Death and burial of Cock Robin

Chapbooks were flimsy, cheap and readily available, distributed throughout the British Isles by chapmen, known as the 'running stationers' or itinerant pedlars. They may have been the only reading material accessible by poorer people as they could be purchased for only a few pennies. The word 'chap' is derived from the Old English 'ceap' meaning barter or bargain.

These publications date back to the 16th century and were published into the 20th century, but their peak was during the 19th century, particularly those created 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 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. Although the page numbers on the flat sheet appear to have no logical sense, when correctly folded the pages are then sequential. 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.

A further attraction of the chapbooks was their illustrations. Although crude, and un-coloured, the concept of an illustration per page was attractive. The woodblock illustrations were frequently interchangeable, with the same figure doing service for a variety of people and objects.

Chapbooks were also produced in America, and a similar format was used in Germany and France to make reading material available to those with limited income.

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