Publications of John Baker

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:

"printed by x"; or
"sold by x"; or
"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):

"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 John Baker

Defoe, Daniel. The British visions: or, Isaac Bickerstaff Senr; being twelve prophecies for the year 1711. Enter'd in the hall-book of the Company of Stationers. [London]: Printed first in the north, and now reprinted at London; and sold by John Baker, 1711. ESTC No. N15848. Grub Street ID 5550.
Court, Pieter de la. The interest of Holland as to their alliances with France, Spain, England, &c. Faithfully extracted out of the famous Monsieur John De Wit's True interest and political maxims of the republick of Holland. London: printed and sold by John Baker, at the Black-Boy in Pater-Noster-Row, MDCCXII. [1712]. ESTC No. T5333. Grub Street ID 280292.
Burnet, Sir Thomas. The true character of an honest man: particularly with relation to the publick affairs. Dedicated to his Grace the Duke of Marlborough. London: printed and sold by J. Baker, at the Black-Boy in Pater-Noster-Row, [1712]. ESTC No. T51831. Grub Street ID 279028.
Sincere Lover of the Protestant Religion.. Britain's alarm to all true Protestants. Shewing the great danger we are in of a popish successor, and the inevitable ruin that will ensue thereupon to our Religion and Liberties; with suitable Means to prevent that Dreadful Judgment. By a sincere lover of the Protestant religion, and the Protestant succession in the illustrious family of Hanover. [London]: Printed at Edinburgh; and reprinted at London, for A. Bell at the Cross-Keys and Bible in Cornhill; and sold by J. Baker at the Black Boy in Pater-Noster-Row, 1714. ESTC No. N15683. Grub Street ID 5381.

Sold by John Baker

Merchant in Amsterdam.. A letter from a merchant in Amsterdam to a friend in London, about the South Sea trade. London: printed and sold by John Baker, at the Black-Boy in Pater-Noster-Row, MDCCXII. [1712]. ESTC No. T102352. Grub Street ID 156180.
The interest of Great-Britain, with relation to the differences among the Northern potentates consider'd. In which is contain'd ... I. A narrative of the principal actions occurring in the wars betwixt Sweden and Denmark, ... written in in [sic] the year 1675. By Sir Philip Meadows ... II. An account of Sir George Rook's expedition ... in the year 1700, ... written by the Reverend Mr. Beauvoir, ... III. Also an account of the negotiations ... before and after the Treaty of Travendahl, ... To which is added by way of appendix, an account of the rarities ... observed by Mr. Beauvoir ... London: printed and sold by J. Baker and T. Warner, 1716. ESTC No. N17201. Grub Street ID 6671.

Printed for John Baker

A supplement to the Faults on both sides: containing the compleat history of the proceedings of a party, ever-since the Revolution: in a familiar dialogue between Steddy and Turn-Round, two displac'd officers of state. Which may serve to explain Sir Thomas Double; And to shew How far the Late Parliament were Right in Proceeding against Dr. Sacheverell, by way of Impeachment. [Dublin]: London: printed for J. Baker; and sold by M. Gunne, in Essex-Street, Dublin, 1710. ESTC No. T183991. Grub Street ID 220353.
Atterbury, Francis. The voice of the people, no voice of God: or, the mistaken arguments of a fiery zealot, in a late pamphlet entitl'd Vox populi, vox dei, since Publish'd under the Title of the Judgment of whole Kingdoms and Nations, &c. Fully Confuted, and his Designs prov'd to be Pernicious and Destructive to the publick Peace; which he cannot Answers, without Blasphemy and Perverting the Holy Scriptures, Publish'd for the Rectifying Mens Judgment in their Duty to the Establish'd Government. By F. A. D.D. [London: printed for John Baker] Sold by the booksellers, [1710]. ESTC No. T50979. Grub Street ID 278510.
Fletcher, Andrew. The thoughts of a member of the October Club, about a Partition of Spain. [London]: Printed for John Baker at the Black Boy in Pater-Noster row, [1711?]. ESTC No. N14354. Grub Street ID 4236.
Groome, John. Reasons for the clergy's being employ'd in the government, drawn from the great services done by them to this Nation in their administration of civil offices: being a vindication of her Majesty's late wisdom and Prudence in making the Bishop of Bristol, Lord Privy-Seal; and appointing him her First Plenipotentiary in the present negotiations of peace. London: printed for J. Baker at the Black-Boy in Pater-Noster-Row, 1712]. ESTC No. N12911. Grub Street ID 2881.
What has been, may be: or a view of a popish and an arbitrary government: ... To which, is added the tryal of the seven bishops ... [London?]: Printed [for J. Baker?] in the year, 1713. ESTC No. T95298. Grub Street ID 314810.
Officer in the Army.. A brief history of the pacifick campaign in Flanders, anno, 1712. And of the fatal cessation of arms. ... By an officer in the army. London: printed for J. Baker: and sold by M. Gunne [Dublin], 1715. ESTC No. T166943. Grub Street ID 205090.
Stacy, Edmund. Britannia's memorial By the author of The blackbird's song. [London]: Printed for J. Baker, at the Black Boy in Pater-Noster Row, 1715. ESTC No. N104. Grub Street ID 410.
A full and impartial history of the impeachments of the last ministry. With the whole proceedings, debates, and speeches, in both houses of Parliament, ... to ... Sept. 21st, 1715. To which is prefix'd a large introduction, ... By the author of the Annals of Queen Anne. London: printed for John Baker, and T. Varnam and J. Osborne, 1716. ESTC No. N151. Grub Street ID 4833.

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

S., H.. Reasons why the Duke of Marlborough cannot lay down his commands, deduced from the principles of loyalty, gratitude, honour, interest, &c. With His Graces speech to both houses of Parliament. In a letter from the country to a friend in London. [Dublin: London: printed and sold by J. Baker, and reprinted in Dublin, 1710]. ESTC No. N12786. Grub Street ID 2760.
The Political state of Great Britain. London [England]: printed and sold by J[ohn]. Baker, at the Black-Boy in Paternoster-Row, 1711-. ESTC No. P3080. Grub Street ID 56506.
Piggott, John. The gracious design of God's judgments. A sermon on Amos IV. verse II. prepared to have been preached, by the late Reverend Mr. John Piggott, but prevented by his death. Done from his own notes. London: printed, and are to be sold by J. Baker; E. Matthews; Tho. Ballard; and J. Brown, 1714. ESTC No. T190467. Grub Street ID 225617.
The conduct of the Tories consider'd. To which is prefix'd, an epistle to the electors of Great-Britain. London: printed and sold by John Baker at the Black-Boy in Pater-Noster-Row, [1715]. ESTC No. T162355. Grub Street ID 201169.

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