Publications of James Watson the younger

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 James Watson the younger

  • Oliphant, Charles. An answer to the pretended refutation of Dr. Olyphant's defence. Edinburgh: printed by J[ames]. W[atson]. for Thomas Carruthers,and sold at his shop in the Parliament Closs [sic], M.DC.XC.IX. [1699]. ESTC No. R203639. Grub Street ID 80735.
  • Captain Green's last conference with Captain Madder, his first mate, in the tolbooth of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: printed by James Watson, in the year, 1705. ESTC No. N1194. Grub Street ID 1943.
  • Spottiswoode, Robert, President of the Court of Session of Scotland. Practicks of the laws of Scotland, observed and collected by Sir Robert Spotiswoode ... abstracts taken out of the ancient records of this kingdom, whereby is declared the manner of administring justice in civil causes, before the College of Justice was erected. And propositions & questions in law ... With memoirs of his life and trial ... Publish'd by John Spotiswoode ... Edinburgh: printed by James Watson: sold by John Vallange, and other book-sellers in Edinburgh, 1706. ESTC No. T101198. Grub Street ID 155081.
  • Clark, James. A paper concerning Daniel De Foe. Edinburgh: printed by James Watson. 1708. And re-printed with some additions, [1708?]. ESTC No. N11219. Grub Street ID 1215.
  • Pomfret, John. Love triumphant over reason. A poem. By the author of the Choice. Edinburgh: printed by James Watson; and sold at his shop, 1709. ESTC No. T170843. Grub Street ID 208515.
  • The trade of Scotland with France, consider'd in two letters directed to the author of the Mercator. Edinburgh: printed by James Watson . Sold at his Shop opposite to the Lucken-Booths, 1713. ESTC No. N53902. Grub Street ID 37778.
  • The Psalms of David in metre. [Edinburgh: printed by James Watson?, 1722?]. ESTC No. T91960. Grub Street ID 311783.

Sold by James Watson the younger

  • Stevens, Joseph. A golden chain of four links to draw poor souls to their desired habitation or, The four last things briefly discoursed of, viz. death, which is most certain; judgement, which is most strict, hell, which is most dismal; heaven, which is most delightfull. To which is adde wholsome [sic] instructions both to young and old, in order to prepare themselves for their latter end, and avoid all sinful allurements, which usually obstructs that great and necessary work of salvation. With some necessary directions to die well, in order to avoid hell, and obtain heaven by Mr. J. Stevens. Edinburgh: printed and sold by James Watson in Craig's Closs, on the north side of the cross, 1700. ESTC No. R184642. Grub Street ID 74091.
  • Bunyan, John. The heavenly foot-man: or, a description of the man that gets to heaven. Together with the way he runs in, the marks he goes by: Also some Directions, how to Run, so as to Obtain. By John Bunyan. To which is added, the Life and Death of the said John Bunyan. Edinburgh: printed and sold by James Watson: And by James Stuart, Book-Seller in the middle of the Salt-Mercat, Glasgow, 1702. ESTC No. T58527. Grub Street ID 284653.

Printed by and for, or by/for and sold by James Watson the younger

  • The experienced market man and woman: or, Profitable instructions, to all masters and mistresses of families, servants and others, to know the goodness of all sorts of provisions, and prevent being cheated and imposed on, viz. Butchers meat, to know whether young or old, fresh kil'd or stale. To discover bull-beef, ram-mutton, and other cheats, bacon, hams, brawns, venison, &c. to know good from bad. How to know all sorts of poulterers ware, as fowl young or old, fat or lean, new or stale, with egg or not, hairs, rabits [sic], leverets, &c. To know the goodness or badness of all sorts of fish, fresh and salt; by many signs and tokens, and to distinguish kinds near a like one from the other, directions to prevent being defrauded in buying butter, eggs, cheese, bread; English and outlandish fruits, and other things that may turn to much profite and advantage. Edinburgh: printed and sold by James Watson, in Craigs Closs, on the North side of the Cross, 1699. ESTC No. R176889. Grub Street ID 69232.
  • Cromarty, George Mackenzie. A vindication of the historical account of the conspiracies by the Earls of Gowry, against K. James the Sixth, ... From the mistakes of Mr. John Anderson, ... By George Earl of Cromerty. Edinburgh: printed and sold by James Watson; and George Stewart, 1714. ESTC No. T58750. Grub Street ID 284837.

Author

  • Watson, James, the younger. A previous view of the case between John Baskett Esq; One of His Majesty's Printers, plaintiff, and Henry Parson, Stationer, Defendant. Edinburgh: printed by James Watson, One of His Majesty's Printers, MDCCXX. [1720]. ESTC No. T13038. Grub Street ID 179526.