Publications of voluntary subscription

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.

See also "The Meaning of the Imprint."

Printed by voluntary subscription

  • West, Gilbert. A defence of the Christian revelation, on two very important points; as contained, in one treatise, intituled, Observations on the history and evidences of the resurrection of Jesus Christ; by Gilbert West, Esq; Clerk Extraordinary of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council: And in another, intituled, Observations on the conversion an apostleship of St. Paul, by the Honourable George Lyttelton, Esq; Member of Parliament, and one of the Commissioners of the Treasury. In a letter to Gilbert West, Esq;. London: printed by voluntary subscription; in order to be dispersed in His Majesty's colonies and islands in America, MDCCXLVIII. [1748]. ESTC No. T101663. Grub Street ID 155519.