Special Collections: Chap Books

Chapbooks were mostly small paper-covered booklets usually comprising a single sheet folded to form a 'book' of between 8 and 24 pages. They were named after chapmen - similar to a pedlar and were in circulation from the 17th to the 19th century. They were produced cheaply - often being illustrated with cheap woodcuts - in an attempt to maximise their circulation. Their subject matter was quite broad ranging from sermons to the final words of convicted murderers. Manchester's collection contains around 1000 items in around 80 volumes including some in Italian and French. The bulk of the collection consists of around 500 British chapbooks dating from 1770-1850 - some were intended specifically for children while others describe sensational and violent incidents or are adaptations of Byron and Scott.