Publications of Paul Knapton

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 Paul Knapton

  • Clarke, Samuel. An exposition of the church-catechism. By Samuel Clarke, D. D. Late Rector of St. James's Westminster. Published from the author's manuscript, by John Clarke, D. D. Dean of Sarum. London: printed by John and Paul Knapton, in Ludgate-Street, M.DCC.XLVII. [1747]. ESTC No. N3407. Grub Street ID 22499.

Printed for Paul Knapton

  • Clarke, Samuel. Sermons on the following subjects, viz. Of faith in God. ... By Samuel Clarke, ... Published from the author's manuscript, by John Clarke, ... London: printed for James, John and Paul Knapton, 1732-36. ESTC No. N23939. Grub Street ID 13301.
  • Clarke, Samuel. XVIII sermons on several occasions: particularly of the great duty of universal love and charity. Of the Government of Passion. Discourses upon Occasion of the Plague. Of St. Peter being the Rock on which Christ built his Church. Of the Faith of Abraham. Of Christ being the Bread of Life. Of the Original of Sin and Misery. Of Election and Reprobation, being a Paraphrase on Rom. IX. The Present Life a State of Probation in order to a Future Life. That Christ's admonitions to his Apostles, belong universally to all Christians. By Samuel Clarke, D. D. late Rector of St. James's Westminster. London: printed for James, John and Paul Knapton, at the Crown in Ludgate-Street, MDCCXXXIV. [1734]. ESTC No. T144286. Grub Street ID 191163.
  • Henry, Matthew. An exposition of the Old and New Testaments. In six volumes. ... By Matthew Henry, ... London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, Thomas Cox, Richard Ford and Richard Hett, Aaron Ward, and Thomas Longman], 1737. ESTC No. N9143. Grub Street ID 54028.
  • Clarke, Samuel. The works of Samuel Clarke, ... In four volumes. ... London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, 1738. ESTC No. T145014. Grub Street ID 191812.
  • Clarke, Samuel. Sermons on several subjects. By Samuel Clarke, ... Published from the author's manuscript by John Clarke, ... London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, 1738. ESTC No. T230247. Grub Street ID 249960.
  • Clarke, Samuel. A discourse concerning the being and attributes of God, the obligations of natural religion, and the truth and certainty of the Christian revelation. In Answer to Mr Hobbs, Spinoza, the Author of the Oracles of Reason, and other Deniers of Natural and Revealed Religion. Being sixteen Sermons, Preach'd in the Cathedral-Church of St Paul, in the Years 1704, and 1705, at the Lecture Founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq; In which is inserted A discourse concerning the connexion of the prophecies in the Old Testament, and the Application of them to Christ. There is also, An answer to a seventh letter, concerning, the Argument a priori, in Proof of the Being of God. By Samuel Clarke, D. D. late Rector of St James's Westminster. London: printed by W. Botham, for John and Paul Knapton, at the Crown in Ludgate-Street, MDCCXXXVIII. [1738]. ESTC No. N565. Grub Street ID 39632.
  • Clarke, Samuel. Three practical essays, on baptism, confirmation, and repentance. Containing full instructions for a holy life: With Earnest Exhortations, especially to young Persons, drawn from the Consideration of the Severity of the Discipline of the Primitive Church. The sixth edition. By Samuel Clarke, D. D. late Rector of St. James's Westminster. London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, at the Crown in Ludgate-Street, MDCCXL. [1740]. ESTC No. T103108. Grub Street ID 156767.
  • Clarke, Samuel. The works of Samuel Clarke, ... In four volumes. ... with a preface, ... by Benjamin, now Lord Bishop of Winchester. London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, 1742. ESTC No. N25902. Grub Street ID 15263.
  • Clarke, Samuel. The sermons of Samuel Clarke ... Containing one hundred and seventy-three sermons on several subjects. Published from the author's manuscript, by John Clarke ... Eighteen sermons on several occasions, published in his life-time. And sixteen sermons on the being and attributes of God. With a preface, giving some account of the life, writings, and character of the author: by Benjamin, now Lord Bishop of Winchester ... London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, 1742. ESTC No. T210381. Grub Street ID 238511.
  • Clarke, Samuel. Sermons on the following subjects, viz. Of faith in God. ... By Samuel Clarke, ... Published from the author's manuscript, by John Clarke, ... London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, 1743-44. ESTC No. T155506. Grub Street ID 199226.
  • Clarke, Samuel. Sermons by Samuel Clarke, D. D. Late Rector of St. James's, Westminster. In eleven volumes. Containing Sermons on several Subjects, published from the Author's Manuscript. By John Clarke, D. D. Dean of Sarum. And Eighteen Sermons on several Occasions, published by the Author. Vol. I. With a preface, giving some account of the life, writings, and character, of the author. By Benjamin, now Lord Bishop of Winchester. London: printed for J. and P. Knapton, in Ludgate-Street, MDCCXLIX. [1749]. ESTC No. T104927. Grub Street ID 158343.
  • Clarke, Samuel. A demonstration of the being and attributes of God. More particularly in answer to Mr. Hobbs, Spinoza, and their followers. ... By Samuel Clarke, ... London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, 1749. ESTC No. N28862. Grub Street ID 18063.
  • Clarke, Samuel. A discourse concerning the being and attributes of God, the obligations of natural religion, and the truth and certainty of the Christian revelation. ... In which is inserted A discourse concerning the connexion of the prophecies ... There is also, An answer to a seventh letter, ... By Samuel Clarke, ... London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, 1749. ESTC No. N567. Grub Street ID 39840.
  • Clarke, Samuel. Three practical essays, on baptism, confirmation, and repentance. Containing full instructions for a holy life: with earnest exhortations, especially to young persons, drawn from the consideration of the severity of the discipline of the primitive church. The seventh edition. By Samuel Clarke, D. D. late Rector of St James's Westminster. London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, in Ludgate-Street, MDCCLIV. [1754]. ESTC No. T103164. Grub Street ID 156820.