Dime Novels and the Cheap Book Boom

[lludwig]

Dime Novels and the Cheap Book Boom by Rachel Rosenberg

"The history of dime novels tells the story of how cheap books led to increased literacy in the working classes. Until I began researching this post, I thought dime novels were the same thing as pulp fiction (false). I’d heard of them, vaguely, but never really learned anything about them — surprising, considering I have an English literature degree and am a library professional. This oversight is a real shame, considering that these books helped to pioneer genre writing such as pulp fiction and detective novels. You have probably even heard of their England-based equivalent, which had the much sexier name of ‘penny dreadfuls’.

Dime novels in America began to appear around the early 1860s, and their cheap, booklet-like composition made the act of owning books more accessible to a broader range of people. At a cost of 5–15¢ each, reading wasn’t just for the aristocracy anymore. The price helped the books into the hands of the working class; before this, regular books sold for $1–1.50, which was completely unaffordable for them.

Their pages were filled with formulaic-if-enthralling tales of rollicking adventures. Their short length — the books were printed on cheap, lightweight paper — helped to get them into people’s hands (and back pockets). In the beginning, they were especially popular with bored Civil War soldiers, many of whom read the books during mundane moments at camp..."

Read More:
https://bookriot.com/dime-novels/?fbclid=IwAR0toJlPUHajefiTEu0WYG51b-MzKYqECZJvVqLHDjvvCTEzg-6QTw1Fw...

[picture*books]

Thanks for sharing this, it's always a pleasure to learn about a book genre which I knew nothing about. 

The article includes a link to The American Women's Dime Novel, which has a fantastic cover gallery, nine pages of 24 books each. Great covers and artistry.

[wri-8727]

This may interest you, also

"The introduction of steam-powered printing press, pulp mills, automatic typesetting and a good well-connected railway network led to many changes and developments in the printing and publishing business...

"Allen Lane, the creator of Penguin Books, was one of the directors at Bodley Head publishing firm...

"It was during one of his travels when he was returning with his favourite author Agatha Christie, and he didn’t find a single book worth reading...

"His idea did not find much favour amongst the other Bodley and Head directors. But reluctantly they gave in to Allen’s idea...

"Ten titles were taken for the launch. They were by Agatha Christie, Susan Ertz, Ernest Hemingway, Eric Linklater, Compton Mackenzie, Andre Maurois, Beverly Nichols, Dorothy L. Sayers, E. H. Young and Mary Webb. Each book was priced at sixpence...

"This spearheaded the paperback revolution in the English language book market."

https://thehummingnotes.com/paperback-revolution-started-penguin/

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They weren't Dime Novels at double the price and half again but nevertheless Penguin sold three million the first year.

IMNSHO The Paperback Revolution didn't hit the US until the Sixties with the Ballantine editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Completely baffled Tolkien, (all these long-haired college students with his book in the back pocket of their jeans), took it in stride and changed the world:)

[picture*books]

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@wri-8727 wrote:

IMNSHO The Paperback Revolution didn't hit the US until the Sixties with the Ballantine editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Completely baffled Tolkien, (all these long-haired college students with his book in the back pocket of their jeans), took it in stride and changed the world:)

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It's funny you mention the  LOTR paperback editions, which were initially published in the USA by Ace without J.R.R. Tolkien's consent:

"Donald A. Wollheim, of American science fiction paperback publisher Ace Books, noticed the questionable copyright status of the book, and persuaded his employer to publish the first paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings without contacting Tolkien or his publishers.

Ace produced 150,000 copies of each volume during Spring and Summer of 1965. And where the hardback at that time sold for US$5.95 per volume, the Ace edition did not pay royalties to Tolkien or to his publishers and cost only US$.75, quickly becoming became “the hottest-selling item in U.S. campus bookstores.” (Saturday Evening Post, 1 July 1966).

Tolkien and his publishers were aghast. Whatever the legalities, this was not done. They quickly “authorised” a second American firm, Ballantine Books, to publish a paperback edition in October 1965 in similar quantities, again notably “with heavy promotion in the college market.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 2 Aug. 1965). Ballantine’s edition carried a statement from Tolkien on the back wrapper:

A STATEMENT FROM THE AUTHOR ABOUT THIS AMERICAN EDITION
"This paperback edition, and no other, has been published with my consent and co-operation. Those who approve of courtesy (at least) to living authors will purchase it and no other."

More as a novelty, I purchased a set of the Ace paperbacks some 20 years ago on eBay. At the time they were fairly inexpensive.