Publications of John Thompson

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 Thompson

  • Priestley, Joseph. Familiar letters, addressed to the inhabitants of Birmingham, in refutation of several charges, advanced against the Dissenters, by the Rev. Mr. Madan, Rector of St. Philip's, in his sermon, entitled, 'The principal claims of the Dissenters considered.' Preached at St. Philip's church, on Sunday, February 14, 1790. Part II. The second edition corrected. By Joseph Priestley, L.L.D. F.R.S. Birmingham: printed by J. Thompson. And sold by J. Johnson, London, [1790]. ESTC No. T220742. Grub Street ID 244276.
  • Jesus our elder brother; or, the harmony of the Scriptures: In Vindication of the Doctrines, I. Of the Trinity of Persons in the Godhead. II. Of Christ the only Mediator. III. Of the Divinity of the Son and Spirit, and their Equality with the Father. IV. Of Original Sin. V. Of the Agreement of Law and Gospel. VI. Of Election and Reprobation. Vii. Of the All-Sufficiency of the Sacrifice of Christ for Sin. Viii. Of efficacious Grace in Regeneration; and that the Saints thereby are not mere Machines. IX. Of Man's Inability to do the Will of God without Divine Grace. In answer to Besor's notions, (A Member of the New-Jerusalem Church) in his book, intitled, Jesus Christ the true God, and only object of Supreme adoration. By John Dawson, Minister of the Gospel, Evesham. Birmingham: printed by J. Thompson: sold by the author, Evesham; and by J. Buckland, London, MDCCXC. [1790]. ESTC No. T65206. Grub Street ID 290119.
  • Hobson, John, minister. An appeal to the common sense, and common honesty, of every inhabitant of Birmingham, respecting the passages extracted from the preface to Dr. Priestley's Letters to the Rev. Edward Burn, and sent to the bishops, and members of the House of Commons, previous to the debate on the repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts. Birmingham: printed by J. Thompson; and sold by J. Johnson, ST. Paul's Church-Yard, London, [1790]. ESTC No. N2198. Grub Street ID 11339.
  • Hobson, John, minister. A series of remarks upon a sermon preached ... Jan.3, 1790; entitled, 'The test laws defended.' By George Croft, ... Prefaced by animadversions on his preface containing remarks on Dr. Price's revolution sermon, and other publications. By the Rev. John Hobson. Birmingham: printed by J. Thompson; and sold by T. Pearson, E. Piercy; also by J. Johnson, London; Miss Creswell, Wolverhampton; and all the booksellers in Oxford and Cambridge, [1790]. ESTC No. T6138. Grub Street ID 287080.
  • Extracts from books, and other small pieces; in favour of religious liberty, and the rights of Dissenters. Number II. Printed by order of the Committee of the seven congregations of the three denominations of Protestant Dissenters, in Birmingham. Birmingham: printed by J. Thompson, sold by J. Johnson, London, [1790?]. ESTC No. T6504. Grub Street ID 289975.
  • Authentic copy. The report of the trials of the rioters, at the assizes held at Warwick, August 20, 1791, before the Right Hon. Mr. Baron Perryn. Taken in short-hand, by Marsom & Ramsey. By order of the Committee of Protestant Dissenters in Birmingham. Birmingham: printed by John Thompson, sold by J. Johnson, ST. Paul's Church-Yard; Marsom, Holborn; and Ramsey, Temple-Bar, London, [1791]. ESTC No. N15964. Grub Street ID 5665.
  • A new version of the Psalms of David, ... By N. Brady, ... and N. Tate, ... With notes and annotations. [Birmingham?: printed by J. Thompson?, 1791?]. ESTC No. T95009. Grub Street ID 314525.
  • Edwards, J.. Letters to the British nation, and to the inhabitants of every other country who may have heard of the late shameful outrages committed in this part of the kingdom. Part I. Occasioned by the appearance of a pamphlet, intitled 'A reply to the Rev. Dr. Priestley's Appeal to the public, on the subject of the riots in Birmingham.' Being the joint production of the principal clergy of that place and of its vicinity. By the Rev. J. Edwards. Birmingham: printed by John Thompson; and sold by J. Johnson, ST. Paul's Church-Yard, London, [1791?]. ESTC No. N19199. Grub Street ID 8628.
  • Parr, Samuel. A letter from Irenoplis to the inhabitants of Eleutheropolis; or, a serious address to the dissenters of Birmingham. By a Member of the Established Church. Birmingham: printed by John Thompson; for C. Dilly, in the Poultry, London, MDCCXCII. [1792]. ESTC No. T6678. Grub Street ID 291438.

Sold by John Thompson

  • A funeral sermon, upon the death of the Right Honourable Selina Countess Dowager of Huntingdon, ... With some account of her life and dying experience. Preached in the chapel, Evesham, on Sunday, July 10, 1791. By John Dawson. Birmingham: printed and sold by J. Thompson; sold also by J. Buckland, Paternoster-Row, and J. S. Jordan no 166, Fleet street, London, MDCCXCL [1791]. ESTC No. T115077. Grub Street ID 166857.

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

  • Griffin, Henry. The trial of Henry Griffin, alias George Hubbard, (the pretended Duke of Ormond) before the Hon. Sir W. H. Ashhurst, Knt. at the summer assize held for the county of Warwick, Aug. 21, 1792. For shooting at, and wounding Mr. John Wallis, Jun. at Vauxhall, near Birmingham, November 2, 1791. With the prisoner's defence. Taken in short-hand by a gentleman, who accompanies the judge on his circuits. Birmingham: printed and sold by J. Thompson, MDCCXCII. [1792]. ESTC No. N13902. Grub Street ID 3800.