Publications of David Niven
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:
- "printed by x"; or
- "sold by x"; or
- "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,":
- "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.
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. Booksellers may also be 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 (or what we might call a wholesaler) rather than a copyright holder. Copyright owners may also be identified by the words printed for. 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.
He cautions, "The only way to avoid being misled is to regard any imprint which says a book is printed for a publisher as meaning it is sold by him" (5).
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 David Niven
- The new-England primer improved, for the more easy attaining the true reading of English. To which is added, the Assembly of Divines' catechism. Glasgow: printed by David Niven; for James Duncan, Bookseller, Trongate, MDCCLXXXV. [1785]. ESTC No. N10082. Grub Street ID 94.
- Inglis, Henry David. Two letters to the public, illustrating the doctrine of the grace of God, and exemplifying it in the late case of William Mills. By Henry David Inglis, one of the pastors of the Baptist Church in Edinburgh. Glasgow: printed by David Niven; and sold by J. Duncan, and A. Orn, Booksellers, Glasgow; W. Gray, and T. Duncan, Booksellers, Edinburgh, M,DCC,XCI. [1791]. ESTC No. T62452. Grub Street ID 287950.
- Bellamy, Joseph. Letters and dialogues, between Theron, Paulinus, & Aspasio. Upon the nature of love to God, faith in Christ, and assurance of a title to eternal life. With some Remarks on The Sentiments of the Rev. Messrs. Hervey and Marshal, on these Subjects. By Joseph Bellamy, A. M. of Bethlem in New-England. Glasgow: printed by D. Niven, for J. Noble, Glasgow, M.DCC.XCII. [1792]. ESTC No. T79824. Grub Street ID 301222.
- Hall, James. The lord's voice crying to the nations of Europe. A discourse, delivered on Thursday, 27. February, 1794, the day appointed by the King to be observed as a national fast. By the Rev. James Hall, Minister Of Lesmahagow. Glasgow: printed by David Niven; and sold by Brash & Reid, and D. Niven, Booksellers, Trongate, 1794. ESTC No. T126287. Grub Street ID 176299.
- Lapslie, James. A foederal union amongst the different sects of Christians, and particularly of this kingdom, proposed and recommended. A discourse, delivered before the Synod of Glasgow and Air, at Glasgow, April, 1791. By the Rev. James Lapslie. ... Glasgow: printed by David Niven. Sold by Dunlop & Wilson, J. & A. Duncan, Brash & Reid, and D. Niven, Glasgow; and, by J. Dickson, W. Creech, & P. Hill, Edinburgh, 1795. ESTC No. T125194. Grub Street ID 175343.
- A system of English conveyancing, adapted to Scotland. By James Mcnayr, writer. Glasgow: printed by David Niven, M,DCC,LXXXIX. [1797]. ESTC No. T51039. Grub Street ID 278564.
- Wylie, David S. Christ and Antichrist displayed: or, a dissertation on Christ's Kingdom; ... Part I. By David S. Wylie, ... Glasgow: printed by D. Niven. And sold by D. Niven, J. & A Duncan, Brash & Reid, and M. Ogle, Glasgow; J. Ogle, and J. Guthrie, Edinburgh; [two others in Paisley and one in Kilmarnock], 1798. ESTC No. T203011. Grub Street ID 233754.
- Cibber, Colley. The provok'd husband; or, a journey to London. A comedy, by Sir John Vanbrugh & C. Cibber, Esq. ... Glasgow: printed by D. Niven, for W. Macfeat & Co., 1798. ESTC No. T169069. Grub Street ID 206919.
- Cobbett, William. The life and adventures of Peter Porcupine, with a full and fair account of all his authoring transactions; being a sure and infallible guide for all enterprising young men who wish to make a fortune by writing pamphlets. To which is added, his will and testament. By Peter Porcupine himself. Glasgow: printed by D. Niven; and sold by A. Cameron, D. Niven, and J. Murdoch, Booksellers, Trongate, 1798. ESTC No. T13718. Grub Street ID 185239.
- Angus, A.M. William. A pronouncing vocabulary of the English language: exhibiting the most approved mode of pronunciation ... Extracted from the dictionaries of Walker, Sheridan, Jones, etc. With an appendix; ... To this edition is subjoined an epitome of English grammar. By William Angus, ... Glasgow: printed by D. Niven: and sold by the principal booksellers in Glasgow; by P. Hill, & A. Constable, Edinburgh; and by Vernor & Hood, London, 1800. ESTC No. T212292. Grub Street ID 239529.
Sold by David Niven
- Essays on the following interesting subjects: viz. I. Government. ... VIII. The present war, & the stagnation of credit as connected with it. By John Young, ... Glasgow: printed and sold by David Niven; also, by W. Creech, and J. Watson & Co., Edinburgh, and Vernor and Hood, London, 1794. ESTC No. T221360. Grub Street ID 244688.
- Report of the Secret Committee of the House of Commons. Ordered to be printed on the 15th of March, 1799. Published by the Glasgow Constitutional Association. Glasgow: printed and sold by D. Niven, Bookseller, Trongate, 1799. ESTC No. T176103. Grub Street ID 213170.