A New Lottery Book, page 2.

These chapbooks were a hybrid between the older, ribald eighteenth-century chapbooks and the newly established children’s books. They were designed for children of poorer families who required a more affordable, abridged version of a children’s book. At this time the cost of a book could be greater than a day’s wages. A chapbook, at the same price as a loaf of bread, would be an affordable alternative. Although affordable to the lower classes this would not preclude them from being purchased by wealthier clientele.

Scotland was noted for its high rates of literacy and inclusiveness of all social classes in its educational system. Education would be an avenue for social mobility. These affordable chapbooks with their instructional stories, phrases, and fables would contribute to preparing the child for life.