Other than Johnny Appleseed, ne John Chapman, anyone named Chapman was probably a bookseller of “penny histories,” or “chapbooks” which were the most-printed books in England during the 18th Century !
Chapmen were itinerant hawkers and peddlers, and their stock in trade was seen as an inspiration-to-read for the young readers whose major reading matter was the Bible. Chapbooks caused as great an increase in reading by juveniles as did J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series more than 200 years later ! So, when you encounter someone named Chapman, thank him.
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