Creating a Chapbook: Initial Ideas

Introduction to the project

My second project in this term will be creating a chapbook, which is a very short publication with up to forty pages.I  have only two weeks for this project, so it can be a challenge. I will make my work into a flipbook and then add it to my portfolio on my website.

What is a chapbook?

According to National Library of Scotland (2024) 'Chapbooks are small paper-covered booklets, usually printed on a single sheet or portion of a sheet, folded into books of 8, 12, 16 and 24 pages, often illustrated with crude woodcuts'.Their history dates back to the end of the 15th century, but they became most popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. There were many different types of chapbooks such as almanacs, ballads, children's literature, folk tales, nursery rhymes, pamphlets, poetry, and political and religious tracts. They owe their popularity to their low price, usually amounting to a penny or halfpenny, which unfortunately resulted in the low quality.(Lyons 2011)

Chap-book by Will Bradley (1894)

Ideas:

I have several ideas for my project, but I think the best one is a fictional story about 'Leicester Reaper - the most danger serial killer in Leicester'. Another idea is a guide around Leicester in which I describe the most beautiful buildings in the city and add photos of them. However story about murder will by more interesting and I will follow this idea. 

One of the inspirations for writing this book was the story of legendary London murderer, Jack the Ripper, who committed his crimes at the end of the 19th century. He become one of the most famous serial killer in history, who was never catched.

Form:

I want my book to be similar in form to the most famous Agatha Christie crime stories or Sherlock Holmes books, so it will appeal to fans of this literary genre. Furthermore, I would like the book to have three or four chapters and illustrations from free photo sites or created by myself using IA.

Reference:

National Library of Scotland. (2024). Chapbooks. [online] Available at: https://www.nls.uk/collections/rare-books/collections/chapbooks/ [Accessed 6 Feb. 2024].

Lyons, Martyn. (2011). Books: A Living History. Los Angeles, CA. Getty Publications. (pp.121-122)

Pinterest. (n.d.). 1894_willbradley_chapbook_cv | Illustration art nouveau, Art et illustration, Affiche artistique. [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/569142471661382201/ [Accessed 6 Feb. 2024].