Publications of Matthew Lownes

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.

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 Matthew Lownes

  • Pilkington, Francis. The first set of madrigals and pastorals of 3. 4 and 5. parts. Newly composed by Francis Pilkington, Batchelor of Musicke and lutenist, and one of the Cathedrall Church of Christ and blessed Mary the Virgin in Chester. London: Printed by M. L[ownes] I. B[rowne] and T. S[nodham] the assignes of W. Barley, 1614. ESTC No. S110423. Grub Street ID 130477.

Printed for Matthew Lownes

  • Downame, George. A treatise vpon John 8. 36. concerning Christian libertie. The chiefe points whereof were deliuered in a sermon preached at Pauls Crosse, Nouemb. 6. 1608. By George Dovvname Doctor of Diuinitie. At London: Imprinted by Felix Kyngston, for Matthew Lownes, and William Welby, 1609. ESTC No. S110210. Grub Street ID 130312.
  • Edmondes, Clement. Obseruations vpon Cæsars Comentaries. By Clement Edmundes, Remembrancer of the cittie of London. 1609. London: print: [sic] for Math: Lownes, [1609]. ESTC No. S121465. Grub Street ID 141051.
  • Stafford, Anthony. Staffords Niobe: or His age of teares. The first part. A treatise no lesse profitable and comfortable, then the times damnable. VVherein deaths visard is pulled off, and her face discouered not to be so fearefull as the vulgar makes it: and withall it is shewed, that death is onely bad to the bad, good to the good. Printed at London: By Humfrey Lownes [for Mathew Lownes], 1611. ESTC No. S117764. Grub Street ID 137430.
  • The vvorthye and famous history, of the trauailes, discouery, & conquest, of that great continent of Terra Florida, being liuely paraleld, with that of our now inhabited Virginia. As also the comodities of the said country, with diuers excellent and rich mynes, of golde, siluer, and other mettals, &c. which cannot but giue us a great and exceeding hope of our Virginia, being so neere of one continent. Accomplished and effected, by that worthy Generall and captaine, Don Ferdinaudo [sic] de Soto, and six hundred of Spaniards his followers. London: Printed [by F. Kingston] for Mathew Lownes, dwelling in Paules church-yard, at the signe of the Bishops head, 1611. ESTC No. S110831. Grub Street ID 130800.
  • Drayton, Michael. Poly-Olbion by Michaell. Drayton Esqr:. London: printed [by Humphrey Lownes] for M Lownes. I Browne. I Helme. I Busbie, [1612]. ESTC No. S121629. Grub Street ID 141205.
  • Drayton, Michael. Poly-Olbion. or A chorographicall description of tracts, riuers, mountaines, forests, and other parts of this renowned isle of Great Britaine, with intermixture of the most remarquable stories, antiquities, wonders, rarityes, pleasures, and commodities of the same: digested in a poem by Michael Drayton, Esq. With a table added, for direction to those occurrences of story and antiquitie, whereunto the course of the volume easily leades not. London: printed by H[umphrey] L[ownes] for Mathew Lownes: I. Browne: I. Helme, and I. Busbie, 1613. ESTC No. S121632. Grub Street ID 141208.
  • Harris, Richard. The English concord, in ansvver to Becane's English iarre: together with a reply to Becan's Examen of the English Concord. By Richard Harris, Dr. in Diuinitie. At London: Printed by H. L[ownes] for Mat. Lownes; and are to be sold in Paules Church-yard, at the signe of the Bishops head, 1614. ESTC No. S119023. Grub Street ID 138669.
  • Ravenscroft, Thomas. Pammelia. Musickes miscellanie: or Mixed varietie of pleasant roundelayes, and delightfull catches, of 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. parts in one. None so ordinary as musicall, none so musicall, as not to all very pleasing and acceptable. London: printed by Thomas Snodham, for Mathew Lownes and Iohn Browne, 1618. ESTC No. S125960. Grub Street ID 145142.
  • Pilkington, Francis. The second set of madrigals, and pastorals, of 3. 4. 5. and 6. parts; apt for violls and voyces: newly composed by Francis Pilkington, Batchelar of Musicke, and lutenist, and chaunter of the Cathedrall Church of Christ, and blessed Mary the Virgin, in Chester. London: Printed by Thomas Snodham, for M[atthew] L[ownes] and A. B[rowne], 1624. ESTC No. S110427. Grub Street ID 130479.
  • East, Michael. The sixt set of bookes, vvherein are anthemes for versus and chorus, of 5. and 6. parts; apt for violls and voyces: newly composed by Michaell Est, Batchelar of Musicke, and master of the choristers of the cathedrall church in Litchfield. London: printed by Thomas Snodham, for M[atthew]. L[ownes]. and A. B[rowne]., 1624. ESTC No. S122480. Grub Street ID 142016.
  • Cantrell, Nicholas. A sermon preached in Oxford-shire; by Nicholas Cantrel, Master in Arts. Published at the request of Sir Richard Blunt. London: Printed by H. L[ownes] for Matthevv Lownes, 1624. ESTC No. S118531. Grub Street ID 138186.
  • Montagu, Richard. A gagg for the new Gospell? No: a nevv gagg for an old goose. VVho would needes vndertake to stop all Protestants mouths for euer, with 276. places out of their owne English Bibles. Or an ansvvere to a late abridger of controuersies, and belyar of the Protestants doctrine. By Richard Mountagu. Published by authoritie. London: Printed by Thomas Snodham for Matthew Lownes and William Barret, 1624. ESTC No. S112831. Grub Street ID 132577.