Chapbooks are thin, inexpensive booklets sold by peddlers since the 16th century. They contain various materials, from religious tracts to poetry. They were popular before the 19th century and sold door to door or at public events. Today, chapbooks are mostly associated with poetry and can be self-published inexpensively.
A chapbook is a thin, inexpensively produced booklet. It takes its name from the chapmen, or peddlers, who sold these booklets as early as the 16th century. Chapbooks are small in size and often fit in pockets. Chapbook is a generic term as the material in the booklet can be anything from religious tracts to nursery rhymes. Some chapbooks may contain political prose, while others contain poetry.
A simple 16-page chapbook can be made by taking eight standard-sized sheets of paper, folding them lengthwise, and then placing paper clips in the center crease. You would double the amount of pages to make 32 pages, the maximum of most chapbooks. Some brochures can be up to 64 pages thick, but this is rare for chapbooks.
After the 19th century, chapbooks were mostly replaced by the emergence of business journals. However, they were very popular before. Families read them aloud in their homes as did beer hall goers. Many people who did not have access to libraries bought them, especially those in rural areas. Because the extra paper was scary, chapbooks, once read, were often used for cooking and other household uses like toilet paper.
Chapmen sold the booklets door to door and also sold them at fairs and other public events. They usually got each chapbook on credit from the publisher and then went back and paid for each of the copies they sold to be printed. The first chapbook was not only produced in Great Britain but also in the United States and parts of South America.
Today the chapbook is mostly associated with poetry and can be self-published inexpensively. Some people even post recipes this way. Cookbook covers in a modern chapbook format are often laminated. Today’s computer software programs make producing chapbooks very easy. Chapbook author-publishers sometimes sell their books for a few dollars each on their websites, at poetry readings, or perhaps even at an independent bookstore.
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