Publications of Michael Sparke

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 Michael Sparke

  • Prynne, William. Mount-Orgueil: or Divine and profitable meditations, raised from the contemplation of these three leaves of natures volume, 1. rockes, 2. seas, 3. gardens, digested into three distinct poems. To which is prefixed, a poeticall description, of Mount-Orgueil Castle in the Isl of Jersy. By VVilliam Prynne, late exile, and close prisoner in the sayd Castle. A poem of The soules complaint against the body; and Comfortable cordialls against the discomforts of imprisonment, &c. are hereto annexed. London: printed by Tho. Cotes, for Michael Sparke Senior, dwelling at the blue Bible in Greene Arbor, 1641. ESTC No. R11087. Grub Street ID 59403.

Author

  • Sparke, Michael. Crumms of comfort, the valley of teares, and the hill of ioy with the thankefull remembrance, 1588, by water, the wonderful deliuerance, 1605, by fire, and the miracle of mercy, 1625, by earth perused and penned for euery sinfull soule. London: Printed for Michael Sparke, 1627. ESTC No. S4912. Grub Street ID 148826.
  • Sparke, Michael. To the glory of God in thankefull remembrance of our three great deliuerances vnto eternal memory, is here described; The Spanish armado, in 1588. The powder-treason, in 1605. And the heauy time of Gods visitation, 1625. With a zealous prayer to turne from vs the fourth iudgement, that is likely to fall vpon vs by the sword. [London: for M. Sparke?, 1627]. ESTC No. S95288. Grub Street ID 153318.
  • Sparke, Michael. The crums of comfort with godly prayers. London: Printed for Mic. Spark, 1628. ESTC No. S3154. Grub Street ID 147440.
  • Sparke, Michael. Crvms of comfort and godly prayers w[th] Thankfull remembrances, of Gods wonderfull deliuerances of this land. London: printed [by T. Cotes] for Michaell Sparke at the Blew Bible in Greene Arbor, 1631. ESTC No. S95286. Grub Street ID 153316.
  • Sparke, Michael. The poore orphans court, or Orphans cry. By M.S. Being a wel-wisher for a speedy helpe of their misery, and an eye-witnesse of their present calamitie. London: Printed by A[nne] G[riffin] for M[ichael] S[parke] junior, 1636. ESTC No. S117720. Grub Street ID 137387.
  • Sparke, Michael. Scintilla, or, A light broken into darke warehouses. With observations vpon the monopolists of seaven severall patents, and two charters. Practised and performed, by a mistery of some printers, sleeping stationers, and combining book-sellers. Anatomised and layd open in a breviat, in which is only a touch of their forestalling and ingrossing of books in pattents, and raysing them to excessive prises. Left to the consideration of the high and honourable House of Parliament now assembled. At London,: printed, not for profit, but for the common weles good: and no where to be sold, but some where to be given, 1641. ESTC No. R8350. Grub Street ID 128530.
  • Sparke, Michael. An abstract or brief declaration of the present state of his Majesties revenew, with the assignations and defalcations upon the same. All monies brought into his Maiesties coffers from time to time, since his coming to the crown of England, by what meanes so ever. The ordinary annuall issues, gifts, rewards, and extraordianry disbursments, as they are distinguished in the severall titles hereafter following. London: printed for M[ichael]. S[parke], 1651. ESTC No. R224467. Grub Street ID 98107.
  • Sparke, Michael. The narrative history of King James, for the first fourteen years. In four parts. I. The state of England at His Majesties entrance, and relation it had to other parts: ... also the rising of Somerset, ... II. The proceedings touching the divorce betwixt the Lady Frances Howard, and Robert Earl of Essex, ... Also, the arraignment of Sir Jer. Elvis Lieutenant of the Tower, Sir Thomas Monson Knight, Anne Turner, Rich. Weston and James Franklin, &c. touching the murthering and poysoning of Sir Thomas Overbury, ... III. A declaration of His Majesties revenue with assignations and defalcations upon the same, and of all monies brought into His Majesties coffers from time to time, ... IV. The commissions and warrants for the burning of two hereticks, both holding part of the same our ranters do, being old heresies, newly revived. Also two pardons, the one for Theophilus Higgons, the other for Sr Eustace Harte. London: printed [by Richard Cotes] for Michael Sparke at the sign of the Bible in Green-Arbour, 1651. ESTC No. R32146. Grub Street ID 114888.
  • Sparke, Michael. Crumms of comfort The second part to grones of the spirit in prayers meditations consolations and preparation for death with his and times last legacy a coffin and winding sheete. London: printed for Michaell Sparke at the Blew-Bible in Green Arbour, 1652. ESTC No. R228786. Grub Street ID 101428.
  • Sparke, Michael. A second beacon fired by Scintilla: with his humble information and joynt attestation to the truth of his brethrens former declaration & catalogue, that fired the first beacon. Wherein is remembred the former actings of the papists in their secret plots: and now discovering their wicked designes to set up, advance, and cunningly to usher in popery; by introducing pictures to the Holy Bible: and by sending many young gentlewomen beyond the seas to the nunnes. Also, shewing and setting forth the misery of the whole Company of Stationers: and holding out rather a desolation to religion then a reformation; as more at large appears both in our ministers and churches, in these sad times, when blasphemy, negromancy, popery, and all heresies be printed and publiquely sold, in a most horrid manner without controll or punishment. London: printed for the author, 1652. ESTC No. R203511. Grub Street ID 80592.
  • Sparke, Michael. Truth brought to light: or, The history of the first 14 years of King James I. In four parts. I. The happy state of England at His Majesty's entrance; the corruption of it afterwards. With the rise of particular favourites, and the divisions between this and other states abroad. II. The divorce betwixt the Lady Frances Howard and Robert Earl of Essex, ... as also the arraignment of Sir Jer. Ellis, lieutenant of the Tower, &c. about the murther of Sir Thomas Overbury, with all proceedings thereupon, and the King's gracious pardon and favour to the Countess. III. A declaration of His Majesty's revenue since he came to the crown of England; ... IV. The commissions and warrants for the burning of two hereticks, newly revived, with two pardons, one for Theophilus Higgons, the other for Sir Eustace Hart. London: printed for Richard Baldwin, near the Oxford Arms in Warwick-Lane, 1692. ESTC No. R34585. Grub Street ID 117105.