Publications of John Gray

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 John Gray

  • McEwen, William. The great matter and end of Gospel-preaching. A sermon preached at the ordination of the Reverend Mr Alexander Dick, to be minister of the associate congregation of Aberdeen, upon Thurdsay, Dec. 7. 1758. By the late Reverend Mr William M'Ewen, ... Edinburgh: printed by John Gray and Gavin Alston. Sold at their printing-house, 1764. ESTC No. N18135. Grub Street ID 7609.

Printed for John Gray

  • Mitchell. Ratho: a poem to the King. By Mr. Mitchell. London: printed for John Gray at the Cross-Keys in the Poultrey, 1728. ESTC No. N23614. Grub Street ID 12969.

Author

  • Gray, John. A further answer, being a true representation of Mr. Worger's case, in confutation of Dr. Packe's written paper. By John Gray, M.D. Canterbury: printed by J. Abree, 1726. ESTC No. T1008. Grub Street ID 154709.
  • Gray, John. A short answer to a written paper privately handed about by Dr. Packe, entitled, Mr. Worger's case. By John Gray, M.D. Canterbury: printed by J. Abree, 1726. ESTC No. T175260. Grub Street ID 212343.
  • Gray, John. Copies of affidavits made at the * repeated request of Dr. Packe, and publish'd for his use. Canterbury: printed by J. Abree, 1726. ESTC No. T1009. Grub Street ID 154814.
  • Gray, John. The art of land-measuring explained. In five parts. Viz. I. Taking Dimensions. II. Finding Contents. III. Laying Out Ground. IV. Dividing. And V. Planning. With an appendix concerning instruments. By John Gray, Teacher Of Mathematics In Greenock, And Land-Measurer. Glasgow: printed by Robert and Andrew Foulis for the author. Sold by D. Wilson and J. Durham, In The Strand, London; G. Hamilton and J. Balfour, Edinburgh; and R. and A. Foulis, Glasgow, M.DCC.LVII. [1757]. ESTC No. T130776. Grub Street ID 179857.
  • Gray, John. Reflections on inland navigations: and a new method proposed for executing the intended navigation betwixt the Forth and the Clyde, in a compleat Manner, at an Expence a Third less than what that Work has hitherto been estimated at. The same Method applied to almost all Rivers and Rivulets, by which Great Britain and Ireland might have, at a very easy Expence, above 5,000 Miles of New Inland Navigations. London: printed for T. Cadell, in the Strand, MDCCLXVIII. [1768]. ESTC No. T120867. Grub Street ID 171839.
  • Gray, John. A comparative view of the public burdens of Great Britain and Ireland, with a proposal for putting both islands on an equality, in regard to the freedom of foreign trade. London: printed for G. Robinson, 1772. ESTC No. T30949. Grub Street ID 261781.
  • Gray, John. An essay concerning the establishment of a national bank in Ireland. London: printed for G. Robinson, in Pater-Noster Row, MDCCLXXIV. [1774]. ESTC No. T102750. Grub Street ID 156430.
  • Gray, John. The right of the British legislature to tax the American colonies vindicated; and the means of asserting that right proposed. London: printed for T. Becket, Corner of the Adelphi, in the Strand, MDCCLXXIV. [1774]. ESTC No. T45059. Grub Street ID 273401.
  • Gray, John. The right of the British legislature to tax the American colonies vindicated; and the means of asserting that right proposed. London: printed for T. Becket, Corner of the Adelphi, in the Strand, MDCCLXXV. [1775]. ESTC No. T145823. Grub Street ID 192538.
  • Gray, John. Remarks on the New essay of the Pensylvanian farmer; and on the resolves and instructions prefixed to that essay; by the author of The right of the British legislature vindicated. London: printed for T. Becket, Corner of the Adelphi, Strand, MDCCLXXV. [1775]. ESTC No. T67355. Grub Street ID 291959.
  • Gray, John. Doctor Price's notions of the nature of civil liberty, shewn to be contradictory to reason and scripture. London: printed for T. Becket, at the Corner of the Adelphi, in the Strand, MDCCLXXVII. [1777]. ESTC No. T148788. Grub Street ID 194922.
  • Gray, John. A comparative view of the public burdens of Great Britain and Ireland. With a proposal for putting both islands on an equality, in regard to the freedom of foreign trade. [Dublin]: London: printed, and Dublin: reprinted by R. Burton, (no. 2) Capel-Street, MDCCLXXIX. [1779]. ESTC No. T84808. Grub Street ID 305165.
  • Gray, John. An essay concerning the establishment of a national bank in Ireland. Dublin: printed for W. Hallhead, 1779. ESTC No. T165358. Grub Street ID 203614.
  • Gray, John. A letter to the Earl of Nugent, relative to the establishment of a national bank in Ireland. London: printed for John Donaldson, 1780. ESTC No. T169681. Grub Street ID 207496.
  • Gray, John. A plan for finally settling the government of Ireland upon constitutional principles; and the chief cause of the unprosperous state of that country explained. Dublin: printed for L. White and P. Byrne, MDCCLXXXV. [1785]. ESTC No. T85071. Grub Street ID 305409.
  • Gray, John. A plan for finally settling the government of Ireland upon constitutional principles; and the chief cause of the unprosperous state of that country explained. London: printed for John Stockdale, Opposite Burlington-House, Piccadilly, MDCCLXXXV. [1785]. ESTC No. T83377. Grub Street ID 303785.
  • Gray, John. The policy of the tax upon retailers considered: or, a plea in favour of the manufacturers. London: printed for T. Becket, Pall-Mall; and G. and T. Wilkie, St. Paul's Church-Yard, MDCCLXXXVI. [1786]. ESTC No. T122211. Grub Street ID 172935.
  • Gray, John. The essential principles of the wealth of nations, illustrated, in opposition to some false doctrines of Dr. Adam Smith, and others. London: printed for T. Becket, Pall-Mall, 1797. ESTC No. T95118. Grub Street ID 314640.
  • Gray, John. A proposal for supplying London with bread, at an uniform price, from one year to another, according to an annual assize, by a plan that may be applied to every corporation in the kingdom; would give Encouragement to Agriculture, and would prevent an extravagant Rise of Prices in case of future scanty Harvests. London: printed for T. Becket, Pallmall, 1798. ESTC No. T106124. Grub Street ID 159305.
  • Gray, John. Practical observations on the proposed treaty of union of the legislatures of Great Britain and Ireland; Shewing, in some Particulars, how that Treaty may be Rendered Acceptable to the People of Ireland, and Beneficial to the British Empire in General. By John Gray, LL.D. London: printed for T. Becket, Pall Mall, J. Wright, Piccadilly, and H.D. Symonds, Paternoster Row, by G. Woodfall, No. 22, Paternoster Row, 1800. ESTC No. T114569. Grub Street ID 166362.