Publications of Robert Dodsley

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 multiple roles in combination (which suggests a likelihood that the person is a trade publisher):

"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 Lectures 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 Robert Dodsley

W., E.. A paraphrase on the hundred and fourth Psalm, in verse. By E. W. London: printed by R. Dodsley, and sold by T. Cooper, 1741. ESTC No. T56159. Grub Street ID 282707.
Parry, Richard. The scripture account of the Lords'-Supper. The substance of three sermons preached at Market-Harborough in the county of Leicester. 1755. By Richard Parry, B. D. Minister of Market-Harborough; and Student of Christ-Church. Oxford: printed at the Theatre for James Hetcher in the Turl; and sold by R. Dodsley in Pall-Mall, London, MDCCLV. [1755]. ESTC No. T54428. Grub Street ID 281266.
Tasker, William. A congratulatory ode to the Honourable Augustus Keppel, Admiral of the Blue. The second edition, by the author of the Ode to the warlike genius of Great Britain. London: for the author, printed at Laidler's office, Princes-Street, Leicester-Fields; and sold by Dodsley, Pall-Mall; Bew, Pater-Noster-Row; Becket, Corner of the Adelphi; Richardson and Urquhart, Exchange; Johnson, St. Paul's Church-Yard; Kearsley, Fleet-Street; Ridley, St. James's Street; and W. Davis, Piccadilly, MDCCLXXIX. [1779]. ESTC No. N26960. Grub Street ID 16312.

Sold by Robert Dodsley

Bailey, William. The advancement of arts, manufactures, and commerce; or, descriptions of the useful machines and models contained in the repository of the Society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures, and commerce. Illustrated by designs on fifty-five copper-plates. ... Carefully corrected and revised, by Alexander Mabyn Bailey, Register to the Society ... London: printed for and sold by the author; R. Dodsley; and T. Moore, 1776. ESTC No. N16386. Grub Street ID 6043.

Printed for Robert Dodsley

Erasmus, Desiderius. The praise of folly. Made English from the Latin of Erasmus. By W. Kennet, ... Adorn'd with forty-eight copper-plates, ... from the designs of the celebrated Hans Holbeine. To which is prefix'd, a preface by the translator. London: printed for R. Dodsley, in Pall-Mall; H. Chappelle, in Grovesnor-Street; J. Jolliffe, in St. James’s-Street; W. Sare, in Long-Acre; O. Payne, in Popes’s-Head Alley, Cornhill; C. Marsh, in Round Court, in the Strand; and F. Noble, in St. Martin’s-Court, 1740. ESTC No. T140366. Grub Street ID 188138.
Orrery, John Boyle. Pyrrha: an imitation of the fifth ode of the first book of Horace. By John Earl of Orrery. London: printed for R. Dodsley: and sold by T. Cooper, 1741. ESTC No. T46132. Grub Street ID 274318.
Vida, Marco Girolamo. Vida's Art of poetry, translated into English verse, by Mr Pitt. London: printed by John Hughs, for Robert Dodsley at Tully's Head in Pall-Mall, 1742 [1743?]. ESTC No. T118347. Grub Street ID 169892.
Akenside, Mark. The pleasures of imagination. A poem. In three books. London: printed for R. Dodsley at Tully's-Head in Pall-Mall, M.DCC.XLIV. [1744]. ESTC No. N11945. Grub Street ID 1948.
The museum: or, the Literary and historical register. London [England]: printed for R[obert]. Dodsley in Pall-mall, M.DCC.XLVI-M.DCC.XLVII. [1746-1747]. ESTC No. P1969. Grub Street ID 55703.
Lyttelton, George Lyttelton. Observations on the conversion and apostleship of St. Paul. In a letter to Gilbert West, Esq;. London: printed for R. Dodsley, in Pall-Mail and sold by M. Cooper, in Pater-Noster-Row, 1747. ESTC No. N10129. Grub Street ID 140.
The new memorandum book improv'd: or, the gentleman and tradesman's daily pocket journal for the year 1752. ... With a large collection of useful memorandums proper for every man of business to know. London: printed for R. Dodsley; and sold by M. Cooper, C. Hitch and L. Hawes; H. Whitridge; J. and J. Rivington [and 6 others in London], 1752. ESTC No. N12006. Grub Street ID 2013.
Cotton, Nathaniel. Visions in verse, for the entertainment and instruction of younger minds. London: printed for R. Dodsley. And sold by M. Cooper, 1753. ESTC No. T220157. Grub Street ID 243956.
Lockman, John. An ode on the birth-day of His Royal Highness George, Prince of Wales. 4th June, 1760. By John Lockman. Secretary to the Society of the Free British Fishery. Presented to His Royal Highness at Savile-House. London: Printed for Mess. Dodsley, at Tully's Head, in Pallmall; and sold by M. Cooper, in Pater-Noster Row, [1760]. ESTC No. N10528. Grub Street ID 538.
Pliny, the Younger. The letters of Pliny the Consul: with occasional remarks. By William Melmoth, Esq. London: printed for R. and J. Dodsley, in Pall-Mall, MDCCLXIII. [1763]. ESTC No. T121644. Grub Street ID 172402.
The speaker: or, miscellaneous pieces, selected from the best English writers, and disposed under proper heads, with a view to facilitate the improvement of youth in reading and speaking. To which is prefixed, An essay on elocution. By William Enfield, Lld. Lecturer on the Belles Lettres in the Academy at Warrington. London: printed for Robert Dodsley, MDCCLXXXIX. [1789]. ESTC No. T105850. Grub Street ID 159068.

Printed by and for, or by/for and sold by Robert Dodsley

Thompson, William. An hymn to May. By William Thompson, M. A. of Queen's College Oxon. London: printed and sold by R. Dodsley in Pall-Mall; T. Waller in Fleetstreet; and M. Cooper at the Globe in Pater-Noster-Row, [1746]. ESTC No. T36938. Grub Street ID 266762.

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