Publications of Richard Tonson

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).

Sold by Richard Tonson

  • The advantages of repentance, a moral tale, attempted in blank verse; and founded on the anecdotes of a private family in *********shire. London: printed for the author, by Joseph Cooper, sold by J. and R. Tonson, in the Strand; S. Bladon, in Pater-Noster-Row; W. Davenhill, Leadenhall-Street; P. Brett, opposite St. Clement's Church, Strand and by the printer, [1790?]. ESTC No. N16112. Grub Street ID 5800.

Printed for Richard Tonson

  • Lansdowne, George Granville. The genuine works in verse and prose, of the Right Honourable George Granville, Lord Lansdowne. Vol. I. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson, at Shakespear's Head in the Strand, and L. Gilliver, J. Clarke, at Homer's Head in Fleetstreet, MDCCXXXVI. [1736]. ESTC No. T92916. Grub Street ID 312656.
  • Fletcher, John. Wit without mony. A comedy. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson in the Strand, MDCCXXXVI. [1736]. ESTC No. N25719. Grub Street ID 15071.
  • Addison, Joseph. Notes upon the twelve books of Paradise lost. Collected from the spectator. Written by Mr. Addison. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson, at Shakespear's Head, over-against Catharine-Street in the Strand, MDCCXXXVIII. [1738]. ESTC No. T107643. Grub Street ID 160656.
  • Corbett, Thomas. An account of the expedition of the British fleet to Sicily, in the years 1718, 1719 and 1720. Under the command of Sir George Byng, Bart. (afterwards Viscount Torrington) Admiral and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Fleet; and his Majesty's Commissary and Plenipotentiary to the several Princes and States of Italy. Collected from the Admiral's manuscripts, and other original papers. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson in the Strand, M.DCCXXXIX. [1739]. ESTC No. T142387. Grub Street ID 189776.
  • Corbett, Thomas. An account of the expedition of the British fleet to Sicily, in the years 1718, 1719 and 1720. Under the command of Sir George Byng, Bart. (afterwards Viscount Torrington) Admiral and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Fleet; and his Majesty's Commissary and Plenipotentiary to the several Princes and States of Italy. Collected from the Admiral's manuscripts, and other original papers. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson in the Strand, MDCCXXXIX. [1739]. ESTC No. N14663. Grub Street ID 4452.
  • Milton, John. Paradise regain'd: a poem. In four books. To which is added Samson Agonistes; and Poems upon several occasions. With a tractate of education. The author John Milton. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson in the Strand, MDCCXLII. [1742]. ESTC No. T134211. Grub Street ID 182886.
  • Waller, Edmund. The works of Edmund Waller, Esq; in verse and prose. Published by Mr. Fenton. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper in the Strand, MDCCXLIV. [1744]. ESTC No. T124641. Grub Street ID 174825.
  • Ovid. Ovid's art of love, in three books. Together with his Remedy of love. Translated into English verse by several eminent hands. To which are added, The court of love: a tale from Chaucer: and The history of love. Adorn'd with cuts. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper, 1747. ESTC No. N11337. Grub Street ID 1336.
  • Ovid. Ovid's art of love, in three books. Together with his remedy of love. Translated into English verse by several eminent hands. To which are added, the court of love: a tale from Chancer: and the history of love. Adorn'd with cuts. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper in the Strand, MDCCXLVII. [1748]. ESTC No. T84340. Grub Street ID 304717.
  • Hamilton, Newburgh. Samson. An oratorio. As it is perform'd at the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden. Alter'd and adapted to the stage from the Samson Agonistes of Milton. Set to musick by George Frederick Handel. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper in the Strand, MDCCL. [1750]. ESTC No. N21437. Grub Street ID 10817.
  • Lucan. Lucan's Pharsalia. Translated into English verse by Nicholas Rowe, Esq; In two volumes. Volume the First. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper in the Strand, Mcccliii[1753]. ESTC No. T113212. Grub Street ID 165160.
  • Garrick, David. The fairies. An opera. Taken from A midsummer night's dream, written by Shakespear. As it is perform'd at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane. The songs from Shakespear, Milton, Waller, Dryden, Hammond, &c. The music composed by Mr. Smith. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper in the Strand, MDCCLV, [1755]. ESTC No. N302. Grub Street ID 19170.
  • Arbuthnot, John. An essay concerning the nature of aliments, and the choice of them, according to the different constitutions of human bodies. In Which The different Effects, Advantages, and Disadvantages, of Animal and Vegetable Diet, are explained. The fourth edition. To which are added, Practical rules of diet In the various Constitutions and Diseases of Human Bodies. By John Arbuthnot, M. D. Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Edinburgh, and of the Royal Society. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson in the Strand, M.DCC.LVI. [1756]. ESTC No. N9334. Grub Street ID 54199.
  • Ovid. Ovid's art of love, in three books. Together with his remedy of love. Translated into English verse by several eminent hands. To which are added, the court of love: a tale from Chaucer: and the history of love. London: printed for Jacob and Richard Tonson, 1757. ESTC No. T146742. Grub Street ID 193355.
  • Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat. Persian letters. By M. de Montesquieu. Translated from the French, by Mr. Flloyd. In two volumes. Vol. I. London: printed for J. and R. Tonson, in the Strand, MDCCLXII. [1762]. ESTC No. N20116. Grub Street ID 9522.
  • Ovid. Ovid's Art of love, in three books. Together with his Remedy of love. Translated into English verse by Dryden, Congreve, and others. To which are added, The court of love: a tale from Chaucer: and The history of love. London: printed for Jacob and Richard Tonson, 1764. ESTC No. N11085. Grub Street ID 1076.
  • Pliny, the Younger. C. Plinii Cæcilii Secundi Epistolæ et Panegyricus. Londini: impensis J. & R. Tonson. MDCCLXVII. Cum Privilegio, [1767]. ESTC No. T132372. Grub Street ID 181294.