Publications of Charles Marsh

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 Charles Marsh

  • A compendious or briefe examination of certayne ordinary complaints of diuers of our countrymen in these our dayes: which although they are in some Parte vnjust and friuolous, yet are they all, by way of dialogue, throughly debated and discussed by William Shakespeare, gentleman. [London]: Imprinted at London, in Fleetstreate, neere vnto Saincle Dunstone's Church, by Thomas Marshe, 1581. Cum Priuilegio. Reprinted by Charles Marsh, in Round-Court, in the Strand; and A. Jackson, in Clare-Court, near Clare-Market, M.DCCLI. [1751]. ESTC No. T30963. Grub Street ID 261796.

Printed for Charles Marsh

  • Erasmus, Desiderius. The praise of folly. Made English from the Latin of Erasmus. By W. Kennet, ... Adorn'd with forty-eight copper-plates, ... from the designs of the celebrated Hans Holbeine. To which is prefix'd, a preface by the translator. London: printed for R. Dodsley, in Pall-Mall; H. Chappelle, in Grovesnor-Street; J. Jolliffe, in St. James’s-Street; W. Sare, in Long-Acre; O. Payne, in Popes’s-Head Alley, Cornhill; C. Marsh, in Round Court, in the Strand; and F. Noble, in St. Martin’s-Court, 1740. ESTC No. T140366. Grub Street ID 188138.
  • Bancks, John. The history of the life and reign of William III. King of England, Prince of Orange, and hereditary Stadtholder of the United Provinces. Containing A Series of memorable Efforts, Military and Political, made from the Year 1672 to the End of 1701, for maintaining the Liberties of Europe, particularly of his Native Country, and the British Monarchy, against the Encroachments of Popery and Arbitrary Power, under the Banners of France. Introduced with A brief Account of the History and Genealogy of his Family. By the author of the Critical review of the life of Oliver Cromwell. London: printed for Charles Marsh and Thomas Davies, both in Round Court in the Strand, MDCCXLIV. [1744]. ESTC No. T73188. Grub Street ID 296526.
  • Catesby, Mark. The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands: containing the figures of birds, beasts, fishes, serpents, insects and plants: ... with their descriptions in English and French. To which are added, observations on the air, soil, and waters: with remark upon agriculture, ... To the whole is prefixed a new and correct map of the countries treated of. By the late Mark Catesby, F.R.S. Revis'd by Mr. Edwards, ... = Histoire naturelle de la Caroline, de la Floride, & des iles de Bahama, ... London: printed for C. Marsh; and T. Wilcox, 1754. ESTC No. N40612. Grub Street ID 27567.
  • Catesby, Mark. The natural history of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands: containing the figures of birds, beasts, fishes, serpents, insects and plants: ... with their descriptions in English and French. To which are added, observations on the air, soil, and waters: with remarks upon agriculture, ... To the whole is prefixed a new and correct map of the countries treated of. By the late Mark Catesby, F.R.S. Revis'd by Mr. Edwards, ... = Histoire naturelle de la Caroline, la Floride, & les iles Bahama: ... London: printed for Charles Marsh; Thomas Wilcox; and Benjamin Stichall, 1754. ESTC No. N40613. Grub Street ID 27568.
  • Malagrida, Gabriel. The proceedings and sentence of the spiritual court of inquisition of Portugal, against Gabriel Malagrida, Jesuit, for heresy, hypocrisy, false prophecies, Impostures, and various other heinous Crimes: Together with the Sentence of the Lay Court of Justice, passed on him the 20th Day of September 1761, and published in Lisbon by Authority. Faithfully translated from the original Portuguese. London: printed for C. Marsh, at Cicero's Head, Charing-Cross, MDCCLXII. [1762]. ESTC No. T100082. Grub Street ID 154061.

Author

  • Marsh, Charles. Amasis King of Egypt. A tragedy. As it was to have been acted at the Theatre Royal in Covent-Garden. By Charles Marsh. London: printed and sold by the booksellers of London and Westminster, M.DCCXXXVIII [1738]. ESTC No. N15755. Grub Street ID 5452.
  • Marsh, Charles. Amasis King of Egypt. A tragedy. By Charles Marsh. London: printed for Charles Marsh, at Cicero's Head in Round-Court in the Strand, M.DCC.XXXVIII. [1738]. ESTC No. N15758. Grub Street ID 5455.
  • Marsh, Charles. Amasis King of Egypt. A tragedy. Together with some additional poems. By Charles Marsh. London: printed for Charles Marsh, at Cicero's Head in Round-Court in the Strand, M.DCC.XXXVIII. [1738]. ESTC No. T62755. Grub Street ID 288176.
  • Marsh, Charles. A poetical epistle. Humbly inscrib'd to -- anybody. By Charles Marsh. London: printed for Charles Marsh, 1741. ESTC No. N40201. Grub Street ID 27271.
  • Marsh, Charles. The winter's tale, a play. Alter'd from Shakespear. By Charles Marsh. London: printed for Charles Marsh, at Cicero's Head, in Round Court in the Strand, 1756. ESTC No. T62756. Grub Street ID 288177.
  • Marsh, Charles. The winter's tale, a play. Alter'd from Shakespear, by Charles Marsh. The second edition. With a preface, giving some account of this alteration. London: printed for Charles Marsh, 1756. ESTC No. T62757. Grub Street ID 288178.
  • Marsh, Charles. The winter's tale, a play. Alter'd from Shakespear, by Charles Marsh. Dublin: printed and sold by William Sleater, 1756. ESTC No. T176130. Grub Street ID 213193.
  • Marsh, Charles. Cymbeline: King of Britain. A tragedy, written by Shakespear. With some alterations, by Charles Marsh. As it was agreed to be acted at the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden. The Part of Posthumus to have been performed by Mr. Barry, and the Character of Imogen, by Mrs. Gibber. Beloved Shakespear! may thy Shade forgive That I, presuming, mix my Scenes with thine, In the fond Thought they may together live: Alloy incorp'rates with the finest Coin. How vast are thy creative Powers! thy Flight How boundless! Thro' the Earth, thro's Seas and Sky At pleasure ranging, neither Depth nor Height Scape the Researches of thy mental Eye. Forgive me, for 'tis surely all the meed I e'er shall ask. Oblivion throw thy Veil O'er those false hopes that flattered once indeed; Or, let Capricious Cibber tell the Tale. London: printed for Charles Marsh, at Cicero's Head, at Charing Cross, [1759?]. ESTC No. T138282. Grub Street ID 186153.
  • Marsh, Charles. The library: an epistle from a bookseller, to a gentleman, his customer; desiring him to discharge his bill. London: printed for Charles Marsh, 1766. ESTC No. N33934. Grub Street ID 22373.