Publications of the first

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 the seller and printer roles in combination, or an absence of the printer's name following "London: printed:" or "London: printed,":

  1. "printed and sold by x"; or "printed for and sold by x"; or "printed by and for x"; or "printed: and sold by x"; or "printed, and sold by x";  and so on.

On this last point, trade publishers may seem to have "printed" or "published" the work, though they did not own the copyright. The lists below reflect only the information on the imprint, except where ESTC provides extra information.

See also "The Meaning of the Imprint."

Printed for the first

  • Webster, Noah. A grammatical institute of the English language, comprising an easy, concise and systematic method of education. Designed for the use of English schools in America. In three parts. Part second: containing a plain and comprehensive grammar, grounded on the true principles and idioms of the language. By Noah Webster, Jun. Esquire. author of "Dissertations on the English language," "Collection of essays and fugitive writings," &c. Albany: Printed by Charles R. & George Webster, and sold at their bookstore, in the white house, corner of State and Pearl-Streets, 1796. (With privilege of copy-right for the first, second and third parts of Webster's Grammatical institute). ESTC No. W8266. Grub Street ID 357345.