Publications of John Wyat

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).

Sold by John Wyat

  • Lowe, Solomon. Latin rudiments contrived by Solomon Lowe containing every thing in Lilye, except a few particulars, instead of which, several generals are here added, of much more importance. For the use of Prince William. London: Sold by J. Wyat, in Paul’s Church-Yard; S. Ballard, in Little Britain. J. Noon, in Cheapside, T. Woodward, in Fleet-street; J. Groenwege & N. Prevost, in the Strand; J. Jackson, in Pall-mall, C. King, in Westminster hall, MDCCXXVII. [1727]. ESTC No. T176684. Grub Street ID 213700.
  • Lowe, Solomon. Latin rudiments for the use of Prince William. Propos'd as much easier than any, and full as comprehensive as need by for the generality of those that learn the language. London: MDCCXXVIII. Sold by J. Wyat in Paul’s Church-yard, S. Ballard in Little-Britain, J. Noon in Cheapside, T. Woodward in Fleet-street, J. Groenwege and N. Prevost in the Strand, J. Jackson in Pall-Mall, C. King in Westminster-hall, [1728]. ESTC No. N54233. Grub Street ID 38048.

Printed for John Wyat

  • Dorrington, Theophilus. A familiar exhortation to the receiving of the Lord's Supper in three discourses. By Theophilus Dorrington, ... London: printed for J. Wyat; and J. Downing, 1708. ESTC No. N62632. Grub Street ID 44934.
  • Strype, John. The history of the life and acts of the Most Reverend Father in God, Edmund Grindal, ... In the course of this history will appear also the state of this church; ... To which is added, an appendix of original MSS. ... In two books. By J. S. M.A. London: printed for John Wyat: and John Hartley, 1710. ESTC No. N8489. Grub Street ID 53393.
  • Minister of the Church of England.. The duty and benefit of taking up the cross. To which is added, The happiness of enduring affliction. By a minister of the Church of England. London: printed for John Wyat; and James Howard, bookseller in Kidderminster, 1710. ESTC No. N55314. Grub Street ID 38833.
  • An address to the people of England: shewing the unworthiness of their behaviour to King George; the folly of the pretended reasons for the present rebellion; and the strict obligations we are all under for our own sakes, as well as the King's, to assist and support him. London: printed for J. Wyat, 1715. ESTC No. N16018. Grub Street ID 5721.
  • Carter, Benjamin. A sermon preach'd at the assizes held at Chelmsford in the county of Essex, on Thursday, March the 14th, 1716. ... By Benjamin Carter, ... London: printed for John Wyatt, 1717. ESTC No. T9677. Grub Street ID 316216.
  • Fiddes, Richard. Six practical discourses on several subjects. By Richard Fiddes, D.D. Rector of Holderness, and Chaplain to the Right Honourable Robert Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. being a supplement to three volumes of discourses, formerly published, and compleating a course for the whole year. London: printed for John Wyatt in St. Paul's Church-Yard, Bejamin Tooke in Fleetstreet, John Barber on Lambeth-Hill, and H. Clements in St Paul's Church-Yard, MDCCXX. [1720]. ESTC No. T6387. Grub Street ID 289011.
  • Ibbot, Benjamin. The nature and extent of the office of the civil magistrate. Consider'd in a sermon preach'd before ... Sir George Thorold, Bart. Lord Mayor of the city of London, ... at the parish-church of St. Laurence-Jeury [sic], on Thursday, September 29, 1720. ... By Benjamin Ibbot, ... London: printed for John Wyat, 1721. ESTC No. N10008. Grub Street ID 15.
  • The duty of doing as we would be done unto; enforced and recomended in a sermon preached in the Cathedral-Church of St. Paul, on Saturday, January 25th, MDCCXXIII. At the revival of the Anniversary Meeting of the gentlemen educated at St. Paul’s school. By Matthias Mawson, B. D. Fellow of Corpus Christi College in Cambridge. London: printed for John Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul’s Church-yard, 1723. ESTC No. N491554. Grub Street ID 359200.
  • A sermon preached to the Societies for reformation of manners, at St. Mary-le-Bow, on Monday January the 6th, 1723. By the Right Reverend Father in God, Edmund Lord Bishop of London. [London]: Printed for John Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1723. ESTC No. N24001. Grub Street ID 13364.
  • Greene, Thomas. A sermon preach'd before the Right Honourable Sir John Eyles, Bart. Lord-Mayor, the court of aldermen and sheriff's, and the governors of the several hospitals of the city of London, in St. Bridget's Church, On Easter-Monday, April the 3d. 1727. By the Right Reverend Father in God, Thomas, Lord Bishop of Ely. London: printed by W. D. for J. Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-Yard, MDCCXXVII. [1727]. ESTC No. N23528. Grub Street ID 12888.

Printed by and for, or by/for and sold by John Wyat

  • The virgin muse. Being a collection of poems from our most celebrated English poets. Designed for the use of young gentlemen and ladies. At schools. To which are added Some Copies of Verses never before Printed: With Notes, and a Large Index, explaining the difficult Places, and all the hard Words. By James Greenwood, Author of the Essay towards a Practical English Grammar, and Sur-Master of St. Paul's School. London: printed and sold by J. Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-Yard; A. Bettesworth at the Red Lyon in Pater-Noster-Row; J. Osborn at the Oxford-Arms in Lombard-Street; J. Brotherton at the Bible in Cornhill; and J. Morley at the Cross-Keys in the Poultry, 1722. ESTC No. T124652. Grub Street ID 174836.

Author

  • Wyat, John. A comparative review of the opinions of Mr. James Boaden, (editor of the Oracle) in February, March and April, 1795; and of James Boaden, Esq. (author of Fontainville Forest, and of a Letter to George Steevens, Esq.) In February, 1796, relative to the Shakspeare Mss. By a friend to consistency. London: printed for G. Sael, No. 192, Strand; and sold by Mess. Whites, Fleet Street; Egerton, Whitehall; and Faulder, Bond Street, [1796]. ESTC No. T101654. Grub Street ID 155509.