Publications of J. T.

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 J. T.

  • Collins, Thomas. Choice and rare experiments in physick and chirurgery. Or A discovery of most approved medicines for the curing of most diseases incident to the body of men, women, and of children, together with an antidotary of experiments never before published. Found out by the studie and experience of Thomas Collins student in physick neer the city of Gloucester. London: printed by J.T. for Francis Eglesfield, at the sign of the Mari-gold in Pauls Church-yard, 1658. ESTC No. R20775. Grub Street ID 84096.
  • Preston, John. Riches of mercy to men in misery. Or certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity and duty of Gods children. By the late reverend and faithfull minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston. Doctor of Divinity and chaplin in ordinary to his Majesty, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometime preacher of Lincolns Inne. London: printed by J.T. for Francis Eglesfield at the Marigold in Saint Pauls Church Yard, 1658. ESTC No. R222719. Grub Street ID 96667.
  • Brinsley, John. The false--teacher tried and cast. A subject useful at all times, and but too seasonable for the present. By John Brinsley minister of the gospel at Great Yarmouth. London: printed by J.T. for Thomas Newberry, in Cornhil neer to the Royal Exchange, 1658. ESTC No. R209775. Grub Street ID 86001.
  • Rider, John. Riders dictionary, corrected and augmented. VVith the addition of many hundred words both out of the law, and out of the Latine, French, and other languages, such as were and are with us in common use, but never printed till now, to the prefecting of the work. The barbarou words, which were many hundreds, are expunged, to the help of young scholars, which before they used in stead of good words. In the end of the dictionary you shall finde certain general heads of birds, colors, dogs, fishes, herbs, numbers, stones, trees, weights. Lastly, the names of the chief places and towns in England, Scotland and Ireland, &c. which were never in Riders before. Also hereunto is annexed certain tables of weights and measures, the valuation of ancient and modern coins; ... Whereunto is joyned a Dictionary etymological, ... Now newly corrected and much augmented by Francis Holy-Oke. London: printed by J.T. for Andrew Crook, at the Green Dragon in St. Pauls Church-Yard, 1659. ESTC No. R35146. Grub Street ID 117582.
  • H., W.. A congratulation to our newly restored Parliament of the Common-vvealth of England. London: printed by J.T., in the year 1659. ESTC No. R211217. Grub Street ID 87144.
  • Hoole, Charles. The petty-schoole. Shewing a way to teach little children to read English with delight and profit, (especially) according to the new primar. By C. H. London: printed by J.T. for Andrew Crook, at the Green Dragon in Pauls Church Yard, 1659. ESTC No. R216415. Grub Street ID 91314.
  • Erlam, John. Glad tidings of the everlasting Gospel, and doctrine of eternal life. With many things profitable for edification to them that fear God; but chiefly exhortations to all that thirst after the waters of life, to prepare and make ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ, and wait for his coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, according to his word. Let no one despise the day of small things, for the Lord hath hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed to babes and sucklings; he hath chosen the base and contemptible things of the world to confound the things that are high and mighty, and calleth those things which are not, as though they were. Ye saints of the most high God, lift up your heads, for the time of your redemption is nigh, even come, for the signe of the Son of man hath already appeared in the clouds of heaven, which is an infallibl token of Sions deliverance. Published and declared (in love to them that mourn in Sion) by an unworthy servant of Jesus Christ, to. London: printed by J. T. for the author, 1659. ESTC No. R218783. Grub Street ID 93400.
  • Clark, bachelor of civil law. William. Decimarum & oblationum tabula. A tything table. Or, Table of tithes and oblations, according to the ecclesiastical laws and ordinances established in the Church of England, now newly-reduced into a book. Containing as well the very letter of the law under which these right be severally comprised, together with such questions of tithing, and their resolutions by the laws canon, civil, and approved doctors opinion of the same, as be ordinarily moved, and which do often prove to controversies herein. As also a brief and summary declaration of composition, transaction, custom, prescription, privilidge, and how they prevail in tithing. Annexed hereunto summarily, such statute laws of the land concerning these rights, as have been herein authorised, and now do remain in their force accordingly. To the easie and plain instructions of all the subjects ecclesiastical or lay, whether in these rights to demand them, or bounden to perform the same. Compiled by W.C. Bach. of the Civil Law. London: printed by J.T. for Andrew Crook at the Green Dragon in Saint Paul's Church-yard, 1662. ESTC No. R15636. Grub Street ID 63552.