Publications of Edward Owen

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):

  1. "printed and sold by x"; "printed for and sold by x"; or "printed by and for x" and so on.

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, but sold by encompasses a number of roles. Booksellers or individuals who owned the copyright are generally 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 rather than a copyright holder. 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.

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 Edward Owen

  • Barnardiston, Thomas. Essays on different subjects. By Thomas Barnardiston, Serjeant at Law. London: printed by E. Owen: And sold by Joel Stephens, [1740?]. ESTC No. N68789. Grub Street ID 50102.
  • Stebbing, Henry. A sermon preached before the Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts; at their anniversary meeting in the parish-church of St. Mary-le-Bow, on Friday, February 19, 1741-2. By Henry Stebbing, ... London: printed by E. Owen, and sold by J. Roberts, 1742. ESTC No. N23720. Grub Street ID 13079.
  • Hutton, Matthew. A sermon preached before the Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts; at their anniversary meeting in the parish church of St. Mary-le-Bow, on Friday February 21, 1745. By ... Matthew Lord Bishop of Bangor. London: printed by Edward Owen. And sold by J. Roberts; and A. Millar, 1745 [i.e.1746]. ESTC No. N24637. Grub Street ID 13986.
  • Trust in God, the best remedy against fears of all kinds. A sermon preached in the parish-church of Lambeth. By ... Edmund Gibson, ... London: printed and sold by E. Owen, and W. Johnston, 1749. ESTC No. T51951. Grub Street ID 279131.
  • Yeo, excise officer. William. The method of ullaging and inching all sorts of casks and other utensils, used by common brewers, victuallers, distillers, &c. in a new, easy, and accurate manner, by tables of segments. Likewise, The Method of finding their full Contents. Very useful for the Officers of the Revenue, And all other Persons concerned in Gauging. By William Yeo. London: printed for the author, by E. Owen: and sold by J. Davidson, in the Poultry; R. Montagu, in Wild-Street; W. Reeve, in Fleet-Street; and at the printing-office in Hand-Court, Holborn, MDCCXLIX. [1749]. ESTC No. T129446. Grub Street ID 178906.
  • An exhortation to a serious reformation of life and manners. Being the late Bishop of London's fifth pastoral letter. Occasioned by the dangers that threatened this nation from the late wicked and unnatural rebellion. London: printed by E. Owen; and sold by W. Johnston, 1751. ESTC No. N16910. Grub Street ID 6410.
  • Free, John. Poems on several occasions, formerly written by John Free, D. D. Vicar of East-Coker in Somersetshire, Thursday Lecturer of St. Mary-Hill, London, and Lecturer of Newington in Surry. The second edition, with additions of later pieces; and an historical and critieal [sic] account of the origin and peculiar nature of English poetry, in a letter to a Member of Parliament. London: printed by E. Owen, in Holborn; and sold by T. Osborne in Gray's-Inn; R. and J. Dodsley in Pall-Mall; J. Rivington in St. Paul's Church-Yard; W. Sandby at the Ship near Temple Bar; W. Frederick in Bath; S. Parker and D. Prince in Oxford, Mrs. Cook at the Royal Exchange; and by the author, M.DCCLVII. [1757]. ESTC No. N12098. Grub Street ID 2111.
  • Authentick documents of the French administration, in His Majesty's German dominions. Published by authority. London: printed by E. Owen and T. Harrison, in Warwick-Lane, 1758. ESTC No. N16145. Grub Street ID 5827.

Sold by Edward Owen

  • Full instructions for, country gentlemen, farmers, grasiers, farriers, carriers, sportsmen, &c. Being a very curious collection of well-experienced observations and receipts for the cure of most common distempers incident to horses, oxen, cows, calves, sheep, lambs, hogs and dogs, digested under their proper heads; many of which have been practised for many years with great success, and the rest taken from the latest and most approved authors; viz. Capt. Burdon, Mr. Solleysell, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Mascall, Mr. Fitzherbert, and others. By a society of country gentlemen farmers, grasiers, sportsmen, &c. London: printed and sold by E. Owen in Amen-Corner; and T. Astley at the Rose over-against the north door of St. Paul's, 1732. ESTC No. N72197. Grub Street ID 52019.
  • The art of fortification delineated: with rules for designing, drawing, washing, and colouring, in the most elegant taste, particular works and buildings, and their Plans, Elevations, Sections, Profiles, and Fronts, in Civil and Military Architecture: As likewise The intire Survey of a Place with its particular Charts, and the Description of Provinces, States, Kingdoms, Empires, &c. A Work absolutely necessary for the Gentleman, Officer, and Architect. Translated by J. Dinsdale. Adorn'd with twenty-three cuts, engrav'd by G. Bickham. London: printed and sold by E. Owen, at his Printing-Office, in Hand-Court, Holborn; G. Bickham, in May's Buildings, Covent-Garden; J. Wren, near Great Turnstile, Holborn; and by the booksellers in town and country, M.DCC.XLVIII. [1748]. ESTC No. N31039. Grub Street ID 19948.
  • The sacrament of the Lord's Supper explain'd: or the things to be known and done, to make a worthy communicant. ... First drawn up ... and now revised and enlarged, by ... Edmund Gibson, ... London: printed and sold by E. Owen; and W. Johnston, 1749. ESTC No. N21317. Grub Street ID 10696.

Printed for Edward Owen

  • Gibson, Edmund. An earnest dissuasive from intemperance in meats and drinks: in a sermon preach'd in the parish church of Lambeth, by Edmund Gibson, ... London: printed for E. Owen, 1746. ESTC No. N1218. Grub Street ID 2191.
  • Family-devotion: or, an exhortation to morning and evening prayer in families: with two forms of prayer, ... First drawn up ... and now revised and enlarged, by ... Edmund Gibson, ... London: printed for E. Owen; and W. Johnston, 1749. ESTC No. T212633. Grub Street ID 239732.
  • The evil and danger of lukewarmness in religion. Being the first part of ... Dr. Gibson's, fourth pastoral letter. ... London: printed for E. Owen: and sold by W. Johnston, 1751. ESTC No. N16914. Grub Street ID 6414.
  • The sacrament of the Lord's Supper explained; or the things to be known and done, to make a worthy communicant With suitable prayers and meditations. First drawn up for the Use of the Inhabitants of the Parish of Lambeth and since revised and enlarged. By The Right Reverend Father in god, Edmund Gibson, D.D. late Lord Bishop of London. London: printed for E. Owen,and sold by W. Johnston, in Ludgate-Street, 1760. ESTC No. T46998. Grub Street ID 275001.
  • The evil and danger of lukewarmness in religion. Being the first part of the late Bishop of London, Dr. Gibson's, fourth Pastoral letter. With further improvements. London: printed for E. Owen in Warwick-Lane, and sold by W. Johnston in Ludgate-Street, MDCCLXXI. [1771]. ESTC No. T194400. Grub Street ID 228353.