The small poetry publications of 1790s Glasgow: Definitions, descriptions and doubts

Beavan, I. (2022) The small poetry publications of 1790s Glasgow: Definitions, descriptions and doubts. Burns Chronicle, 131(1), pp. 37-59. (doi: 10.3366/burns.2022.0037)

Abstract

This essay is concerned with the criteria surrounding the use and applicability of the term ‘chapbook’, especially when applied to the output of the small poetry publications of three publishing firms in 1790s Glasgow (Brash & Reid, Stewart & Meikle; John Murdoch). This output has been the subject of sustained scholarly investigation because included within were works by Robert Burns. The paper puts forward a series of arguments as to why it is inadvisable to call these individual small publications simply ‘chapbooks’ and that if the term is to be used at all, then it should be with considerable qualification.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Beavan, Dr Iain
• Authors: Beavan, I.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies
• Journal Name: Burns Chronicle
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• ISSN: 1365-7518
• ISSN (Online): 2634-7059
• Published Online: 01 March 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © Edinburgh University Press 2021
• First Published: First published in Burns Chronicle 131(1): 37-59
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy