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1681 T. Delaune & B. Keach Τροπολογία 76 Both Parts will contain upwards of a Hundred Sheets, and will be printed by Subscriptions.]

1687 (title) Proposals for printing (by subscription) an exposition on the whole book of Canticles.

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Subscription for a Book, is when the Undertakers propose Advantages to those that take a certain Number of Copies at a set Price [Bailey 1730 adds: and lay down Part of the Money, before the Impression is finish'd].

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Walton's Polyglot Bible, which is the first Book ever printed by Way of Subscription.

1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker II. 21 The Scotch-man gives lectures on the pronunciation of the English language, which he is now publishing by subscription.

1787 J. Hawkins Life Johnson 324 In 1766, she published by subscription a quarto volume of miscellanies.

1807 J. L. De Lolme Constit. Eng. Advert. p. ii In defect of encouragement from great men (and even from booksellers), I had recourse to a subscription.

1873 H. Curwen Hist. Booksellers 25 He waited four years before he ventured to publish, and then only by the safe method of subscription.

1890 S. S. Sprigge Methods Publ. 81 The system of publishing suggested by that firm..was that of ‘subscription’.

1929 J. D. Beresford in Trad. & Exper. in Present-day Lit. 48 Unless his novel [sc. James Joyce's Ulysses] is to be published by subscription, beyond the range of a police prosecution.

1973 Publishers Weekly 13 Aug. 30/2 Mark Twain..decided to publish ‘Huckleberry Finn’ by subscription in advance of publication.

2006 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 12 Oct. 19 Butleigh Amateur Rugby Football Club..was originally published by subscription, an old-fashioned but highly effective way of producing a book for a limited readership.

1852 Mass. Directory (advt. section in front matter) Book agents wanted. Men are wanted to canvass for popular, pictorial, standard, and religious works, which are sold only by subscription.

1871 Amer. Encycl. Printing 379/2 The sale of complete books of a less expensive character by subscription, as it is called, is..extensively resorted to,—the plan being to engage canvassers or book-agents..who..journey from door to door.

1918 E. L. D. Seymour Farm Knowl. IV. iii. 45 The books sold by subscription through traveling agents, and usually found on the shelves of the farmer's bookcase or on his table, are generally almost worthless.

2008 S. Courtney Joseph Hopkins Twichell xii. 124 The company sold books by subscription, its salesmen knocking on middle-class buyers' doors with books of doorstop heft.