MONASH COLLECTIONS

Yellow-backs

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TitleYellow-backs DescriptionYellow-backs were published in Britain in the mid-nineteenth century and sold as cheap paperbacks for an increasing urban, mobile class moving around and outside of London. Mainly sold at railway stations, the books feature yellow-tinted covers, colourful illustrations and elaborate spines to attract the eye of passers-by. The poor quality paper and covers were not designed to last, making them rare. This collection of Yellow-backs is in excellent condition and includes issues of Jane Austen's posthumously published novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Related CollectionRare BooksBooks

Popularised in mid-19th-century Britain as cheap railway literature, "yellowbacks"—nicknamed "mustard-plasters"—featured vibrant, eye-catching covers designed to entertain travellers with sensational fiction, adventures, and classic literature. Due to their fragile paper and cheap binding, surviving copies are now highly collectible. Monash Special Collections holds a significant selection, including nine unique titles that remain the sole known surviving examples, alongside late 19th-century editions of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

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Yellow-backs