Description
Book SynopsisThe Gothic Chapbook, Bluebook, and Shilling Shocker, 1797-1835 breaks new ground surveying the origins of the gothic chapbook, its publishers and authors, in order to conclusively establish the impact these pamphlets had on the development of the gothic genre. Considered the illegitimate offspring of the gothic novel, the lowly chapbook flooded the marketplace in the late eighteenth century, creating a separate and distinct secondary market for tales of terror. The trade was driven by a handful of individuals who were booksellers and dealers, circulating library proprietors, stationers, and small publishers who produced well over four hundred chapbooks, bluebooks and shilling shockers containing gothic tales from magazines, redactions of popular novels, extractions of entire inset tales, and original tales of terror. This study responds to the urgent and pressing need to contextualise the gothic chapbook in ascertaining a more concise and comprehensive view of the entire gothic genre.
Trade Review“Chapbooks represent, undeservedly, one of the least-studied aspects of the Gothic. Potter’s meticulous scholarship addresses this situation, providing not merely an authoritative introduction to these ephemeral pamphlets and their relationship to mainstream Gothic, but also lucid insight into the complexities of their authorship, publishing, and circulation. Clearly written and beautifully illustrated, this book will set the standard for future scholars.”
-- William Hughes, University of Macau
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction 1 Chapbooks, Bluebooks and Shilling Shockers 2 The Rise of the Gothic Chapbook: Simon Fisher, Thomas Hurst and The Monk, 1797-1801 3 The Art of Marketing: Ann Lemoine and John Roe 4 The Golden Age of the Shilling Shocker: Thomas Tegg and the Chapbook Magazines 5 The Profiteers: Isaac Crookenden and Sarah Wilkinson 6 The Decline of the Gothic Pamphlet Notes Appendix: Gothic Pamphlets Bibliography Index
