In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, chapbooks, or short pamphlets, offered an affordable way for readers to access popular stories of romance, travel, comedy, politics, fairy tales, and other topics. The Scottish Chapbooks Project, a collaborative initiative of the University of Guelph Library's Archival and Special Collections and the Department of History, lets readers browse 56 chapbooks alongside a variety of educational resources. Visitors new to chapbooks may want to start by checking out the Research and Resources section, which features two short essays that, respectively, explore the historiography of chapbooks and the role that women play in creating and consuming these chapbooks. Visitors may also wish to explore these chapbooks individually (through Items) or as one of four Exhibits, where select chapbooks are grouped by theme. For example, one exhibit centers on chapbooks involving ghosts and superstition, while another features a collection of lesson plans and activities for high school teachers.
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