Yellow-backs
Encyclopedia
A yellow-back is a cheap fiction
novel
which was published in Britain
in the second half of the 19th century. They were occasionally called 'mustard-plaster' novels.
Developed in the 1840s to compete with the 'penny dreadful
', Yellow-Backs were marketed as entertaining reading. They had brightly coloured covers, often printed by chromoxylography
, that were attractive to a new class of readers, thanks to the spread of education and rail travel.
Routledge
s were one of the first publishers to begin marketing Yellow-Backs by starting their "Railway Library" in 1849. The series included 1,277 titles, published over 50 years. These mainly consisted of stereotyped reprints of fiction novels originally published as cloth editions. By the late 19th century, Yellow-Backs included sensational fiction, adventure stories, 'educational' manuals, handbooks, and cheap biographies.
Some typical examples of authors of Yellow-Backs include Robert Louis Stevenson
and James Grant
.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
which was published in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the second half of the 19th century. They were occasionally called 'mustard-plaster' novels.
Developed in the 1840s to compete with the 'penny dreadful
Penny Dreadful
A penny dreadful was a type of British fiction publication in the 19th century that usually featured lurid serial stories appearing in parts over a number of weeks, each part costing an penny...
', Yellow-Backs were marketed as entertaining reading. They had brightly coloured covers, often printed by chromoxylography
Chromoxylography
Chromoxylography was a colour woodblock printing process popular from the mid 19th to the early 20th century, commonly used to produce illustrations in children's books, serial pulp magazine such as mysteries and romances, and cover art for yellow-backs and penny dreadfuls.In the 19th century...
, that were attractive to a new class of readers, thanks to the spread of education and rail travel.
Routledge
Routledge
Routledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
s were one of the first publishers to begin marketing Yellow-Backs by starting their "Railway Library" in 1849. The series included 1,277 titles, published over 50 years. These mainly consisted of stereotyped reprints of fiction novels originally published as cloth editions. By the late 19th century, Yellow-Backs included sensational fiction, adventure stories, 'educational' manuals, handbooks, and cheap biographies.
Some typical examples of authors of Yellow-Backs include Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
and James Grant
James Grant (author)
James Grant was a Scottish author.Grant was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was a distant relation of Sir Walter Scott. He was a prolific author, writing some 90 books, including many yellow-backs...
.
External links
- Download 19th Century Books from Emory Libraries Website, Emory UniversityEmory UniversityEmory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...