BBTI data originate from a range of published sources, from many scholars, librarians and local researchers, and from the Eighteenth-Century Short-Title Catalogue and Stationers’ Company Records (generously provided by the British Library and Michael Turner respectively).

Some years ago, a number of standard reference works were consulted and relevant data were added to BBTI. These published sources included the Dictionaries of the Printers and Booksellers who were at work in England, Scotland and Ireland, 1557-1775, (‘Plomer’) published by the Bibliographical Society, Charles Ramsden’s Bookbinders of the United Kingdom (outside London) 1780-1840 (Batsford, 1954), and W B Todd’s A Directory of Printers and others in Allied Trades: London and vicinity 1800-1840 (Printing Historical Society, 1972). A number of other published works, notably trade directories, national and local, were also consulted and relevant data added - for more information, please consult the Sources list.

In the later stages of the AHRB-funded project, the BBTI data input team made extensive use of the Historical Directories Searchable Digital Library. We are grateful to those involved with this very useful project at the University of Leicester.