F s n e i n th e mn 1962 ssue ir t pri t d Autu , , i of Th e Nor t His or i e i e - h t cal R v w , pp . 4 2 3 4 99 . PATRONS OF THE PRES S : S ubscr iption Book Pur ch a ses in Nor th C ar olin a 1 3 - 185 , 73 0 Y WILLIAM P L B S . OWEL I 193 9 n E. om on i . f Bo F C pt del vered the fourth o the R . R wker m o L r New B f o Me rial ectu es at the York Public Library . yway o intr duction he n oted that he had been un able to fin d a defin ition of sub “ on n Bu t can scripti books that could ot be challenged . perhaps we “ h o oo in m n o for agree , he said, t at subscripti n b ks are , the ai , th se i n m o or i io by wh ch a defi ite arket is created , bef re after publ cat n , soliciting indivi dual orders . Th e history of subscription publication is an an cient and honorable ’ on e . E n i n i i m on oo to When ngla d s earl est pri ter, W ll a Caxt , undert k n The olden Le en d 14 83 on i translate and pri t G g in , he relied a s ngle i n for n B of n subscript o the ecessary funds . ecause the expe se and the “ o m o m o n of o n o h f en r us a u t w rk i v lved, he tells us t at he was hal Th desperate until th e Earl of Arun del cam e to his assistan ce . e Earl “ ’ agreed to purchase a reason able quantity of C axton s book an d to gran t him a yearly fee for the rem ain der of his li fe . The single patron of a publi cation was s oon accepted as a logical l N m o flo n m eans of fin ancin g a pub ication . u er us wery dedicatio s give us som e idea con cern ing the gratit ude of authors for the assistance of B o m o f m en their patrons . ef re any years had passed gr ups o were assist in in ion of o o . For m in 1552 g the publicat w rthy w rks exa ple , eight ’ Lords of the Privy C ouncil pooled their resources to see John Foxe s 1 Tables of Gramm ar thr ough the press . From here it was only a logical n ext step to obtain len gthy lists of ur i f o The i in subscribers to ass e the financ al success o a bo k . first surv v g oo in i i of is o in 1617 b k wh ch a printed l st subscribers f und , appeared w ll L b a an th e N h a l n a ll n Un v N h Mr . Po e is i r ri of ort C ro i Co ectio , i ersity of ort a l n a L b a h a l ll C ro i i r ry, C pe Hi u b r i on k New Y k: Th e New Y k ubl a F . E. m n L b Co pto , S sc ipt Boo s ( or or P ic i r ry, “ m r k 5 h n a d a s n , u b n , a ah L. la , Th e , erei fter cite Co pto S sc iptio Boo s S r ” H C pp i n n n ub n ubl a n in th e v n n h n u d n h l l Beg i g s of S scriptio P ic tio Se e tee t Ce t ry, Mo er P i o og y, - XXIX N v m b 2 05 2 06 . ( o e er , 2 PATRONS OF THE PRESS n o n Min sh eu m o i o o whe J h , a Ca bridge sch lar , publ shed a p lygl t dic ti on ary containin g Engli sh words with their equivalen ts in other n . The i ion o i n of 166 am n la guages subscr pt list, c ns sti g n es , appare tly ’ va made up of the author s frien ds residin g in Cam bridge an d Ox yor s1 Th e first book publi shed in what i s n ow the United States was The Wh ole Booko salm s Faith ull Tran slated i n to En lish Metr e f P , f y g , n m i u in 164 0 n i pri ted at Ca br dge , Massach setts , , the first pri t ng press in i o n i Th e th s c u try hav ng been set up there just the year before . press in the colon ies was subject to m an y restriction s and its use h spread slowly . T e secon d an d third colon ies to have a press were n n n i o - six i th e Maryla d and Pe sylvan a, but f rty years had elapsed s nce V n Massachusetts prin ter had set to work . irgi ia was seven th of the o on to m n of on c l ies see the establish e t a press , but that was ly after a cen tury (lackin g nine years ) had passed since the Cam bridge press 173 1 o on . o o o o n began perati S uth Car lina had a press the f ll wi g year, , ’ n D B w n and North Caroli a s Jam es avis opened shop in 174 9 . et ee that 3 date and 1785 seven other colon ies or States acquired their first press . Th e story of pr inting by subscription in this countr y has been o on on i i i o i i o an d t uched ly nc dentally by h st rians , b bl graphers , N io f on oo n om i i i n . o o l brar a s bibl graphy subscripti b ks has bee c p led , an d until m ore work has been done it will be alm ost im possible to t poin t ou the landm arks . In 1683 o on o in i : T is an old H C tt Mather wr te his d ary here awker, wh o i o tr i o an d Boo if i i will fill th s c un y w th dev ut useful ks , I w ll d rect ” “ m o m i him . om o : a S e years later he rec rded I inf r ed , that the M nds an d Man n ers of m any People ab out the Coun try are m uch corrupted oo o an d B i H by f lish S ngs allads , wh ch the awkers and Pedlars carry A m into all parts of the C oun trey. When the Massachusetts sse bly 1713 i n om m passed a law in restr cti g the peddlers , Mather c ented that m i Boo in i A m l he ust ass st the ksellers address ng the sse b y, that ' i A n m a n ot hin der th eir H om the r late ct agai st Pedlers , y awkers fr ” 4 B t carrying Books of Piety ab out the C oun tr ey. u we do n ot know that they s ought orders for books in advan ce of publi cati on . om n u b r i n ks 1 5. C pto , S sc ptio Boo , 3 “ du n n bu n m th e n n n th e Law n . h , k t a d t t g g t re ce C Wrot ” Boo Pro c io Dis ri io fro Be i i o Am an v lu n llm u L h m an n - au Th e k i n Am a New eric Re o tio , He t e H pt Boo eric ( “ wk n -59 h n a d as h o k Y k: . m a y, 7 , t t t , or R R Bo er Co ”p erei f er ci e Wro B o Pro du ction an d Distribu tion . ‘ D a o n a h n : a a h u al 2 v lum i ry f Cotto M t er (Bosto M ss c setts Historic Society, o es , ’ “ 1 92 1 65 2 4 2 2 83 w n n alm O Ha r r a k ubl h n i n th e I , ; II , , ; Do i g P er , Boo P is i g ’ Un d a Th e u bl h e W kl C XV a h 1 6 2 3 3 0 l 6 2 0 ite St tes to P is rs ee y, (M rc , , , Apri , , Ma 1 1 1 8 un 8 y , , J e , PATRONS OF THE PRESS 3 Am on g th e earliest Am erican books kn own to have been s old by ’ u bscr ipti on were Sam uel Willard s Compleat Body of Divin ity (Bos ton A ollection o All th e Acts o Assembl i m r , C f f y (W llia sbu g , ’ an d Thom as Prin ce s Ch ron ological His tory of New En gla n d Bo on Th e i m m in to ( st , Will a sburg i pr t is the first which person s outside the imm ediate area of the printer subscribed; the n am es of four North Carolin ian s appear am on g the un com pleted li st of 2 50 subscribers .