Save
me, save me.
Bang,
bang, bang.
Curses,
foiled again!
Your Victorian ancestor may have had
one shocking vice up her leg o’mutton sleeve—or tucked in her apron. Like
millions of others she probably read dime novels—lots and lots of dime
novels.
The first dime novel Malaeska, the Indian Wife of the White
Hunter was published in 1860 and quickly sold 65,000. That book started a craze that would remain
popular until 1915. Melodramatic? You bet, but that was part of the fun. The stories were lurid—the purple prose outrageous—but
readers couldn’t seem to get enough.
The root of the dime novel can be
traced back to James Fenimore Cooper’s popular Leatherstocking Tales, which
romanticized the wild frontier, and explains why most dimers were set in the
west. Dime novels actually sold anywhere from a nickel to twenty-five
cents--far cheaper than the dollar price of other books. Called Penny Dreadfuls and Shilling Shockers
in Europe, worldwide readership was estimated to be in the millions.
A
Series Of Events Led To The Proliferation Of Dime Novels
Mandatory education resulted in more
literacy and the invention of the steam printing press lowered the cost of
printing. Railroads made distribution easier and books more accessible. Sales
of dime novels surged during the Civil War. Confederates and Union soldiers
were on opposing sides politically but both camps shared the same passion for
pirates, mountain men, adventurers and detectives.

Though the lurid cover art and
violent stories were severely criticized by moralists as having a bad influence
on youth—and corrupting the delicate brains of women—the stories actually reinforced
the values of patriotism, courage and self-reliance. This, however, didn’t stop critics from
blaming them for everything from childish pranks to violent crimes and even the
Women’s Rights movement.
Voracious Readers Made Cranky
Writers
Popular
writers were expected to produce a book every few days. Some writers reportedly could turn out a
thousand words an hour for twelve hour stretches.

A New Kind of Hero
Books
based on real people such as Buffalo Bill, Kit Carson and Jesse James were
especially popular, though the stories were purely fiction. The good guys
battled evil and no bad deed was left unpunished. Chaste damsels in distress
needed rescuing and dashing heroes were only too happy to oblige. By today’s standards the books
were racist, but they reflected the times.
They also helped to establish a new social order where males were
judged by deeds rather than social status.
For this reason the western hero became the symbol of the ideal
man.
The Dime Novel That Broke Kit Carson's Heart

"We found a book
in the camp, the first of the kind I had ever seen, in which I was represented
as a great hero, slaying Indians by the hundred. I have often thought that Mrs.
White must have read it, and knowing that I lived nearby, must have prayed for
my appearance in order that she might be saved. I did come, but I lacked the
power to persuade those that were in command over me to follow my plan for her
rescue."
The Demise of the Dime Novel
By the late 1800s pulp magazines replaced dime novels in popularity and
the world was getting ready to greet a new type of story-telling—the motion
picture.
Pinkerton
operative Maggie Michaels travels to Arizona Territory as an undercover
mail-order bride to track down the notorious Whistle-Stop Bandit. If she
doesn’t prove the suspect guilty before the wedding—she could end up as his
wife!
Great info on Dime Novels, advanced by the printing press, education, and the railroad. What an exciting time for those brand new readers and readers looking for some adventure. sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteWow - to turn out a novel the size of a Heartsong on up to a Harlequin Love Inspired Romance in month, let alone 3 in a month? I wonder what the editing process was like. As you can tell, I've never seen a real one, let alone read one, so thanks very much for this info.
ReplyDeleteBTW Margaret, I almost cried as I read the Kit Carson anecdote. That's a story in itself.