Publications of William Whitwood

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 for William Whitwood

  • The history of the Turks in the progress of their war in Europe, and particularly in Hungary; and against the empire of Germany; containing sundry great revolutiions, battels, sieges, skirmishes, leagues, and policies: their leaguing with the French King for the ruin and destruction of Christendom. and many other memorable things for several hundred years past, effectually brought down to the year 1697. concluding with a particular account of the great and memorable battel fought in Hungary the 11th. of Sept. last, between Pr. Eugene of Saxony General of the Imperial forces, and the Grand Seignior: being the most exact and perfect history to this time. London: printed for W[illiam]. Whitwood at the Rose and Crown in Little-Britain, price bound 1s., 1697. ESTC No. R178050. Grub Street ID 69941.
  • Baxter, Richard. A sermon of judgement, preached at Pauls before the Honourable Lord Maior and aldermen of the city of London, Dec. 17. 1654. And now enlarged. By Rich. Baxter. London: printed by R[obert]. W[hite]. for W[illiam]. Whitwood, at the sign of the Golden Lion in Duck-Lane near Smithfield, 1668. ESTC No. R170469. Grub Street ID 65124.
  • Leigh, Edward. Three diatribes or discourses. First of travel, or a guide for travellers into forein parts. Secondly, of money or coyns. Thirdly, of measuring of the distance betwixt place and place. By Edward Leigh Esq; and Mr. of Arts of Magdalene-Hall in Oxford. London: printed for William Whitwood, at the sign of the Golden Bell in Duck-Lane, near Smithfield, 1671. ESTC No. R12004. Grub Street ID 60222.
  • The second part of Unfortunate Jack. London: printed for Will. Whitwood at the Golden-Bell in Duck Lane, 1673. ESTC No. R14673. Grub Street ID 62678.
  • T., J.. The practice of the faithful. Containing many godly prayers both for morning and evening, and other necessary occasions. Together with divers profitable and comfortable meditations, necessary to be remembred and practised of every Christian. Whereunto is added, an accoun of two remarkable providences, the 1. in the preservation of eight men in Greenland. 2. The strange escape of two Christian slaves from the Turks; adorn'd with sculptures lively expressing the said relations. London: printed for Will. Whitwood; and are to be sold at his shop, at the sign of the Bell in Duck-Lane, 1675. ESTC No. R25800. Grub Street ID 109188.
  • The art and mystery of vintners and wine-coopers: containing approved directions for the conserving and curing all manner and sorts of wines, whether Spanish, Greek, Italian, or French, very necessary for all sorts of people. London: printed for Will. Whitwood, at the Cross-Keys at Salisbury-street in the Strand, 1682. ESTC No. R10698. Grub Street ID 59044.
  • Préchac, Jean de. The illustrious lovers, or Princely adventures in the courts of England and France. Containing sundry transactions relating to love-intrigues, noble enterprises, and gallantry. Being an historical account of the famous loves of Mary sometimes Queen of France (daughter to Henry the 7th.) and Charles Brandon the renown'd Duke of Suffolk: discovering the glory and grandeur of both nations. Written original in French, and now done into English. London: printed for William Whitwood next door to the Crown-Tavern in Duck-Lane, near West-Smith-Field, 1686. ESTC No. R14056. Grub Street ID 62102.
  • E. R, Gent. The experienc'd farrier: or, A compleat treatise of horsemanship. In two books; physical and chyrurgical. Fitted to the use, not only of gentlemen, but of all farriers, grooms, jockeys and breeders of horses. With directions for the choice of all stallions and mares, their shapes and colours; as also instruction for paring and shooeing all manner of hoofs, shewing wherein that curiosity doth consist. With the virtue of drugs, both simple and compound, appertaining to farrying, and where you may buy them; with a large alphabetical table of most simples, for the cure of all inward and outward diseases. The second edition much enlarged with many new receipts of excellent use and value, never published before in any author. By E.R. Gent. London: printed for W. Whitwood at the Angel and Bible in Little Britain, and A. Feltam in Westminster-Hall, 1691/2. ESTC No. R13055. Grub Street ID 61184.
  • Grascome, Samuel. An historical account of the antiquity and unity of the Britanick churches. Continued from the conversion of these islands to the Christian faith, by St. Augustine, to this present time. By a presbyter of the Church of England. Imprimatur. Z. Isham. R.P.D. Henrico Episc. Lond. à Sacris. London: printed for W. Whitwood, at the Angel and Bible in Little Britain, MDCXCII. [1692]. ESTC No. R17647. Grub Street ID 68988.
  • Exquemelin, (Alexandre Olivier) A. O. The history of the bucaniers of America; or, A true account of the most remarkable assaults, committed (of late years) upon the coasts of the West-Indies, by the bucaniers of Jamaica and Tortuga, English, Dutch, Portuguese, &c. Wherein are contain'd, more especially, the unparallel'd exploits of Sir Henry Morgan, our English Jamaican hero, who sackt Puerto Velo, burnt Panama, &c. Written by John Esquemeling, and Basil Ringrose, two of the bucaniers, who were present at those tragedies. In this second edition is added the dangerous voyages and bold attempts of Capt Cook, and Capt. Sharp, in the South-Sea: with a description of the cities of Panama, Hispaniola, Tortuga, &c A new map of the South-Sea and sea-coasts of America: together, with the effigies of the bucaniers, curiously done in nineteen copper plates. In IV. parts compleat. London: printed for William Whitwood; and sold by Anthony Feltham, in Westminster-Hall, 1695. ESTC No. R25076. Grub Street ID 108791.