FERRIS (SAMUEL), bookseller in London, (1) In Cannon Street under St. Swithin's Church; (2) Cannon Street near London Stone, 1662-63. Was the publisher of some of Archbishop Usher's sermons (see Ames' Collection of Title-pages, 3058) and an edition of P. Boaistuau's Theatre of the World, 1663.
FIELD (JOHN), printer in London and Cambridge. London: (1) Addle Hill, neer Baynard's Castle, 1644; (2) St. Andrews in the Wardrope, 1649; (3) Seven Stars Fleet Street, 1659. Cambridge: Silver Street, 1655-68 (1635-68). Took up his freedom February 4th, 1635. [Arber, iii. 687.] Appears to have been originally a bookseller only, as in 1644 the imprint, found in several tracts by Adam Steuart, reads "London, Printed for John Field, and are to be sold at his shop on Addle Hill" [B.M. E. 20 (7); E. 274 (14).] On January 25th, 1649, he was joined with Edward Husbands, q.v., as printer to the Parliament [House of Commons Journals, vol 6, p. 349.] He was also appointed printer to Oliver Cromwell. On October 12th, 1655, Field was appointed by Grace printer to the University of Cambridge, and about the same time it was ordered by Cromwell that the copyright of the Bible should be entered to him and Henry Hills, q.v., in the Stationers' Registers. This was opposed by John Streator and other printers on the ground that it would lay them open under the Act of September 20th, 1649, to be sued for 6s. 8d. on every copy they possessed. [Domestic State Papers, 1656, vol. 126, 92.] Field printed many editions of the Bible, notably a quarto edition in 1648, a duodecimo edition in 1652, and a 32mo edition in 1653, all of which were noted for the number and variety of the misprints, the general badness of the printing, and their excessive price. In connection with this William Kilburne wrote a pamphlet entitled Dangerous errors in several late printed Bibles … "Printed at Finsbury, 1659." This pamphlet was written not so much out of zeal for the purity of the Bible, as on behalf of those whose trade had been injured by the monopoly given to Field and Hills by Cromwell. Field was also fiercely attacked in another pamphlet entitled The London Printers Lamentacon, or, the Press opprest, and overprest, the chief paragraphs in which are reprinted by Mr. Arber in his Transcript, vol. iii. 27, 28. In 1655 Field built a new printing office in Silver Street, Cambridge, the University having for that purpose taken a lease of the ground from Queens' College for a term of years; and by several renewals
