Chapbooks may have been the only reading material poor people could afford to buy. Originally they were intended for adults and contained religious or political tracts, in particular relating to the English Civil War. Later they contained more general reading material, including the barest story outline for novels such as Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote, and Pilgrim's Progress.

Chapbooks were flimsy, cheap and readily available, distributed throughout the British Isles by chapmen, known as the 'running stationers' or itinerant pedlars. The word 'chap' is derived from the Old English 'ceap' meaning barter or bargain. Chapbooks could be purchased for only a few pennies and so were affordable by all except the very poorest people.

They date back to the 16th century and were published into the 20th century, but their peak was the 19th century, particularly those for children. Versions for children were very quickly produced and included adaptations of fairy stories as well as traditional English tales such as Robin Hood, Jack the Giant Killer and Dick Whittington, as well as nursery rhymes that are still familiar today. In fact, it is largely because of chapbooks that these stories and rhymes were preserved for today's generations, as the oral traditions of storytelling were put into print. Chapbooks were for many the only source of imaginative literature.

Chapbooks were produced as a flat sheet, and some folding and then cutting were required from the buyer to produce a small booklet of eight to 16 pages. Because the little books were produced as cheaply as possible, there are certain crudities in the printing that would not be expected in more expensively produced books. Although the page numbers on the flat sheet appear to have no logical sense, when correctly folded the pages are then sequential.

Opie, Iona. Nursery companion, Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, c1980

Tuer, Andrew W. Pages and pictures from forgotten children's books, London: The Leadenhall Press; New York: C. Scribner's sons, 1898-9

Weiss, Harry B. A book about chapbooks; the people's literature of bygone times, Hatboro, Pa., Folklore Associates, 1969

National Library of Scotland: Rare Books Collection. Chapbooks

Victoria and Albert Museum: Chapbooks. What is a chapbook?