Publications of Thomas Passinger Jr.

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), or an obfuscation of the actual printer's name (e.g., "London: printed, and sold by x"):

  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 (see, e.g. Mary Cooper). 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 for Thomas Passinger Jr.

  • New mad Tom of Bedlaw or the man in the moon drinks clarret, with powder-beef, turnep and carret. The tune is, Grays-Inn-Mask. London]: Printed for I. Wright, I. Clark, VV. Thackeray, and T. Passenger, [1690?. ESTC No. R234204. Grub Street ID 105559.
  • Smith, Samuel. David's repentance, or, a plain and familiar exposition of the LI. Psalm. First preached, and now published for the benefit of God's church. Wherein every Christian may set before his eyes the pattern of unfeigned repentance. Likewise exhorting every man to labour for repentance before sicknesse and death seize upon them; for after death there is no repentance to be had or expected. The four and twentieth edition. Newly revised, and profitably amplified by the author, Samuel Smith, late preacher of the word at Prittlewel in Essex. London: printed by J.R. for T. Passinger, at the Three Bibles and Star on London-Bridge, and M. Wotton, and G. Conyers, at the Three Pigeons in Fleet-street, over-against the Inner-Temple-Gate, and at the Golden Ring on Ludgate-Hill over-against the Old Bayly, 1691. ESTC No. R230012. Grub Street ID 102402.
  • Davids blessed man. "Fifteenth" edition. London By J. R. for T. Passinger, and Geo. Conyers and Matthew Wotton 1692. ESTC No. R184325. Grub Street ID 362754.
  • Smith, Samuel. The great assize: or, Day of jubilee: in which we must make a general account of all our actions before Almighty God. Delivered in four sermons upon the 20 chapter of the Revelations; plainly shewing the happy state of the godly, and the woful condition of the wicked. Whereunto is annexed two sermons upon the first chapter of the Canticles, vers. 6,7. By the author Samuel Smith; minister of the Word. The one and thirtieth impression.. London: printed for T. Passinger, at the three Bibles on London-Bridge, M. Wooton in Fleet-street, and G. Conyers at the Ring on Ludgate-Hill, [1692?]. ESTC No. R230014. Grub Street ID 102404.
  • A pattern of true love to you I will recite, between a fair young lady, and a courteous knight. The tune is, Dainty come thou to me. London]: Printed for J. Clarke, W Thackeray, & T. Passenger, [between 1692 and 1723?. ESTC No. R234448. Grub Street ID 105795.
  • Lithgow, William. Lithgow's nineteen years travels through the most eminent places in the habitable world. Containing an exact description of the customs, laws, religion, policies, and government of emperors, kings, and princes; also of the countries and cities, trades, rivers, and commerce in all places through which he travell'd. Also an account of the tortures he suffered under the Spanish Inquisition, by racking, and other inhumane usages, for his owning the Protestant religion. Together, with his miraculous deliverance from the cruelties of the papists, which far exceeded any of the heathen countries, herein largely described. The tenth edition.. London: printed by J. Millet, for M. Wotton at the three Daggers in Fleet-street, G. Conyers in Little-Britain, and T. Passinger at the Three Bibles and Star on London-Bridge, 1692. ESTC No. R221770. Grub Street ID 95866.
  • Norwood, Richard. The sea-man's practice: containing a fundamental problem in navigation, experimentally verified: namely, touching the compass of the earth and sea, and the quantity of a degree in our English measures. Also an exact method or form of keeping a reckoning at sea in any kin or manner of sailing. With certain tables and other rules used in navigation. As also the plotting and surveying of places: the latitude of the principal places in England: the finding of currents at sea, and what allowance is to be given in respect of them. By Richard Norwood, reader of the mathematicks. London: printed by J.D. for R[ichard]. Mount, at the Postern on Tower-hill; and T. Passenger, at the Three Bibles and Star on London-Bridge, 1692. ESTC No. R181099. Grub Street ID 71866.
  • Smith, Samuel. David's repentance, or, A plain and familiar exposition of the LI Psalm. First preached, and now published for the benefit of God's church. Wherein every Christian may set before his eyes the pattern of unfeigned repentance. The fifth and twentieth edition. Newly revised, and profitable amplified by the author, Samuel Smith, late preacher of the Word at Prittlewel in Essex. London: printed by J.R. for T. Passinger, at the Three Bibles and Star on London-Bridge and M. Wootton, and G. Conyers at the Three Daggers in Fleet-street near the Temple-Gate, and at the Golden Ring in Little-Brittian, 1694. ESTC No. R27490. Grub Street ID 110646.
  • Wakely, Andrew. The mariners-compass rectified. Containing tables shewing the true hour of the day, the sun being upon any point of the compass: with the true time of the rising and setting of the sun and stars, and the points of the compass that the sun and stars rise and set with: and tables of amplitude. All which tables are calculated from the equinoctial to 60 deg. of latitude. Hereunto is added an appendix, containing the description and use of those instruments most in use in the art of navigation. With a table of the latitude and longitude of places: composed after a new order. By Andrew Wakely, math. Carefully corrected, altered, and very much enlarged, with many useful additions. By Ja. Atkinson, teacher of the mathematicks.. London: printed for Richard Mount at the Postern on Tower-Hill; and Thomas Passenger on London-Bridg, 1694. ESTC No. R27117. Grub Street ID 110321.
  • Miles, Abraham. The master-piece of love-songs. A dialogue betwixt a bold keeper and a lady gay, he woo'd his Lords daughter and carried the day, but soon after marriage was forc'd for to fight, vvith his Lord and six gentlemen for his own right, he cut them, and hew'd them, and paid them with blows, and made them his friends that before were his foes. To the tune of, The week before Easter, the days long and clear. London]: Printed for John Clarke, William Thackeray, and Thomas Passinger, [ca. 1695. ESTC No. R234545. Grub Street ID 105883.
  • The nightingales song; or The souldiers rare musick, and maids recreation. The song adviseth maids to have a care, and of a soldiers knap-sack to beware. The tune of, No, no, not I; or, Peggy and the souldier. London]: Printed for J. Wright J. [Clarke W.] Thackeray, and T. Passinger, [1700?. ESTC No. R234629. Grub Street ID 105949.
  • The honour of a London prentice. Wherein is declared his matchless manhood, and brave adventures, done by him in Turkey, and by what means he married the kings daughter of the same country. The tune is, All you that are good-fellows. London]: Printed for W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger, [1701?. ESTC No. N69951. Grub Street ID 50751.