SAMUEL KNEELAND AND DANIEL HENCHMAN: JONATHAN EDWARDS’ CHIEF PRINTER AND PUBLISHER IN BOSTON

Abstract

In the last fifty years, Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) has become the subject of countless articles, books, and dissertations. Yet, surprisingly, virtually nothing has been written on Edwards’ main printer and publisher in Boston. The printer Samuel Kneeland (1697–1769) and the bookseller-publisher Daniel Henchman (1689–1761) are shadowy figures in the narrative that surrounds Edwards’ life. These men were crucial, however, to the production and dissemination of Edwards’ writings, especially in the first half of the eighteenth century. It would not be unfair to say that in the first half of the eighteenth century, much of Edwards’ success as an author can be attributed to Kneeland and Henchman, who served as his chief printer and publisher in Boston. These two men were responsible for producing the bulk of Edwards’ writings before his death in 1758. This article examines the role that Kneeland and Henchman played in publishing and distributing Edwards’ texts while placing them within the context of the colonial Boston book trade.