Publications of S. M.

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 S. M.

  • The British constitution invulnerable. Animadversions on a late publication, entitled The jockey club. London: printed for S. M. Bishop, and sold by Owen; W. Stewart; T. Kay; Fourdrinier; and all the booksellers, [1792?]. ESTC No. N15570. Grub Street ID 5282.

Author

  • M., S.. The loyal garland, containing choice songs and sonnets of our late unhappy revolutions. Very delightful and profitable, both to this present, and future ages. Published by S.N. a lover of mirth. The fourth edition, with additions.. London: printed by T. Johnson, for T. Passenger at the Three Bibles on London-Bridge, 1678. ESTC No. R20011. Grub Street ID 77658.
  • M., S.. The loyal garland of mirth and pastime. Set forth in sundry pleasant [n]ew songs; the loyal health. An excellent new song of advice to bat[chel]ors, to refrain the society of wanton ladys. A new song of the Welshmans misfortune [sel]ling his land, and travelling up to London, [to se]ek the philosophers stone. A song of the bride and bridegroom. A pleasant new play-house song. [Al]l very pleasant and delightful to read. By S. M. [Th]ere is likewise added a coppy of the excellent Bell-mans verses. London]: [Print]ed by J.M. for I. Deacon, at the sign of the Angel in Guilt-Spur-Street, without Newgate, 1685. ESTC No. R217026. Grub Street ID 91863.
  • M., S.. The loyal garland or a choice collection of songs highly in request, and much esteemed in the past and present times. Made by divers ingenious persons, on sundry occasions, for the sake of merryment. And sung with great applause, as being the flower of collection and rarity The fifth edition, with additions. Licensed, August the 18th. 1686. R.P. London: printed by J.R, [sic] for T. Passinger, at the Three Bibles on London-Bridge, 1686. ESTC No. R221370. Grub Street ID 95536.
  • M., S.. The loyal garland or a choice collection of songs highly in request, and much esteemed in the past and present times. Made by divers ingenious persons, on sundry occasions, for the sake of merryment. And sung with great applause, as being the flower of collection and rarity The fifth edition, with additions. Licensed, August the 18th. 1686. R.P. London: printed by J.R. for T. Passinger, at the Three Bibles in the middle of London Bridge, 1686. ESTC No. R235015. Grub Street ID 106231.
  • M., S.. The heavenly passenger: or, The pilgrims progress, from this world, to that which is to come. Deliver'd under the similitude of a dream. Wherein is discovered, the manner of his setting out, his dangerous journey, and safe arrival at the desired country. Newly done into verse, by S.M. Licenced and entred according to order. London]: Printed for J. Deacon, at the sign of the Angel in Guilt-Spur-Street, without Newgate, 1687. ESTC No. R18274. Grub Street ID 72714.
  • M., S.. The golden drops of Christian comfort: or, A safe sanctuary for all true penitent sinners. This may be printed, R.P. London]: Printed by J[ohn]. M[illet]. for J[osiah]. Blare, on London-bridge, [1687. ESTC No. R180230. Grub Street ID 71353.
  • M., S.. The true tryal of understanding or, Wit newly reviv'd. Being a book of excellent new riddles. Adorned with variety of pictures. New riddles, many, both of wit and mirth; the price a penny, yet not half the worth. By S.M. This may be printed, R.P. London: printed by I. M[illet]. for I[onah]. Deacon, at the Angel, in Guilt-Spur-Street, 1687. ESTC No. R180232. Grub Street ID 71354.
  • M., S.. The victuallers case, humbly offered to the consideration of their excellencies the Lords Justices, and the rest of the Kings ministers. London: printed in the year, 1701. ESTC No. T202433. Grub Street ID 233369.
  • M., S.. The female critick: or, letters in drollery from ladies to their humble servants. With a letter to the author of a satyr call'd, The true-born English-Man. London: printed for E. Rumball, at the Post-House in Russel-Street, Covent-Garden, 1701. ESTC No. T73007. Grub Street ID 296355.
  • M., S.. The true tryal of understanding or, wit newly reviv'd, being a book of riddles, ... By S.M. This may be printed, R.P. London]: Printed for S. Deacon, [1713. ESTC No. N66643. Grub Street ID 48349.
  • M., S.. A treatise of the plague. By a Physician in York. London: printed for J. Osborn, at the Oxford-Arms in Lombard-Street; and sold by Thomas Hammond, Bookseller in York, M.DCC.XXI. [1721]. ESTC No. T26144. Grub Street ID 258339.
  • M., S.. A scheme for keeping our wool at home; in order to employ our poor, and recover the foreign markets for our woolen manufacture. With a method for raising two millions, ... Humbly offer'd to the Parliament, by S. M. London]: At Mr. John Brown's, [1741?. ESTC No. N46563. Grub Street ID 31389.
  • M., S.. The triumphs of faith manifested to the world or, Abraham offering up his son Isaac as a sweet sacrifice upon Mount Moriah to the Lord. Being a most affectionate & moving dialogue between Abraham & Isaac, and the angel that stayed his hand. [New London, Conn.]: Printed & sold by T. Green, 1749. ESTC No. W34605. Grub Street ID 345245.