Publications of eebairn, at

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 for eebairn, at

  • Spotiswood, John. An introduction to the knowledge of the stile of writs, simple and compound, made use of in Scotland; containing directions for drawing securities, In Cases which most commonly occur: With Examples, According To The best Modern Practice. Written for the use of the students in Spotiswood's Colledge of Law, and now publish'd for the Common Good. By John Spotiswood of that Ilk Advocate. Edinburgh: printed by Mr. Robert Freebairn, at his Printing-House in Forrester's Wynd, and to be sold by John Vallange, Mr. Robert Freebairn, and other book-sellers in town, anno, 1708. ESTC No. N2150. Grub Street ID 10871.