shilling shocker

English

Noun

shilling shocker (plural shilling shockers)

1. (British, historical) A cheap paperback book produced for the mass market in 19th-century Britain, often consolidating twelve to fifteen episodes of a serial novel whose chapters had previously been published separately as penny dreadful pamphlets. Shilling shockers were typically focused on the subjects of crime and violence and were especially popular in late Victorian England. The novels were rather short and cost one shilling.

See also

• penny dreadful