Publications of Samuel Campbell

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 Samuel Campbell

  • Hosack, David. An inaugural dissertation, on cholera morbus submitted to the examination of the Rev. John Ewing, S.T.P. provost; the trustees and medical professors of the University of Pennsylvania, for the degree of Doctor of Medicine: on the twelfth day of May, A.D. 1791. By David Hosack, A.B. of New-York. [One line from Celsus]. New-York: Printed by Samuel Campbell. No. 44, Hanover-Square, M,DCC,XCI. [1791]. ESTC No. W26838. Grub Street ID 336905.

Printed for Samuel Campbell

  • Micheau, Paul. A dissertation on hernia humoralis. By Paul Micheau, surgeon. And Fellow of the Lyceum Medicum Londinense. New-York: Printed for Samuel Campbell, no. 44, Hanover-Square, M.DCC.LXXXVIII. [1788]. ESTC No. W12033. Grub Street ID 321273.
  • Dilworth, Thomas. The schoolmasters assistant: being a compendium of arithmetic, both practical and theoretical. In five parts. ... The whole being delivered in the most familiar way of question and answer ... To which is prefixt, an essay on the education of youth; humbly offer'd to the consideration of parents. By Thomas Dilworth, author of the New guide to the English tongue; Young book-keeper's assistant; &c. &c. and schoolmaster in Wapping. New-York: Printed by Mott & Lyon, for S. Campbell, E. Duyckinck, and Co. E. Mitchell, W. Durell, R. MacGill, T. Greenleaf, N. Judah, C. Smith, J. Harrison [i.e., Harrisson], W. Prichard, V. Nutter, R. Hodge, and B. Gomez, 1796. ESTC No. W2935. Grub Street ID 339604.

Printed by and for, or by/for and sold by Samuel Campbell

  • An Account of the trial of Thomas Muir, Esq. younger, of Huntershill, before the High Court of Justiciary at Edinburgh, on the 30th and 31st days of August, 1793. For sedition. [Three lines in Latin from Tacitus]. New-York: Printed and sold by Samuel Campbell, no. 124 Pearl-Street, M,DCC,XCIV. [1794]. ESTC No. W10077. Grub Street ID 319171.
  • An Account of the trial of Thomas Muir, Esq. younger, of Huntershill, before the High Court of Justiciary at Edinburgh, on the 30th and 31st days of August, 1793, for sedition. [Three lines in Latin from Tacitus]. --New-York: Printed and sold by Samuel Campbell; no. 37, Hanover-Square, 1794. ESTC No. W10078. Grub Street ID 319172.
  • Collyer, Mary. The death of Cain. In five books; after the manner of The death of Abel. By a lady. [Two lines from Milton]. --New-York: Printed and sold by S. Campbell, no. 37, Hanover-Square, 1794. ESTC No. W11996. Grub Street ID 321232.
  • Gordon, William. The history of the rise, progress, and establishment of the independence of the United States of America: including an account of the late war and of the thirteen colonies, from their origin to that period. By William Gordon, D.D. [One line from Horace's Epistles] Vol. I[-III]. --New-York: Printed and sold by Samuel Campbell no 37. Hanover-Square, M.DCC.XCIV [1794]. ESTC No. W12749. Grub Street ID 322039.
  • Schiller, Friedrich. The robbers: a tragedy. Translated from the German of Frederick Schiller. New-York: Printed and sold by Samuel Campbell: no. 124, Pearl-Street, M,DCC,XCV. [1795]. ESTC No. W22009. Grub Street ID 331815.

Author

  • Campbell, Samuel. Samuel Campbell's sale catalogue for 1787. Containing above ten thousand volumes, being a choice assortment of books, in every branch of science and literature, all new, the best editions, in good bindings and will be sold at the most resonable prices, atSamuel Campbell's new-book & stationary store, no. 44, Hanover Square, corner of the Old Slip, New-York ... New-York: Catalogues delivered (gratis) by Samuel Campbell, MDCCVXXXVII [i.e., 1787]. ESTC No. W691. Grub Street ID 355963.
  • Campbell, Samuel. Samuel Campbell's catalogue of books, for 1789. Comprehending above twenty thousand volumes, in arts, sciences and miscellaneous literature, forming a general assortment of the principal authors ancient and modern ... country merchants and teachers will particularly find i their interest in applying for books and stationary, at Samuel Campbell's book and stationary store, no. 44, Hanover-Square, corner of the Old-Slip, New-York, where catalogues are delivered (gratis) to gentlemen who please to call or send for them. [New York: Published by Samuel Campbell, 1789?]. ESTC No. W692. Grub Street ID 355973.
  • Campbell, Samuel. Samuel Campbell's sale catalogue of books, for 1794. Comprehending above fifty thousand volumes, in arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature; forming a general assortment of the principal authors, ancient and modern ... country booksellers, merchants, traders, and teachers, will particularly find it their interest in applying for books or stationary, at Samuel Campbell's book & stationary store, no. 124, Pearl-Street, (formerly no. 37, Hanover Square) directly opposite the Bank of New-York, where catalogues will be delivered gratis to gentlemen who please t call or send for them. N.B. Orders from the country executed with the utmost care and attention; and a large disount to those who purchase quantities. [New York: Published by Samuel Campbell, 1794?]. ESTC No. W2910. Grub Street ID 339327.
  • Campbell, Samuel. Samuel Campbell's sale catalogue of books, for 1798 & 1799. Comprehending above twenty thousand volumes, in arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature; forming a general assortment of the principal authors, ancient and modern ... country booksellers, merchants, traders, and teachers, will particularly find it their interest in applying for books or stationary, at Samuel Campbell's book & stationary store, no. 124, Pearl-Street, where catalogues will be delivered gratis, to gentlemen who please to call or send for them. N.B. Orders from the country executed with the utmost care and attention; and a large disount to those who purchase quantities. [New York: Published by Samuel Campbell, 1798?]. ESTC No. W690. Grub Street ID 355953.