Broadsides, chap books, songsters, woodcuts, engravings, last dying speeches, catchpennies, wonder-tales, almanacs, fortune tellers, and all kinds of cheap printed material sold to ordinary people in the city streets, at country fairs, and from pedlar’s packs up and down the country in past centuries.

The day consists of short papers, presentations and discussions, and is suitable for beginners and experts alike. Topics will include: John White, prolific chapbook printer in 19th century Newcastle; Joseph Sadler, a ballad writer in Victorian Dublin; the history and politics of English protest music; Finnish broadsides on the Titanic; canals; highwaymen; and murderers. In 2021 the Broadside Day will be held on Zoom. We hope this will mean an audience from across the UK and further afield. A stimulating day of discourse awaits!