Publications of Richard Bishop

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 Richard Bishop

  • Dyke, Jeremiah. A vvorthy communicant. Or A treatise, shewing the due order of receiving the sacrament of the Lords Supper. By Ier. Dyke, minister of Epping, in Essex. London: printed by R. B[ishop]. for R. Dawlman, and L. Fawne, at the Brazen Serpent in S. Pauls Church-yard, 1636. ESTC No. S126212. Grub Street ID 145382.
  • Herbert, Thomas. Some yeares travels into divers parts of Asia and Afrique. Describing especially the two famous empires, the Persian, and great Mogull: weaved with the history of these later times as also, many rich and spatious kingdomes in the orientall India, and other parts of Asia; together with the adjacent iles. Severally relating the religion, language, qualities, customes, habit, descent, fashions, and other observations touching them. With a revivall of the first discoverer of America. Revised and enlarged by the author. London: Printed by R[ichard] Bi[sho]p. for Iacob Blome and Richard Bishop, 1638. ESTC No. S119691. Grub Street ID 139330.
  • Whitelocke, James. A learned and necessary argument to prove that each subject hath a propriety in his goods. Shewing also the extent of the Kings prerogative in impositions upon the goods of merchants exported and imported, out of and into this kingdome. Together with a remonstrance presented to the Kings most excellent Majesty, by the honourable House of Commons, in the Parliament holden anno. Dom. 1610. annoq?[ue] regis Jacobi, 7. By a late learned judge of this kingdome. London: printed by Richard Bishop for Iohn Burroughes, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Golden Dragon neare the Inner Temple gate in Fleetstreet, 1641. ESTC No. R18050. Grub Street ID 71521.
  • Sedgwick, John. Englands condition parralelld with Iacobs for troubles. Salvations. Hopes. Laid open in two sermons, lately preached at Marlborough in Wilts. By Iohn Sedgwick, Batchelour in Divinity and Pastor of the Church at Alphage neere Cripplegate, London. London: printed by R[ichard]. B[ishop]. for Samuell Gellibrand, at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard, 1642. ESTC No. R18288. Grub Street ID 72810.
  • Mede, Joseph. A paraphrase and exposition of the prophesie of Saint Peter, concerning the day of Christs second comming; described in the third chapter of his second epistle. As also, how the conflagration, or destruction of the vvorld by fire, (whereof Saint Peter speaks) and especially of the heavens, is to be understood. By Ioseph Mede, B.D. late fellow of Christs College in Cambridg. London: printed by R. Bishop, for Samuel Man, dwelling at the sign of the Swan in Pauls Church-yard, 1642. ESTC No. R12987. Grub Street ID 61119.
  • Records of things done in Parliament (without the Kings consent) of higher consequence then have yet been done by this Parliament. London: printed by R. Bishop for Lawrence Blaiklock at the Sugar-loafe neer Temple-Barre, 1643. ESTC No. R16177. Grub Street ID 64057.
  • Wallis, John. Truth tried: or, Animadversions on a treatise published by the Right Honorable Robert Lord Brook, entituled, The nature of truth, its vnion and vnity with the soule. Which (saith he) is one in its essence, faculties, acts; one with truth. By I.W. London: printed by Richard Bishop, for Samuel Gellibrand at the signe of the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard, 1643. ESTC No. R11854. Grub Street ID 60092.
  • The whole book of Psalmes: collected into English meter by Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins, and others. Conferred with the Hebrew. Set forth and allowed to be sung in all churches, of all the people together, before and after morning and evening prayer, and also before an after sermons. Lodon [i.e. London]: Printed by R[ichard]. Bishop for the Company of Stationers, 1644. ESTC No. R170557. Grub Street ID 65182.
  • Bate, John. The mysteries of nature and art in four severall parts. The first of vvater-vvorks. The second of fier-vvorks. The third of drawing, colouring, limming, paynting, graving, and etching. The fourth of experiments. By John Bate. London: printed by R: Bishop for Andrew Crook, at the Green Dragon in Pauls Churchyard, 1654. ESTC No. R29021. Grub Street ID 112043.

Printed for Richard Bishop

  • Cudworth, Ralph. The union of Christ and the Church; in a shadow. By R.C. London: printed for Richard Bishop, 1642. ESTC No. R22662. Grub Street ID 99596.