Publications of Samuel Gerrish

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 for Samuel Gerrish

  • Wadsworth, Benjamin. The faithful reprover. Or, An essay to quicken Christians, to the faithfully giving and suitably receiving reproofs, as there is occasion. In two lecture sermons, by B. Wadsworth, A.M. Pastor of a church of Christ in Boston, N.E. [Eight lines of Scripture texts]. Boston in N. England: Printed by B. Green, for Samuel Gerrish at the corner shop near the Old Meeting-House in Corn Hill, 1711. ESTC No. W12197. Grub Street ID 321451.

Author

  • Gerrish, Samuel. A catalogue of curious and valuable books, belonging to the late reverend & learned, Mr. Ebenezer Pemberton, consisting of divinity, philosophy, history, poetry, &c. Generally well bound, to be sold by auction, at the Crown Coffee-House in Boston, the second day of July 1717. Beginning at three a clock afternoon, and so, de die in diem, until the whole be sold. Also a valuable collection of pamphlets will then be exposed to sale. The books may be viewed from the 25th day of June, until the day of sale, at the house of the late Reverend Mr. Pemberton, where attendance will be given. Boston: Printed by B. Green, and may be had gratis, at the shop of Samuel Gerrish, bookseller, near the Old Meeting-House in Boston, 1717. ESTC No. W35732. Grub Street ID 346399.
  • Gerrish, Samuel. A catalogue of curious and valuable books, (which mostly belonged to the Reverend Mr. George Curwin, late of Salem, deceased) consisting of divinity, philosophy, history, poetry, &c. Generally well bound. To be sold by auction, at the house of Mr. Elisha Odlin, on the south side of the Town-House in Boston, on Tuesday the second day of September, 1718. Beginning at three a clock afternoon. The books will be shewn by Samuel Gerrish bookseller, near the Old Meeting House in Boston, from Thursday the 28th day of August, until the day of sale, where catalogues may be had gratis, and at the Sign of the Light House the place of sale. N.B. A parcel of pamphlets will be then also to be sold. Boston: Printed by J. Franklin, at his printing-house in Queen Street, over against Mr. Sheaf's school; where all sorts of printing work and engraving on wood, is done at reasonable prizes [sic], 1718. ESTC No. W7769. Grub Street ID 356879.
  • Gerrish, Samuel. A catalogue of rare and valuable books, being the greatest part of the library of the late Reverend and learned, Mr. Joshua Moodey, and part of the library of the Reverend & learned, Mr. Daniel Gookin, late of Sherbourn, deceas'd. With a valuable collection of books, imported in October last from London. Consisting of divinity philosophy history poetry miscellanies mathematicks voyages and travels. To be sold at auction, at the house of Mr. Elisha Odlin, on the south side of the Town-House in Boston, on Tuesday, the 23d day of December 1718. Beginning at three aclock afternoon. The books to be shewn by Samuel Gerrish bookseller, near the Old Meeting-House in Boston from Thursday the 18th of December, until the day of sale. Boston: Printed by Samuel Kneeland, at the lower end of Queen-Street, for Samuel Gerrish, near the Old-Meeting-House, where catalogues may be had gratis, 1718. ESTC No. W9958. Grub Street ID 359153.
  • Gerrish, Samuel. Boston, Novemb. 12. 1720. Whereas the Reverend Mr. T. Walter has prepared for the press ... [Boston: Printed by Samuel Gerrish, 1720]. ESTC No. W35731. Grub Street ID 346398.
  • Gerrish, Samuel. [Choice English books. Sold in the house of Andrew Cunningham, Jr. opposite to the north door of the Old Church, Boston.]. [Boston: Printed by James Franklin?, 1720]. ESTC No. W35733. Grub Street ID 346400.
  • Gerrish, Samuel. Catalogue of choice and valuable books, of divinity philosophy law mathematicks poetry history miscellanies medicine, &c. By some of the best authors ancient and modern, and generally well bound, and many of them extraordinary. Lately imported from London. To be sold at lo prizes by retail, from Tuesday, October 22. 1723. at 10 of the c[lock] am. until 5. of November follo[wing] by S[amuel Gerrish] B[ookseller?] ... [Boston: s.n, 1723]. ESTC No. W7767. Grub Street ID 356877.
  • Gerrish, Samuel. A catalogue of curious and valuable books, being the greatest part of the libraries of the Reverend and learned Mr. Rowland Cotton, late Pastor of the church in Sandwich, and Mr. Nathanael Rogers, late Pastor of a church in Portsmouth, in New-Hampshire, deceas'd ... To b sold by auction, in the house of Mr. Francis Holmes, at the Bunch of Grapes, just below the Town-House, in Boston, on Monday, the fourth day of October, 1725. at five a clock, p.m. By Samuel Gerrish, bookseller. Printed catalogues may be had gratis. [Boston: s.n, 1725]. ESTC No. W7768. Grub Street ID 356878.
  • Gerrish, Samuel. Boston, May 25. 1726. Proposals for printing by subscription, an account of the lives of above one hundred persons men, women & children, among the Christianized Indians of Martha's Vineyard, carefully collected, by the Reverend Mr Experience Mayhew, Minister of the Gospel among the Indians there. [Boston: Printed for Samuel Gerrish, 1726]. ESTC No. W39074. Grub Street ID 349836.