Publications of George Larkin

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 George Larkin

  • Haines, Richard. Aphorisms upon the new way of improving cyder, or making cyder-royal, lately discovered for the good of those kingdoms and nations that are beholden to others, and pay dear for wine. Shewing, that simple cyder, frequently sold for thirty shillings per hogshead, (viz. three-half-pence a quart) may be made as strong, wholesom, and pleasing as French wine usually sold for twelve-pence a quart; without adding any thing to it, but what is the juice of apples; and for one penny or three-half-pence a quart more charge, may be made as good as canary commonly sold for two shillings. As also, how one acre of land now worth twenty shillings, may be made worth eight or ten pound per annum. To which are added, certain expedients concerning raising and planting of apple-trees, gooseberry-trees, &c. with respect to cheapness, expedition, certain growing, and fruitfulness, beyond what hath hitherto been yet made known. By Richard Haines. London: Printed by George Larkin for the author, and are to be had at the Marine and Carolina coffee-house in Burching Lane near the Royal Exchange; until our royal-cyder-office be erected for granting licenses, of which we shall give a further account shortly, 1684. ESTC No. R11090. Grub Street ID 59406.

Sold by George Larkin

  • How, Samuel. The sufficiency of the spirits teaching, without humane learning: or, a treatise tending to prove humane learning to be no help to the spiritual understanding of the Word of God. Written by Samuel How, for the silencing of such false and scandalous reports as have been rumor'd about this matter; and also for the information of all such as desire to know the truth; and recommended [for] the perusal of all unprejudiced Christians by Mr. William Kyffen minister of the gospel. London: re-printed, and are to be sold by George Larkin in Scalding-Alley in the Poultrey, and J. How, at the Seven Stars in Sweething's Alley, at the east-end of the Royal Exchange in Cornhil, 1881 [i.e. 1681?]. ESTC No. R233719. Grub Street ID 105178.

Author

  • Larkin, George. The world to come. The glories of Heaven, and the terrors of Hell, lively display'd, under the similitude of a vision. By G.L. Philanthropos. London: printed for John Gwillim, against Crossby-Square in Bishopsgate-street, 1699. ESTC No. R229049. Grub Street ID 101650.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan, being his last remains. Giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come: ... London: printed for F. Gwillim, and Tho. Norris, [1710?]. ESTC No. N63205. Grub Street ID 45422.
  • Larkin, George. The world to come. The Glories of Heaven and the Terrors of Hell, Lively Display'd, Under the Similitude of a vision. By G.L. Philanthropos. London: printed for John Gwillim, against Crosby-Square in Bishopsgate-Street, 1711. ESTC No. T833. Grub Street ID 303704.
  • Larkin, George. The world to come, or the glories of Heaven and the terrors of Hell, lively display'd under the similitude of a vision. London: sold by D. Thompson, [1711]. ESTC No. N66862. Grub Street ID 48517.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan, being his last remains. Giving an account of the glories of heaven, and the terrors of hell, and of the world to come: Recommended by Him as necessary to be had in all Families. London: printed for Edward Midwinter, at the Looking-Glass upon London-Bridge, [1725?]. ESTC No. T58057. Grub Street ID 284230.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of heaven, And the Glories thereof: likewise, visions of hell, and the torments of the damned; being the last remains of Mr. John Bunyan: to which is added his life and death. London: sold by all the booksellers, in town and country, [1750?]. ESTC No. T181050. Grub Street ID 217646.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan, being his last remains. Giving an account of the glories of heaven, and the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. Recommended by Him as necessary to be had in all Families. London: printed and sold by the booksellers in town and country, [1750?]. ESTC No. T58051. Grub Street ID 284224.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell and of the world to come. Congleton: printed for J. Dean, [1750?]. ESTC No. N63186. Grub Street ID 45401.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, and the terrors of hell and of the world to come. London: printed for the booksellers, [1750?]. ESTC No. T202112. Grub Street ID 233151.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan, being his last remains. Giving an account of the glories of heaven and the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. ... Glasgow: printed and sold by J. Galbraith and Company, 1762. ESTC No. T58056. Grub Street ID 284229.
  • Larkin, George. The world to come. The glories of Heaven and the terrors of Hell, lively display'd under the similitude of a vision. By G. L. ... Sunderland: printed by R. Wetherald for H. Creighton, 1771. ESTC No. T177681. Grub Street ID 214592.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan, being his last remains. Giving an account of the glories of heaven and the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. Glasgow: printed by John Robertson, MDCCXXIV [1774]. ESTC No. T58052. Grub Street ID 284225.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell and of the world to come. London: printed for the bookseller, [1780?]. ESTC No. T58049. Grub Street ID 284221.
  • Larkin, George. The world to come: or, visions of heaven and hell. Being the last remains of John Bunyan. London: printed for W. Wren and H. Hodges, 1785. ESTC No. T177665. Grub Street ID 214575.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. Leeds: printed for J. Binns, M.DCC.LXXXVI. [1786]. ESTC No. T58050. Grub Street ID 284223.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. London: printed for T. Martin, 1788. ESTC No. T231676. Grub Street ID 257154.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. London: printed and sold by J. Hollis, Shoemaker-Row, Black-Friars: and sold by the booksellers in town and country, [1790?]. ESTC No. T182551. Grub Street ID 218998.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. Leeds: printed for J. Binns, M.DCC.XCII. [1792]. ESTC No. T58053. Grub Street ID 284226.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. New-York: Printed by John Harrisson for Benjamin Gomez. Book-seller and stationer, no. 32, Maiden-Lane, --1793--. ESTC No. W27332. Grub Street ID 337421.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. London [i.e. York?]: printed for A. Millar, W. Law, and R. Cater; and for Wilson, Spence, and Mawman, York. Anno, 1793. ESTC No. T58055. Grub Street ID 284228.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. Norwich [Conn.]: Re-printed and sold, by Thomas Hubbard, M,DCC,XCV. [1795]. ESTC No. W28543. Grub Street ID 338720.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. London: printed and sold by J. Hollis, [1795?]. ESTC No. T210655. Grub Street ID 238672.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. New-York: Printed by John Tiebout, for B. Gomez, no. 97, Maiden-Lane, 1797. ESTC No. W28544. Grub Street ID 338721.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. London [i.e. York?]: printed for A. Millar, W. Law, and R. Cater; and for Wilson, Spence, and Mawman, York. Anno, 1798. ESTC No. T58054. Grub Street ID 284227.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of John Bunyan; being his last remains: giving an account of the glories of heaven, the terrors of hell, and of the world to come. Leeds: printed for John Binns, 1800. ESTC No. T201412. Grub Street ID 232705.
  • Larkin, George. The visions of heaven, and the glories thereof: likewise, visions of hell, and the torments of the damned; being the last remains of Mr. John Bunyan: to which is added his life and death. Trowbridge: printed by John Spalding; and sold by all the booksellers, in town and country, [1800?]. ESTC No. T225636. Grub Street ID 247456.