Publications of Mr. Robinson (false name?)

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).

Sold by Mr. Robinson (false name?)

  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. Wherein it appears by sixty five articles, that a scheme was laid to raise the grandeur of France and Spain, break the confederacy, make a separate peace, destroy the establish'd church, sink the trade of the nation, betray the Queen, and bring in the pretender. As also a design to reform the army, by putting in Irish officers to command it, and for making private leagues in order to hasten and support the intended restauration. With other particulars relating to the forwardness of a rebellion in Scotland, the great encrease of popery in Ireland, the occasion of the Queen's death, and the discovery of an immense sum of money taken out of the treasury, and not accounted for. Presented to the freeholders of Great Britain, against the next election of a New Parliament. The seventh edition.. London: Printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, a Looking-Glass Shop, over against Serjeants-Inn, Fleetstreet, 1714. ESTC No. N18234. Grub Street ID 7712.
  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. Wherein it appears by sixty five articles, that a scheme was laid to raise the grandeur of France and Spain, break the confederacy, make a separate peace, destroy the Establish'd Church, sink the trade of the nation, berray the Queen, and bring in the pretender. As also a design to reform the army, by putting in Irish officers to command it, and for making private leagues in order to hasten and support the intended restauration. With other particulars relating to the forwardness of a rebellion in Scotland, the great encrease of popery in Ireland, the occasion of the Queen's death, and the discovery of an immense sum of money taken out of the treasury, and not accounted for. Presented to the freeholders of Great Britain, against the next election of a New Parliament. The fourth edition.. London: Printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, a looking-glass shop, over against Serjeants-Inn, Fleetstreet, 1714. ESTC No. N16947. Grub Street ID 6448.
  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. Wherein It appears by sixty five articles, that a scheme was laid to raise the grandeur of france and spain, break the confederacy, make a seperate peace, destroy the establish'd church, sink the Trade of the naion, betray the Queen, and bring in the pretender. The fifth edition.. London: printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, 1714. ESTC No. N16949. Grub Street ID 6450.
  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. Wherein It appears by Sixty Five Articles, That a Scheme was laid to raise the Grandeur of France and Spain, break the Confederacy, make a Separate Peace, destroy the Establish'd Church, sink the Trade of the Nation, betray the Queen, and bring in the Pretender. As also A Design to Reform the Army, by putting in Irish Officers to command it, and for making private Leagues, in order to hasten and support the intended Restauration. With other Particulars relating to the Forwardness of a Rebellion in Scotland, the great Encrease of Popery in Ireland, the Occasion of the Queen's Death, and the Discovery of an Immense Sum of Money taken out of the Treasury, and not accounted for. Presented To the Freeholders of Great Britain, against the next Election of a New Parliament. London: printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, a looking-glass shop, over against Serjeants-Inn, Fleet street, 1714. ESTC No. N109. Grub Street ID 886.
  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. . London: printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, a looking-glass shop, 1714. ESTC No. T37256. Grub Street ID 266969.
  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. . The second edition.. London: printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, 1714. ESTC No. T37257. Grub Street ID 266970.
  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. Wherein It appears by Sixty Five Articles, That a Scheme was laid to raise the Grandeur of France and Spain, break the Confederacy, make a Separate Peace, destroy the Establish'd Church, sink the Trade of the Nation, betray the Queen, and bring in the Pretender. As also A Design to Reform the Army, by putting in Irish Officers to command it, and for making private Leagues in order to hasten and support the intended Restauration. With other Particulars relating to the Forwardness of a Rebellion in Scotland, the great encrease of Popery in Ireland, the Occasion of the Queen's Death, and the Discovery of an Immense Sum of Money taken out of the Treasury, and not accounted for. Presented To the freeholders of Great Britain, against the next Election of a New Parliament. The third edition.. London: printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, a Looking-Glass Shop, over against Serjeants-Inn, Fleetstreet, 1714. ESTC No. T37258. Grub Street ID 266971.
  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. Wherein it appears by sixty five articles, that a scheme was laid to raise the grandeur of France and Spain, break the confederacy, make a separate peace, destroy the establish'd church, sink the trade of the nation, betray the Queen, and bring in the pretender. As also a design to reform the army, by putting in Irish officers to command it, and for making private leagues in order to hasten and support the intended restauration. With other particulars relating to the forwardness of a rebellion in Scotland, the great encrease of popery in Ireland, the occasion of the queen's death, and the discovery of an immense sum of money taken out of the treasury, and not accounted for. Presented to the freeholders of Great Britain, against the next election of a new Parliament. The sixth edition.. London: Printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, a Looking-Glass Shop, over against Serjeants-Inn, Fleetstreet, 1714. ESTC No. T37259. Grub Street ID 266972.
  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. . The eighth edition.. London: printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, 1714. ESTC No. T37260. Grub Street ID 266973.
  • Povey, Charles. A memorial of the proceedings of the late ministery and Lower House of Parliament. With an account of several secret correspondences with foreign ministers of state, Letters and Messages, sent from London to Paris and Utrecht, and from Utrecht and Paris to London; Abstracts of Speeches, Addresses, Answers, &c. with Reflections upon each Head. To which is added, A short History of a Plot to dethrone Queen Anne, and what has been attempted to bring in the Romish Pretender, since the King ascended the Throne. At the end of the Memorial is a Black List of the Names of many of those Persons concern'd in one or both Conspiracies. Also Particulars cast up in it, of Men, Horses, Money, Provisions, Cloaths, Quarters, Arms, Ammunition, &c. promis'd to the Assistance of the Treason. Writ by the author of An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign The Copic are Counterseit that have not this Coat of Arms on the Title-Page, viz. A Bend engrail'd between Six Cinque - foils, Crest a Grif. London: printed for the author, and sold by J. Roberts in Warwick-Lane, A. Bell in Cornhill, R. Robinson in St. Paul's Church - yard, Mr. Robinson against Serjeants-Inn, J. Pemberton against St. Dunstan's Church, both in Fleet-Street, J. Smith at the Post-House, Covent-Garden, and Mrs. Boulter, next Old-Man's Coffee-House at Charing-Cross, [1715]. ESTC No. T84813. Grub Street ID 305170.
  • Povey, Charles. An inquiry into the miscarriages of the four last years reign. . The ninth edition.. London: printed for the author, and are to be sold at Mr. Robinson's, a looking-glass shop, over against Serjeants-Inn, Fleetstreet. 1714. Also sold by Samuel Gerrish at his shop on the North side of the Town House, Boston in New-England, 1715. ESTC No. N7690. Grub Street ID 52619.