Publications of Thomas Spence

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).

Sold by Thomas Spence

  • A political dictionary for the guinea-less pigs, or, a glossary of emphatical words made use of by that jewel of a man, Deep Will. In his administration, and his plans for yoking and putting rings in the snouts of those grumbling swine, who raise such Horrid Grunting, when Tyrannical winds blow high. London] : Printed for the author: and sold by J. Burks, No. 74, Sun-Street, Bishopsgate; J. Smith, Portsmouth-Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields; D. I. Eaton, Newgate-Street; Lee, 444, Strand; T. Spence, Turnstile; A. Seale, No. 11, Cumberland-Street, Middlesex Hospital; F. Place, No. 13, Back of St. Clement's; T. G. Ballard, No. 3, Bedford Court, Covent Garden; F. Ward, No. 41, Dean-Street, Westminster; and J. Baker, No. 30, Sutton-Street, Crown-Street, Soho, [1795?. ESTC No. T43959. Grub Street ID 272447.

Author

  • Spence, Thomas. The grand repository of the English language: containing, ... the most proper and agreeable pronunciation ... With a copper-plate, exhibiting the new alphabet ... By Thomas Spence, ... Newcastle upon Tyne: printed by T. Saint, for the author, and sold by him at his school, and by all the booksellers in town and country, 1775. ESTC No. T204080. Grub Street ID 234444.
  • Spence, Thomas. The real reading-made-easy: or, foreigners' and grown persons' pleasing introductor to reading English, ... Newcastle: printed and sold by T. Saint, 1782. ESTC No. T206771. Grub Street ID 236159.
  • Spence, Thomas. A s’upl’im’int too thı̆ Hı̆stı̆re ŏv Rŏbı̆nsı̆n Kruzo, beı̆ng th’i h’ist’ire ’ov Kruzonea, ŏr R’ob’ins’in Kruzo’z il’ind. ... [Newcastle upon Tyne] : Nu K’as’il: prı̆ntı̆d ănd sold bi T. Sant, 1782. ESTC No. T135302. Grub Street ID 183742.
  • Spence, Thomas. A supplement to the History of Robinson Crusoe, being the history of Crusonia, or Robinson Crusoe's island, ... Newcastle: printed and sold by T. Saint, in, 1782. ESTC No. T135303. Grub Street ID 183743.
  • Spence, Thomas. The rights of man, first published in the year 1783. London] : printed for T. Spence, Bookseller, No. 8, Little Turnstile, Holborn, [1793. ESTC No. T45086. Grub Street ID 273428.
  • Spence, Thomas. The rights of man, as exhibited in a lecture, read at the Philosophical Society, in Newcastle, To which is now first added, an interesting conversation, between a gentleman and the author, on the subject of his scheme. With the queries sent by the Rev. Mr. J. Murray, to the Society in defence of the same. And a song of triumph for the people, on the recovery of their long lost rights. The fourth edition. By T. Spence. London : Printed for the author, and sold by the corner of Chancery-Lane, Holborn, 1793. ESTC No. T69870. Grub Street ID 293746.
  • Spence, Thomas. Burke's address to the "swinish multitude!" Tune, - "Derry down, down," &c. London] : Printed for T. Spence, No.8, Little Turnstile, High Holborn, [1793. ESTC No. T4794. Grub Street ID 275917.
  • Spence, Thomas. The rights of man; first published in the year 1783. By T. Spence, now at no, [sic] 9, Oxford-Street. tune - "Chevy chace.". London] : Printed for T. Spence, no, [sic] 8. Little Turnstile, Holborn, [1795?. ESTC No. T224042. Grub Street ID 246386.
  • Spence, Thomas. The coin collector's companion. Being a descriptive alphabetical list of the modern provincial, political, and other copper coins. London : printed for T. Spence, dealer in coins, No. 8, Little Turnstile, High Holborn, 1795. ESTC No. T69534. Grub Street ID 293505.
  • Spence, Thomas. The end of oppression; being a dialogue between an old mechanic and a young one. Concerning the establishment of the rights of man. Second edition.. London : printed for the author, and sold by T. Spence, No. 8, Little Turnstile, High Holborn; patriotic bookseller and publisher of Pio's meat, [1795]. ESTC No. T5300. Grub Street ID 279994.
  • Spence, Thomas. The end of oppression. or, a quartern loaf for two-pence; being a dialogue between an old mechanic and a young one. Concerning the establishment of the rights of man. London : printed for the author, and sold by T. Spence, [1795]. ESTC No. T4795. Grub Street ID 275928.
  • Spence, Thomas. Spence's recantation of the end of oppression. London : printed for T. Spence, [1795?]. ESTC No. T4796. Grub Street ID 275939.
  • Spence, Thomas. A fragment of an ancient prophecy. Relating, as some think, to the present revolutions. (Being the fourth part of the end of oppression.). London : Printed for T. Spence, No. 8, Little Turnstile, High Holborn, Patriotic bookseller; and publisher of Pig's Meat, &c, 1796. ESTC No. T70281. Grub Street ID 294042.
  • Spence, Thomas. The meridian sun of liberty; or, the whole rights of man displayed and most Accurately Defined, In a lecture read at the Philosophical Society in Newcastle, on the 8th of November, 1775, for printing of which the Society did the Author the honor to expel him. To which is now first prefixed, by way of Preface, a most important dialogue between the Citizen Reader, and the Author. By T. Spence. London : printed for the author at No. 8. Little Turnstile, High Holborn, Patriotic Bookseller and Publisher of that best School of Man's Rights, entitled Pigs' Meat; the End of Oppression; Grand Repository of the English Language, &c * See ``sober Reflections'' or rather, Lamentations over the impending Fate of ``the vessel of Hereditary Property,'' by John Thelwall, 1796. ESTC No. T5299. Grub Street ID 279983.
  • Spence, Thomas. The rights of infants; or, the imprescriptable right of mothers to such a share of the elements as is sufficient to enable them to suckle and bring up their young in a dialogue between the aristocracy and a mother of children. To which are added, by way of preface and appendix, strictures on Paine's Agrarian justice. By T. Spence, Author of the Real Rights of Man, End of Oppression, Reign of Felicity, Pigs' Meat, &c. London : printed for the author, at No. 9, Oxford-Street, lately removed from No. 8, Little Turnstile, [1797]. ESTC No. T69545. Grub Street ID 293515.
  • Spence, Thomas. The constitution of a perfect commonwealth. Being the French Constitution of 1793, amended, and rendered entirely conformable to the whole rights of man. By T. Spence,. London : printed and sold by the author, [1798?]. ESTC No. N67637. Grub Street ID 49193.