides. Then if a Tear should wet your Eye, Let it be Laughing makes you cry; With Spleen and Grief still be at Strife, You'll find in Wit and Mirth there's Life. [London]: Printed for W. Adlard, No.10, Salisbury Court, Fleet Street, and may be had of all Booksellers in Town and Country, [1779]. ESTC No. T17096. Grub Street ID 208622.
  • London unmask'd: or the new town spy. Exhibiting a striking picture of the world as it goes. In a ramble through the regions of novelty Whim, Fashion and Taste, as found in the cities of London and Westminster, Their purlieus and vicinities. Containing a Complete Picture of the metropolis and its inhabitants. With the various Humours, Follies, Foibles, Vices, and Absurdities, generally practised throughout London and its environs. Also A full and just Display of the most Striking Scenes exhibited in the gay circles, the theatres, gardens, and other public places of Modern Fashionable Entertainment. Including A General and Picturesque Representation of the most singular Characters that inhabit this great metropolis: Whether considered as Vicious, Ridiculous, Humorous, or anyways worthy the Pen of Satire: particularly Fortune-Hunters Matrimonial Brokers Modern Messelinas Dissipated Fops Demireps Sycophants Loungers, or Time-Killers Military Fribbles French, Italian, and other Foreign Lea. London: printed for William Adlard, No. 10, Salisbury Square, Fleet Street, [1784?]. ESTC No. N71671. Grub Street ID 51809.

Printed by and for, or by/for and sold by William Adlard

  • Luckombe, Philip. A concise history of the origin and progress of printing; with practical instructions to the trade in general. ... London: printed and sold by W. Adlard and J. Browne, [1770?]. ESTC No. N50864. Grub Street ID 34893.