Chapbook
/ˈtʃæp.bʊk/noun
A small inexpensive booklet, especially one containing popular tales, poems, or tracts.
Did you know?Chapbook comes from chapman, an Old English word for a merchant or peddler, so the word literally preserves the memory of the street-seller who carried stories in his pack.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
céap
“Trade, barter, purchase, or price.”
Old English
OE
céapmann
“A merchant or trader; literally a trade-man.”
Middle English
ME
chapman
“A peddler or traveling merchant.”
17th Century
English
chapbook
“A small, cheaply printed booklet sold by chapmen.”
Modern English
English
chapbook
“A small inexpensive booklet, often containing popular literature or verse.”