Publications of Caesar Ward

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 Caesar Ward

  • Sterne, Laurence. The abuses of conscience: set forth in a sermon, preached in the Cathedral church of St. Peter's, York, at the Summer Assizes, before the Hon. Mr. Baron Clive, and the Hon. Mr. Baron Smythe, on Sunday, July 29, 1750. By Laurence Sterne, A.M. Prebendary of the said Church. Published at the Request of the High Sheriff and Grand Jury. York: printed by Caesar Ward: for John Hildyard, in Stonegate, [1750]. ESTC No. T14745. Grub Street ID 194006.
  • Warneford, Richard. Sermons on various subjects, by the late Rev. Richard Warneford, A. M. Vicar of St. Martin's, Coney-Street, and Sub-Chanter of the Cathedral of St. Peter's in York. Prepared for the Press by himself, and faithfully published from his Manuscripts. Vol. I. York: printed by Caesar Ward, in Coney-Street, MDCCLVII. [1757]. ESTC No. T105185. Grub Street ID 158551.
  • Williams, William. A sermon, preached in the parish-church of Snaith, on the 18th of September, 1757, on the present disturbances on account of the Militia Act, Before The Rt. Hon. Lord Viscount Downe and Stanhope Harvey, Esq; Published at the Request of his Lordship and a numerous Congregation. By William Williams, Minister of Snaith. York: printed by Caesar Ward, in Coney-Street, MDCCLVII. [1757]. ESTC No. T73202. Grub Street ID 296536.
  • Fox, John, B.A.. An earnest persuasive to a manly defence of our happy constitution in church and state; a sermon, Preached in the Parish-Church of Kildwick-Piercy, In the County of York, On Friday, February 17, 1758, Being the Day appointed for a general fast. By John Fox, B. A. Minister of that Parish. York: printed by Caesar Ward, for John Hinxman, Bookseller in Stonegate, MDCCLVIII. [1758]. ESTC No. T17995. Grub Street ID 216647.
  • Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de. A dialogue between Scipio and Bergansa, two dogs belonging to the city of Toledo. Giving an account of their lives and adventures. With Their Reflections on the Lives, Humours and Employments of the Masters they lived with. To which is annexed the comical history of Rincon and Cortado. Both written by the celebrated author of Don Quixote; and now first translated from the Spanish original. London: printed by Caesar Ward; for Messrs. Richardson and Urquhart, at the Royal Exchange; and C. Etherington, at York, MDCCLXVI. [1766]. ESTC No. T75709. Grub Street ID 298339.
  • Robinson, John. The history of Mr. Charles Chance, and Miss Clara Vellum. London: printed by Caesar Ward, for Francis Noble, at his Circulating Library, near Middle-Row Holborn; and John Noble, at his Circulating Library, in St. Martin's Court, near Leicester-Square, MDCCLXVII. [1767]. ESTC No. T71397. Grub Street ID 294963.

Printed for Caesar Ward

  • Loughton, William. A practical grammar of the English tongue: or, a rational and easy introduction to speaking and writing English correctly and properly ; Peculiarly adapted to the Nature and Genius of the Language, and free from the hard and unnecessary Terms of the Latin Rudiments. The whole treated of in expressive Terms and familiar Style, and in the most natural and instructive Method, viz. That of Question and Answer. Design'd for the use of schools: And tho' calculated chiefly for such as require only an English Education, may yet be a useful Foundation to those who are design'd for higher Studies. By William Loughton, School-Master, at Kensington. London: printed for Caesar Ward and Richard Chandler, at the Ship between the Temple Gates in Fleetstreet. And Sold at their Shop at Scarbrough, MDCCXXXIV. [1734]. ESTC No. T118877. Grub Street ID 170361.
  • Atkins, John. A voyage to Guinea, Brasil, and the West-Indies; in His Majesty's Ships, the Swallow and Weymouth. Describing the several Islands and Settlements, Viz-Madeira, the Canaries, Cape de Verd, Sierraleon, Sesthos, Cape Apollonia, Cabo Corso, and others on the Guinea Coast; Barbadoes, Jamaica, &c. in the West-Indies. The Colour, Diet, Languages, Habits, Manners, Customs, and Religions of the respective Natives, and Inhabitants. With Remarks on the Gold, Ivory, and Slave-Trade; and on the Winds, Tides and Currents of the several Coasts. By John Atkins, Surgeon in the Royal Navy. London: printed for Caesar Ward and Richard Chandler, at the Ship, between the Temple-Gates in Fleet-Street; [London] and Sold at their Shop in Scarborough, M.DCC.XXXV. [1735]. ESTC No. T87658. Grub Street ID 307694.
  • Loughton, William. A practical grammar of the English tongue: or, a rational and easy introduction to speaking and writing English correctly and properly ; Peculiarly adapted to the Nature and Genius of the Language; and free from the hard and unnecessary Terms of the Latin Rudiments. The whole treated of in expressive Terms and familiar Style, and in the most natural and instructive Method, viz. That of Question and Answer. Design'd for the use of schools. And tho' calculated chiefly for the Use of the Fair Sex, and such as require only an English Education, may yet be a useful Foundation to those who are design'd for higher Studies. By William Loughton, School-Master at Kensington. The fifth edition, with improvements. To which is annexed, an introduction to the art of writing, illustrated with several Specimens of all the usual Hands, curiously engraved by Mr Bickham. London: printed for C?sar Ward, Bookseller in York and Scarbrough; and sold by W. Sandby, at the Ship without Temple-Bar, 1744. ESTC No. T121550. Grub Street ID 172371.