The history of the blind beggar of Bethnal Green.
Category
Books
Date
circa 1810
Materials
Measurements
158 x 103 x 2 mm
Place of origin
Ulverston
Order this imageCollection
Townend, Cumbria
NT 3172450
Caption
Chapbooks were small booklets of sensational stories or songs, particularly popular from the 17th to the 19th centuries. In common with modern comics and soap operas, illustrated chapbooks featured fables, historical tales and even saucy stories to amuse their readers. This popular reading material was sold by publishers and travelling pedlars called chapmen. Chapbooks were usually printed on one sheet of thin paper, so they were cheap to make and buy. Although they were printed in large numbers, very few survive today. This chapbook is one of several surviving at Townend that were collected over four centuries by a family of yeoman farmers. Their library reveals what they were reading from the 17th century onwards. The story in this case is inspired by a popular Tudor legend about a wealthy wounded knight who disguised himself as a beggar. Many versions were printed, but this rare 19th-century copy was produced locally in Ulverston. The library at Townend contains many special books, including at least 45 books that are currently unrecorded anywhere else in the world.
Summary
Bibliographic description
16p.. ill.. (woodcuts). 8vo. Binding: unbound; edges uncut.