Publications of William Lawson

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 for William Lawson

  • L., D.. The school of wisdom, or Repository of the most valuable curiosities of art. Drawing; painting in water and oil colours; gilding, etching engraving, painting upon glass, and bronzing. The arts of painting or staining glass and marble. Of finishing wood, ivory, bones, horn, paper, parchment, &c. Dying linen, woolen, silk, leather, &c. [Two lines of verse]. New-Brunswick [N.J.]: Printed [by Shelly Arnett?] for William Lawson and Jacob Dunham, 1787. ESTC No. W27430. Grub Street ID 337529.

Author

  • Lawson, William. A nevv orchard and garden or The best way for planting, grafting, and to make any ground good, for a rich orchard: particularly in the north, and generally for the whole kingdome of England, as in nature, reason, situation, and all probabilitie, may and doth appeare. Wit the country housewifes garden for hearbes of common vse their vertues, seasons, profits, ornaments, varietie of knots, models for trees, and plots for the best ordering of grounds and walkes. As also the husbandry of bees, with their seuerall vses and annoyances all being the experience of 48. yeares labour, and now the second time corrected and much enlarged, by William Lawson. Whereunto is newly added the art of propagating plants, with the true ordering of all manner of fruits, in their gathering, carring home & preseruation. London: printed by Nicholas Okes for Iohn Harison, at the Golden Vnicorne in Pater-noster-row, 1631. ESTC No. S4739. Grub Street ID 148677.
  • Lawson, William. A new orchard and garden, or the best way for planting, grafting, and to make any ground good, for a rich orchard: particularly in the north, and generally for the whole kingdome of England, as in nature, reason, situation, and all probability, may and doth appeare. With the country housewifes garden for hearbes of common use, their vertues, seasons, profits, ornaments, variety of knots, models for trees, and plots for the best ordering of grounds and walkes. As also the husbandry of bees, with their severall uses and annoyances, all being the experience of 48. yeares labour, and now the third time corrected and much enlarged, by William Lawson. Whereunto is newly added the art of propagating plants, with the true ordering of all manner of fruits, in their gathering, carrying home, and preservation. London: printed by Edward [and Anne] Griffin for Iohn Harison, at the golden Vnicorne in Pater noster-row, 1638. ESTC No. S93434. Grub Street ID 151938.
  • Lawson, William. A new orchard, and garden: or, The best way for planting, grafting, and to make any ground good, for a rich orchard: particularly in the north, and generally for the whole common-wealth, as in nature, reason, situation, and all probability, may and doth appeare. With the country-housewifes garden for herbs of common use: their virtues, seasons, profits, ornaments, variety of knots, models for trees, and plots for the best ordering of grounds and walkes. As also, the husbandry of bees, with their severall uses and annoyances. All being the experience of forty and eight yeares labour, and now the second time corrected and much enlarged, by William Lawson. Whereunto is newly added the art of propagating plants; with the true ordering of all manner of fruits, in their gathering, carrying home, and preservation. London: printed by W. Wilson, for E. Brewster, and George Sawbridge, at the Bible on Ludgate-Hill, neere Fleet-bridge, 1653. ESTC No. R23999. Grub Street ID 107837.
  • Lawson, William. A new orchard and garden, or, The best way for planting, grafting, and to make any ground good for a rich orchard particularly in the north, and generally for the whole common-wealth ... with the country-housewifes garden for herbs of common use ... as also, the husbandr of bees, with their several uses and annoyances : all being the experience of forty and eight yeares of labour ... by William Lawson ; whereunto is newly added the art of propagating plants ... London: Printed by W. Wilson, for E. Brewster and George Sawbridge ..., 1656. ESTC No. R43360. Grub Street ID 124372.
  • Lawson, William. A new orchard and garden, or, The best way for planting, graffing, and to make any ground good for a rich orchard particularly in the north, and generally for the whole common-wealth ... with the country-houswifes garden for herbs of common use ... as also, the husbandry of bees, with their several uses and annoyances : all being the experience of forty and eight yeares of labour... by William Lawson ; whereunto is newly added the art of propagating plants ... London: Printed by W. Wilson, for E. Brewster and George Sawbridge ..., 1656. ESTC No. R43361. Grub Street ID 124373.
  • Lawson, William. A new orchard and garden: or, The best way for planting, grafting, and to make any ground good, for a rich orchard: particularly in the north, and generally for the whole common-wealth, as in nature, reason, situation, and all probability, may and doth appear. With the country hous-wifes garden for herbs of common use: their virtues, seasons, profits, ornaments, variety of knots, models for trees, and plots, for the best ordering of grounds and walks. As also the husbandry of bees, with their several uses and annoyances: all being the experience of forty and eight yeeres labour, and now the third time corrected and much enlarged, by William Lawson. Whereunto is newly added the art of propagating plants; with the true ordering of all manner of fruits, in their gathering: carrying home, and preservation. London: printed by William Wilson, for George Sawbridge, at the Bible on Ludgate-Hill, neere Fleet-Bridge, 1660. ESTC No. R41543. Grub Street ID 123146.
  • Lawson, William. A new orchard and garden: or, The best way for planting, graffing, and to make any ground good for a rich orchard: particularly, in the north, and generally for the whole Common-wealth, as in nature, reason, situation, and all probability, may and doth appear. With the country hous-wives garden for herbs of common use: their virtue, seasons, profits, ornaments; variety of knots, models for trees, and plots, for the best ordering of grounds and walks. As also the husbandry of bees, with their several uses and annoyances: all being the experience of forty and eigh years labour, and now the th[i]rd time corrected, and much enlarged. By William Lawson. Whereunto is newly added the art of propagating plants, with the true ordering of all manner of fruits, in their gathering, carrying home, and preservation. London: printed by William Wilson, for George Sawbridge, at the Bible on Ludgate-hill, near Fleet-bridg, 1665. ESTC No. R216654. Grub Street ID 91532.
  • Lawson, William. A new orchard & garden: or, The best way for planting, graffing, and to make any ground good for a rich orchard: particularly in the north, and generally for the whole common-wealth, as in nature, reason, situation and all probability, may and doth appear. With the country house-wifes garden for herbs of common use. Their virtues, seasons, profits, ornaments, variety of knots, models for trees, and plots, for the best ordering of grounds and walks. As also the husbandry of bees, with their several uses and annoyances: all being the experience of forty and eight years labour; And now the sixth time corrected, and much enlarged, by William Lawson. Whereunto is newly added the art of propagating plants, with the true ordering of all manner of fruits, in their gathering, carrying home, and preservation. London: printed for George Sawbridge, at the Sign of the Bible on Ludgate-Hill, 1676. ESTC No. R30494. Grub Street ID 113337.
  • Lawson, William. A new orchard & garden: or, The best way for planting, graffing, and to make any ground good for a rich orchard: particularly in the north, and generally for the whole common-wealth, as in nature, reason, situation, and all probability, may and doth appear. With the country house-wifes garden for herbs of common use. ... As also the husbandry of bees, ... All being the experience of forty and eight years labour, and now the sixth time corrected, and much enlarged, by William Lawson. Whereunto is newly added the art of propagating plants, with the true orderin of all manner of fruits, in their gathering, carrying home, and preservation. London: printed for Hannah Sawbridge, at the sign of the Bible on Ludgate-Hill, 1683. ESTC No. R30495. Grub Street ID 113338.