| a cheap melodramatic or sensational novel, usually in paperback and selling for ten cents, esp. such an adventure novel popular c1850 to c1920. |
| dime novel n. A melodramatic novel of romance or adventure, usually in paperback. [After the Dime Book Series, published by Erastus Flavel Beadle (1821-1894).] dime novelist n. |
dime novel
a type of inexpensive, usually paperback, melodramatic novel of adventure popular in the United States roughly between 1860 and 1915; it often featured a western theme. One of the best-known authors of such works was E.Z.C. Judson, whose stories, some based on his own adventures, were written under the pseudonym Ned Buntline. The dime novels were eventually replaced by pulp magazines. Penny dreadfuls and shilling shockers are genres similar to the dime novel.
Learn more about dime novel with a free trial on Britannica.com.