OT: "copyright" (imprint) date vs. publication date

Mon Mar 28 18:58:42 UTC 2011

At 3/28/2011 12:09 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>  (FWIW, I have seen books in bookstores in October that were
>"copyright" the following year.)

Samuel Sewall saw a book arrive (I don't know whether in hand or at
his bookseller's) a year later than it was imprinted.  Not
impossible, but that has since confused many historians.  Increase
Mather's An Arrow against Profane and Promiscuous Dancing is
imprinted 1684, but Sewall wrote it "comes out" on February 16,
1685.  That of course is 1686 New Style.  One can only imagine the
number of events in New England that have therefore been erroneously
dated as happening after it was published, as well as the significant
actually-preceding events that historians deny could have influenced
Mather to write it.

Joel

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