What is a chapbook?  Good question.  I thought I knew. 

I would have asked you to picture a bunch of 8 ½” x 11” paper folded in half, stapled (saddle stitched) on the fold to a card stock cover.  Chapbooks most often contain poetry, stories, or essays, but originally they were likely to be political or religious tracts sold on street corners.  The name “chap,” came from the word “cheap.” 

So I thought.  But just to make sure I looked it up in several places.  Here are a couple of the definitions I  found:

“Small, inexpensive books produced from the 17th century until today, originally sold by chapmen, peddlers, and hawkers.” 

“A chapbook is an item of popular literature, as would have formed part of the stock of a chapman, peddler, or other itinerant trader. The term itself was coined by bibliophiles of the nineteenth century, and includes many kinds of printed material, such as ballad sheets, pamphlets, political and religious tracts, nursery rhymes, folk tales, and children's literature.” 

One source dated the term from the late 1500’s.  One specified “hand made.”  Several give page count limits, which varied widely, from 40 to 80. 

Today, it is generally accepted that a chapbook, whether poetry or prose, presents writing on a single theme. Glenda Bailey-Mershon’s latest chapbook, sa-co-ni-ge/blue smoke, brings together her poems on southern Appalacian geography, history, people and life. 

The chapbook form lends itself so well to poetry that some people are surprised to find chapbooks with stories or essays.  This web entry illustrates the point:

http://poetry.about.com/library/weekly/aa053000b.htm. 

Although the definition cited by this author does not mention poetry, and the discussion makes  it clear that all types of writing are found in chapbooks, about.com has filed it under poetry.  It’s a good article, check it out.

The chapbook is a medium that allows an author or publisher to launch ideas into the world as simply or elaborately as they wish.  The first chapbook I bought (in the early 70’s) was a collection of junior high poetry and line drawings compiled by a teacher who was justly proud of his students.  The typewritten and photocopied pages look crude compared to the pages I can produce on my little home laser printer, but the children’s creativity still shines.  At the other end of the spectrum Kat Vellos, who is a graphic artist as well as a writer, creates chapbooks which are visual works of art.  Her words become part of the images; the images and unusual papers and films offer the words up in the way she wants the reader to receive them.

Chapbooks remain an inexpensive way to publish and offer both writer and reader the opportunity to focus intently on the subject at hand.  And the name?  I was wrong.  Both “chap” and “cheap” come from the Latin caupo, tradesman.  At one point both words were nouns referring to the products sold by peddlers or hawkers, whether they were a bargain, or inexpensive, or not.