Story books, godly books, ballads, and song books: the chapbook in Scotland, 1740–1820

Beavan, I. (2023) Story books, godly books, ballads, and song books: the chapbook in Scotland, 1740–1820. In: Atkinson, D. and Roud, S. (eds.) Cheap Print and Street Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century. Open Book Publishers: Cambridge, UK, pp. 219-258. ISBN 9781805110392 (doi: 10.11647/obp.0347.09)

Abstract

The widespread presence of the chapbook in Scotland (not to be confused with the Scottish chapbook) over the later decades of the eighteenth century (thus covering the period of its highest production) is subjected to a number of detailed considerations. The production of such material was dominated by a relatively few firms, and the greatest number of chapbooks themselves emanated at this period from Glasgow, followed by Edinburgh. The activities of the printers and publishers John Morren, Edinburgh, and the Robertson family, Glasgow, are given particular attention. Some chapbook publishers, as with James Chalmers of Aberdeen, evidently regarded their production as a small but integral part of their broader printing activities, while for others it came close to a monopoly.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Beavan, Dr Iain
• Authors: Beavan, I.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies
• Publisher: Open Book Publishers
• ISBN: 9781805110392
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 Iain Beavan
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license