History of the Collection
Oberlin College Library received the Walter F. Tunks Collection of Dime Novels in 1959 as a gift from friends of Walter F. Tunks, Mr. and Mrs. Paul G. Frank. Mr. Frank was a Trustee of Oberlin College.
About the Donor
Dr. Walter F. Tunks served for 23 years as the Rector of St. Paul's Church in Akron, Ohio. In addition to his service to St. Paul's Church, Tunks was an enthusiastic collector of dime novels and an avid fisherman.
Inventory
Alphabetical by Series Title:
Notes: Please provide the number in the column on the right when requesting a title.
(*) cross-listed in the heading English dime novels
(**) cross-listed in French dime novels
| A (title, publisher, DN#) |
| A No. 1 Series |
A No. 1 Publishing Co |
1-3 |
| Adventure Series |
Arthur J. Westbrook Co. |
1-45 |
| Adventure Weekly |
Street and Smith |
45A |
| *Aldine Boxing Novels |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
531 |
| *Aldine Invention, Travel and Adventure Library |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
532-539 |
| *Aldine Robin Hood Library |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
540-542 |
| *Aldine Tip Top Tales |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
543 |
| Alger Series |
Street and Smith |
46 |
| All Around |
Frank Tousey |
47-49 |
| All Sports Library |
Winner Library Co. |
50-53 |
| American Detective Series |
Arthur J. Westbrook Co. |
54-56 |
| American Tales |
Beadle and Co. |
58 |
| Arm Chair Library |
F.M. Lupton |
59 |
| Army and Navy |
Howard, Ainslee and Co. |
60 |
| B |
| Banner Weekly |
Beadle and Adams |
57 |
| Beadle and Adams' 20 Cent Novels |
Beadle and Adams |
78A, 79 |
| Beadle's Boy's Library |
Beadle and Adams |
61-64 |
| Beadle's Boy's Library |
M.J. Ivers and Co. |
65, 66 |
| Beadle's Dime Novels |
Beadle and Co. |
67-78 |
| Beadle's Dime Novels, Vol. I |
Beadle and Co. |
247 |
| Beadle's Dime Biographical Library |
Beadle and Co. |
238-240 |
| Beadle's Dime Dialogues |
M.J. Ivers and Co. |
241, 242 |
| Beadle's Dime Drillbook |
Beadle and Co. |
243 |
| Beadle's Dime Series |
Beadle and Co. |
248 |
| Beadle's Dime Songbook |
Beadle and Co. |
249 |
| Beadle's Dime Tales |
Beadle and Co. |
245, 246 |
| Beadle's Frontier Series |
M.J. Ivers and Co. |
79A-94 |
| Beadle's 1/2 Dime Library |
Beadle and Adams |
95-154 |
| Beadle's 1/2 Dime Singer's Library |
Beadle and Adams |
251 |
| Beadle's Library of Choice Fiction |
Beadle and Co. |
244 |
| Beadle's Monthly |
Beadle and Co. |
155 |
| Beadle's New Dime Novels |
Beadle and Adams |
156-162 |
| Beadle's New York Dime Library |
Beadle and Adams |
163-237 |
| Beadle's Pocket Library |
Beadle and Adams |
252-253A |
| Beadle's Pocket Novels |
Beadle and Adams |
254-258 |
| Beadle's Popular Library |
Beadle and Adams |
259, 260 |
| Beadle's Serio-Comic Speaker |
Beadle and Adams |
262 |
| Beadle's Union Songbook |
Beadle and Co. |
250 |
| Billy the Kid |
Atomic Books |
2344 |
| Blake's Western Stories |
Herbert Cody Blake |
2341 |
| Blood and Thunder Story Paper Frank T. Fries |
2342 |
| Blue and Gray Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
263 |
| *Black Bess Harrison |
(?) |
544-546 |
| Bob Brooks Library |
A.E. Ottendorf |
264 |
| Bowery Boys Library |
Winner Library Co. |
264A-269 |
| Boy's Best Weekly |
Arthur J. Westbrook |
270-300 |
| *Boys' First Rate Pocket |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
547 |
| *Boys' Friend |
Amalgamated Press |
548-550 |
| *Boy's 1/2d Leader |
H.W. Jackson |
551 |
| Boys of New York Pocket Library |
Frank Tousey |
301 |
| Boys' Star Library |
Frank Tousey |
302-307 |
| Brave and Bold Weekly |
Street and Smith |
308-316 |
| British dime novels: |
see English dime novels |
| *Buffalo Bill Library |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
552-563 |
| *Buffalo Bill Novels |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
564-567 |
| Buffalo Bill's Border Stories |
Street and Smith |
317-321 |
| Buffalo Bill Stories |
Street and Smith |
322-332 |
| C |
| Campfire Library |
Campfire Library Co. |
333, 334 |
| Champion Library |
Champion Publishing Co. |
334A |
| Cheerful Adventure Library |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
335 |
| Christian Herald |
??? |
335A |
| Circling the Globe Series |
Arthur J. Westbrook |
336, 337 |
| Claude Duval Series |
Robert M. DeWitt |
338 |
| Comrades |
Street and Smith |
339. 340 |
| Cricket Library |
Novelist Publishing Co. |
341 |
| F |
| Fame and Fortune Magazine |
Street and Smith |
626-629 |
| Fame and Fortune Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
630-641 |
| Famous American Scouts |
J. Regan and Co. |
2346 |
| Fashions Syndicate Trading Co. |
642-645 |
| Fireside Companion |
George Munro |
646 |
| Five Cent Comic Library |
Frank Tousey |
647-650 |
| Five Cent Weekly Library |
Frank Tousey |
651 |
| Five Cent Wide Awake Library |
Frank Tousey |
652-678 |
| Fortune Story Magazine |
Street and Smith |
679 |
| Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours |
Frank Leslie's Pub. House |
679A |
| Frank Manley's Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
680-708 |
| Frank Reade Library |
Frank Tousey |
709-742 |
| Frank Reade Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
742A-806 |
| Frank Starr's American Novels |
Frank Starr and Co. |
807, 808 |
| French dime novels |
| Sitting Bull |
La Nouvelle Populaire |
809 |
| Texas Jack |
La Nouvelle Populaire |
810 |
| G |
| German dime novels |
| Reiter ohne Kopf, Der |
Drucf und Berlag von |
811 |
| U. Weichert Verirrt inder Widniss |
Drucf und Berlag von |
812 |
| U. Weichert Von Sturm verschlagen |
Drucf und Berlag von |
813 |
| U. Weichert Golden Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
814 |
| Good Reading |
A.D. Porter Co. |
815 |
| Great Western Library |
Street and Smith |
816 |
| H |
| Half Dime Library |
Beadle and Adams |
817 |
| Handsome Harry |
Frank Tousey |
818 |
| Happy Days |
Frank Tousey |
818A |
| Harper's Weekly |
Harper and Bros. |
819 |
| Hart Series |
Arthur J. Westbrook |
824, 825 |
| *Hogarth House Library |
Hogarth House Publications |
575-578 I |
| *Invention Library |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
579-585 |
| J |
| Jack Hazard and His Fortunes |
F.M. Lupton |
2348 |
| Jack Lockwill |
NEA Service, Inc.? |
863-866 |
| James Boys, The |
???? |
2345 |
| James Boys Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
826-837 |
| Jesse James Stories |
Street and Smith |
838, 839 |
| Judge's Library |
Judge Publishing Co. |
840 |
| K |
| Klondike Kit |
Street and Smith |
842, 843 |
| L |
| Lakeside Library |
Donnelly, Loyd, and Co. |
844 |
*Land of Mystery, The
with Submarine Privateer, The |
Harkaway House |
625 |
| Leisure Hour Library |
F.M. Lupton |
845 |
| Liberty Boys of "76" |
Frank Tousey |
846-860 |
| Library of Choice Fiction |
Laird and Lee |
861 |
| Little Blue Books |
Haldeman-Julius Co. |
862 |
| Log Cabin Library |
Street and Smith |
867-875 |
| Log Cabin Series |
Log Cabin Press |
876 |
| Lovell's Library |
John W. Lovell Co. |
878 |
| M |
| "Magnet" Handbooks |
Hurst and Co. |
879 |
| Medal Library |
Street and Smith |
880, 881 |
| Merriwell Series |
Street and Smith |
882-1007 |
| Might and Main Library |
Winner Library Co. |
1008 |
| Morrison's Sensational Series |
John W. Morrison |
1009, 1010 |
| Motor Stories |
Street and Smith |
1011, 1019 |
| Munro's Library |
Norman L. Munro |
1020 |
| My Queen |
Street and Smith |
1021-1050 |
| N |
| *National Library, The |
???? |
586 |
| National Police Gazette |
Richard K. Fox Publishing Co. |
1050A |
| *Nelson Lee Library |
Amalgamated Press |
587-590 |
| *New Black Bess Library, The |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
591 |
| New Magnet Library |
Street and Smith |
1056-1121 |
| *Newne's Adventure Library |
George Newnes |
592 |
| *Newne's "Black Bess" Library |
George Newnes |
593-595 |
| *Newne's Reskin Library |
George Newnes |
596, 597 |
| New Nick Carter Weekly |
Street and Smith |
1122-1210 |
| New Tip Top Weekly |
Street and Smith |
1211-1287 |
| New York Detective Library |
Frank Tousey |
1288-1305 |
| New York Saturday Journal |
Beadle and Adams |
1305A |
| *Nick Carter |
George Newnes |
598-604 |
| Nick Carter Detective Library |
Street and Smith |
1306 |
| Nick Carter Library |
Street and Smith |
1307-1312 |
| Nick Carter Stories |
Street and Smith |
1313-1321 |
| Nick Carter Weekly |
Street and Smith |
1322-1326 |
| Nickel Library |
Nickel Library Co. |
1327, 1328 |
| Nightshade Series |
Robert M. DeWitt |
1329, 1330 |
| Novelette Library |
G.W. Studley |
1331, 1332 |
| Nugget Library |
Street and Smith |
1333-1341 |
| O |
| Old Broadbrim Weekly |
Street and Smith |
1342 |
| Old Cap Collier Library |
Munro's Publishing House |
1343-1351 |
| Old Log Cabin |
Street and Smith |
877 |
| Old Sleuth Library |
George Munro's Sons |
1352-1364 |
| Old Sleuth Weekly |
Arthur J. Westbrook |
1365-1368 |
| Old Sleuth's Own |
J.S. Ogilvie Publishing Co. |
1369-1378 |
| Oliver Optic's Magazine |
Lee and Shephard |
1379 |
| Ottenheimer Tracy the Outlaw |
I & M Ottenheimer |
1380 |
| P |
| Paul Jones Weekly |
Winner Library Co. |
1381-1383 |
| People's Handbook Series |
F.M. Lupton |
1384 |
| Peterson's National Ladies Magazine |
Charles J. Peterson |
1385 |
| Physical Culture |
Physical Culture Pub. Co.? |
1386 |
| Pirate Story Series |
Arthur J. Westbrook |
1387-1391 |
| Pluck and Luck |
Frank Tousey |
1392-1512 |
| Puck's Library |
Keppler and Schwartzman |
1513 |
| R |
| Railroad Series |
J.S Oglivie and Co. |
1514 |
| Red Raven Library |
Winner Library Co. |
1515-1517 |
| Red White and Blue Weekly |
Street and Smith |
1518-1520 |
| Reiter ohne Kopf, Der |
Drucf und Berlag von |
811 |
| U. Weichert Richmond's Novels |
Richmond and Co. |
1521, 1522 |
| *Robin Hood Library |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
620 |
| *Robin Hood Library |
Amalgamated Press |
621 |
| Rough Rider Weekly |
Street and Smith |
1523-1524 |
| Round the World Library |
Street and Smith |
1525-1527 |
| S |
| Saturday Library |
Saturday Library Co. |
1528 |
| Secret Service |
Frank Tousey |
1529-1617 |
| Select Library |
Street and Smith |
1618 |
| Shaw's Novels |
Elmer Shaw |
1619 |
| Shield Weekly |
Street and Smith |
1620, 1621 |
| **Sitting Bull |
La Nouvelle Populaire |
810 |
| Snaps |
Frank Tousey |
1623-1648? |
| Sport Story Magazine |
Chelsea House |
1648 |
| Star Journal |
Beadle and Adams |
1649 |
| Star-Spangled Banner |
Hunter and Co. |
1650 |
| Starry Flag Weekly |
Street and Smith |
1651 |
| Steam Man, The |
Frank T. Fries |
2347 |
| Student and Schoolmate |
J.H. Allen |
1652 |
| Sunday Library, The |
J.S. Ogilvie and Co. |
1653-1656 |
| Sunday Mercury |
???? |
1657 |
*Submarine Privateer, The
with Land of Mystery, The |
Harkaway House |
625 |
| T |
| Temperence Library |
Albert Sibley |
2077A |
| **Texas Jack |
La Nouvelle Populaire |
809 |
| Three Chums Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
1658-1665 |
| Tip Top Quarterly |
Street and Smith |
1666-1670 |
| Tip Top Semi Monthly |
Street and Smith |
1671 |
| *Tip Top Tales |
Aldine Publishing Co. |
622-624 |
| Tip-Top Weekly |
Street and Smith |
1672-2077 |
| Top Notch Magazine |
Street and Smith |
2078 |
| True Blue Weekly |
Street and Smith |
2079-2087 |
| True Flag |
Moulton and Lincoln |
2087A |
| Twentieth Century Handbooks |
Street and Smith |
2088 |
| U |
| Union Square Library |
Norman L. Munro |
2089 |
| V |
| Verirrt inder Widniss |
Drucf und Berlag von |
812 |
| U. Weichert Von Sturm verschlagen |
Drucf und Berlag von |
813 |
| U. Weichert |
| W |
| War Libary |
Novelist's Publishing Co. |
2090-2092 |
| Western Story Library |
Street and Smith |
2093 |
| Western Weekly |
Arthur Westbrook Co. |
2094-2097 |
| Wide Awake Magazine |
Street and Smith |
2098 |
| Wide Awake Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
2099-2123 |
| 'Wild Bill' Hickok |
Atomic Books |
2343 |
| Wild West Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
2124-2212 |
| Work and Win |
Frank Tousey |
2213-2309 |
| Y |
| Yankee Blade |
Potter and Potter |
2310 |
| Yankee Doodle |
Frank Tousey |
2311-2318 |
| Yankee 5 Cent Library |
Atlantic News Co. |
2319 |
| Young Athlete's Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
2320, 2321 |
| Young Broadbrim Weekly |
Street and Smith |
2322, 2323 |
| Young Glory Weekly |
Frank Tousey |
2324, 2325 |
| Young Klondike |
Frank Tousey |
2326-2333 |
| Young Rough Riders Weekly |
Street and Smith |
2334, 2335 |
| Young Sleuth Library |
Frank Tousey |
2336-2338 |
| Younger Brothers |
I & M Ottenheimer |
2339 |
| Youth's Companion |
Lee and Shepard |
2340 |
Alphabetical by Publisher:
Note: Number(s) following series title indicate DN number(s).
| A (title, DN#) |
| Aldine Publishing Co. |
| Aldine Boxing Novels |
531 |
| Aldine Invention, Travel, and Adventure Library |
532-539 |
| Aldine Robin Hood Library |
540-542 |
| Aldine Tip Top Tales |
543 |
| Boys' First Rate Pocket Library |
547 |
| Buffalo Bill Library |
552-563 |
| Buffalo Bill Novels |
564-567 |
| Cheerful Adventure Library |
335 |
| Dixon Brett Detective Library |
574 |
| Invention Library |
579-585 |
| New Black Bess Library, The |
591 |
| Robin Hood Library |
620 |
| Tip Top Tales |
622-624 |
| Amalgamated Press |
| Boys' Friend, The |
348-350 |
| Nelson Lee Library, The |
587-590 |
| Robin Hood Library |
621 |
| Allen, J.H. |
| Student and Schoolmate |
1652 |
| A No. 1 Publishing Co. |
| A No. 1 Series |
1-3 |
| Atlantic News Co. |
| Yankee 5 Cent Library |
2319 |
| Atomic Books |
| Billy the Kid |
2344 |
| 'Wild Bill' Hickok |
2343 |
| B |
| Beadle and Adams |
| Banner Weekly |
57 |
| Beadle and Adams' 20 Cent Novels |
78A-79 |
| Beadle's Boy's Library |
61-64 |
| Beadle's Half-Dime Library |
95-154 |
| Beadle's Half-Dime Singer's Library |
251 |
| Beadle's New Dime Novels |
156-162 |
| Beadle's New York Dime Library |
163-237 |
| Beadle's Pocket Library |
252-253A |
| Beadle's Pocket Novels |
254-258 |
| Beadle's Popular Library |
259, 260 |
| Beadle's Serio-Comic Speaker |
262 |
| Half-Dime Library |
817 |
| New York Saturday Journal |
1305A |
| Star Journal |
1649 |
| Beadle and Co. |
| American Tales |
58 |
| Beadle's Dime Biographical Library |
238-240 |
| Beadle's Dime Drillbook |
243 |
| Beadle's Dime Novels |
67-78 |
| Beadle's Dime Novels, Vol. I |
247 |
| Beadle's Dime Series |
248 |
| Beadle's Dime Songbook |
249 |
| Beadle's Dime Tales |
245, 246 |
| Beadle's Library of Choice Fiction |
244 |
| Beadle's Monthly |
155 |
| Beadle's Union Songbook |
250 |
| Blake, Herbert Cody |
| Blake's Western Stories |
2341 |
| C |
| Campfire Library Co. |
| Campfire Library |
333-334 |
| Champion Publishing Co. |
| Champion Library |
334A |
| Chelsea House |
| Sport Story Magazine |
1648 |
| D |
| Daisy Bank Publishing Co. |
| Daisy Bank Publications |
568-569 |
| DeWitt, Robert M. |
| Claude Duval Series |
338 |
| DeWitt's Jonathan Wild Series |
495 |
| Nightshade Series |
1329-1330 |
| Donnelley, Loyd, and Co. |
| Lakeside Library |
844 |
| Drucf und Berlag von U. Weichert |
| Der Reiter ohne Kopf |
811 |
| Verirrt inder Widniss |
812 |
| Von Sturm verschlagen |
813 |
| F |
| Fox, Richard K. |
| National Police Gazette |
1050A |
| Fries, Frank T. |
| Blood and Thunder Story Paper |
2342) |
| Steam Man, The |
2347 |
| G |
| Garden City Publishing Co. |
| Devil's Payday, The |
2349 |
| Graphic Co. |
| Daily Graphic, The |
342-343 |
| H |
| Haldeman-Julius Co. |
| Little Blue Books |
862 |
| Harkaway House |
Land of Mystery, The
with Submarine Privateer, The |
625 |
| Harper and Bros. |
| Harper's Weekly |
819 |
| Harrison |
| Black Bess |
544-546 |
| Hogarth House Publications |
| Hogarth House Library |
575-578 |
| Howard, Ainslee and Co. |
| Army and Navy |
60 |
| Hunter and Co. |
| Star-Spangled Banner |
1650 |
| Hurst and Co. |
| "Magnet" Handbooks |
879 |
| I |
| Ivers, M.J. |
| Beadle's Boy's Library |
65, 66 |
| Beadle's Dime Dialogues |
241, 242 |
| Beadle's Frontier Series |
79A-94 |
| J |
| Jackson, Henry Wells |
| Boys' 1/2d Leader |
551 |
| Judge Publishing Co. |
| Judge's Library |
840 |
| K |
| Keppler and Schwartzman |
| Puck's Library |
1513 |
| L |
| Laird and Lee |
| Library of Choice Fiction |
861 |
| Lee and Shepard |
| Oliver Optic's Magazine |
1379 |
| Youth's Companion |
2340 |
| Leslie, Frank |
| Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours |
679A |
| Log Cabin Press |
| Log Cabin Series |
876 |
| Lovell, John W. |
| Lovell's Library |
878 |
| Lupton, F.M. |
| Arm Chair Library |
59 |
| Jack Hazard and His Fortunes |
2348 |
| Leisure Hour Library |
845 |
| People's Handbook Series |
1384 |
| M |
| Marsh, George |
| Dick Dobbs Detective Weekly |
520-522 |
| Morrison, John W. |
| Morrison's Sensational Series |
1009-1010 |
| Moulton and Lincoln |
| True Flag |
2087A |
| Munro, George |
| Fireside Companion |
646 |
| Old Sleuth Library |
1352-1364 |
| Munro, Norman L. |
| Munro's Library |
1020 |
| Union Square Library |
2089 |
| Munro's Publishing House |
| Old Cap Collier Library |
1343-1351 |
| N |
| NEA Service, Inc. |
| Jack Lockwill |
863-866 |
| Newnes, George Deadwood |
| Dick Library |
570-573 |
| Dick Turpin Library |
605-619 |
| Newnes' Adventure Library |
592 |
| Newnes' "Black Bess" Library |
593-595 |
| Newnes' New Redskin Library |
596, 597 |
| Nick Carter |
598-604 |
| Nickel Library Co. |
| Nickel Library |
1327-1328 |
| Nouvelle Populaire, La |
| Sitting Bull |
810 |
| Texas Jack |
809 |
| Novelist Publishing Co. |
| Cricket Library |
341 |
| War Library |
2090-2092 |
| O |
| Ogilvie, J.S. |
| Old Sleuth's Own |
1369-1378 |
| Railroad Series |
1514 |
| Sunday Library, The |
1653-1656 |
| Ostendorf, A.E. |
| Bob Brooks Library |
264 |
| Ottenheimer, I & M |
| Tracy the Outlaw |
1380 |
| Younger Brothers |
2339 |
| P |
| Patten, Gilbert |
| Dime Novel, The |
408 |
| Peterson, Charles J. |
| Peterson's National Ladies Magazine |
1305 |
| Physical Culture Publishing Co. |
| Physical Culture |
1386 |
| Porter, A.D. |
| Good Reading |
815 |
| Potter and Potter |
| Yankee Blade |
2310 |
| R |
| Regan, J. |
| Famous American Scouts |
2346 |
| Richmond and Co. |
| Richmond's Novels |
1521-1522 |
| S |
| Saturday Library Co. |
| Saturday Library |
1528 |
| Shaw, Elmer |
| Shaw's Novels |
1619 |
| Sibley, Albert |
| Temperence Library |
2077A |
| Starr, Frank |
| Frank Starr's American Novels |
807-808 |
| Street and Smith |
| Adventure Weekly |
45A |
| Alger Series |
46 |
| Brave and Bold Weekly |
308-316 |
| Buffalo Bill Border Stories |
317-321 |
| Buffalo Bill Stories, The |
322-332 |
| Comrades |
339, 340 |
| Diamond Dick Jr. Weekly |
496-516 |
| Diamond Dick Library |
517-519 |
| Do and Dare Weekly |
523-529 |
| Fame and Fortune Weekly |
626-629 |
| Fortune Story Magazine |
679 |
| Great Western Library |
816 |
| Jesse James Stories |
838-839 |
| Klondike Kit |
842-843 |
| Log Cabin Library |
867-875 |
| Medal Library |
880, 881 |
| Merriwell Series |
882-1007 |
| Motor Stories |
1011-1019 |
| My Queen |
1021-1050 |
| New Buffalo Bill Library |
1051-1055 |
| New Magnet Library |
1056-1121 |
| New Nick Carter Weekly |
1122-1210 |
| New Tip Top Weekly |
1211-1287 |
| Nick Carter Detective Library |
1306 |
| Nick Carter Library |
1307-1312 |
| Nick Carter Stories |
1313-1321 |
| Nick Carter Weekly |
1322-1326 |
| Nugget Library |
1333-1341 |
| Old Broadbrim Weekly |
1342 |
| Old Log Cabin |
877 |
| Red White and Blue Weekly |
1518-1520 |
| Rough Rider Weekly |
1523-1524 |
| Round the World Library |
1525-1527 |
| Select Library |
1618 |
| Shield Weekly |
1620-1621 |
| Starry Flag Weekly |
1651 |
| Tip Top Quarterly |
1666-1670 |
| Tip Top Semi-Monthly |
1671 |
| Tip Top Weekly |
1672-2077 |
| Top Notch Magazine |
2078 |
| True Blue Weekly |
2079-2087 |
| Twentieth Century Handbooks |
2088 |
| Western Story Library |
2093 |
| Wide Awake Magazine |
2098 |
| Young Broadbrim Weekly |
2322-2323 |
| Young Rough Riders Weekly |
2334-2335 |
| Studley, G.W. |
| Novelette Library |
1331-1332 |
| Syndicate Trading Co. |
| Fashions |
642-645 |
| T |
| Tousey, Frank |
| All Around |
47-49 |
| Blue and Gray Weekly |
263 |
| Boys of New York Pocket Library |
301 |
| Boys' Star Library |
302-307 |
| Detective Library |
409-494 |
| Fame and Fortune Weekly |
630-641 |
| Five Cent Comic Library |
647-650 |
| Five Cent Weekly Library |
651 |
| Five Cent Wide Awake Library |
652-678 |
| Frank Manley's Weekly |
680-708 |
| Frank Reade Library |
709-742 |
| Frank Reade Weekly |
742A-806 |
| Golden Weekly |
814 |
| Handsome Harry |
818 |
| Happy Days |
818A |
| James Boys Weekly |
826-837 |
| Liberty Boys of "76" |
846-860 |
| New York Detective Library |
1288-1305 |
| Pluck and Luck |
1392-1512 |
| Secret Service |
1529-1617 |
| Snaps |
1623-1648 |
| Three Chums Weekly |
1658-1665 |
| Wide Awake Weekly |
2099-2123 |
| Wild West Weekly |
2124-2212 |
| Work and Win |
2213-2309 |
| Yankee Doodle |
2311-2318 |
| Young Athlete's Weekly |
2320,2321 |
| Young Glory Weekly |
2324, 2325 |
| Young Klondike |
2326-2333 |
| Young Sleuth Library |
2336-2338 |
| W |
| Westbrook, Arthur |
| Adventure Series |
4-45 |
| American Detective Series |
54-56 |
| Boy's Best Weekly |
270-300 |
| Circling the Globe Series |
336-337 |
| Deadwood Dick Library |
344-407 |
| Early Western Life Series |
530 |
| Hart Series |
824, 825 |
| Old Sleuth Weekly |
1365-1368 |
| Pirate Story Series |
1387-1391 |
| Western Weekly |
2094-2097 |
| Winner Library Co. |
| All Sports Library |
50-53 |
| Bowery Boy Library |
264A-269 |
| Might and Main Library |
1008 |
| Paul Jones Weekly |
1381-1383 |
| Red Raven Library |
1515-1517 |
Additional Material in the Walter Tunks Collection:
Boxed Items:
| BOX #1: 113 items total |
| 75 items |
Bibliographies, catalogues, etc. |
| 5 items |
Dime novel covers |
| 32 items |
Dime Novel Club materials |
| BOX #2: 40 items total |
| 16 items |
Tunks correspondence, etc. |
| 7 items |
Tunks Collection information |
| 2 items |
Frank T. Fries correspondence |
| 15 items |
Library correspondence |
| BOX #3: 43 items total |
| 1 item |
Honors thesis |
| 12 items |
Misc. dime novel articles |
| 20 items |
Misc. newspaper clippings |
| 10 tems |
Jesse James material |
Books:
Appler, Augustus C. Guerrillas of the West. St. Louis: Eureka Publishing Company, 1876.
Boggs, S.S. Eighteen Months a Prisoner Under the Rebel Flag. Lovington, IL: Published by the author, 1887.
Bruce, Robert and Albert Baiseley, Col. George W. Stokes. Three Old Plainsmen and Three Other Western Stories. New York: Robert Bruce, [1923].
Carter, Nicholas (John R. Coryell). Secret Agents of Brazil. Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing Company, [n.d.].
Chester, George Randolph. Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, [1908].
Chester, George Randolph. Wallingford in His Prime. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, [1913].
Connelley, William Elsey. Quantrill and The Border Wars. New York: Pageant Book Company, 1956.
Connors, Chuck. Bowery Life. New York: Richard K. Fox Pub. Co., [1904].
Croy, Homer. Jesse James was My Neighbor. New York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, [1949].
Croy, Homer. Last of the Great Outlaws. New York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, [1956].
DeWolff, J.H. Pawnee Bill. Pawnee Bill's Historic Wild West Company, 1902.
Horan, James D. Desperate Men. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, [1949].
Horan, James D. Desperate Women. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, [1952].
James, Jesse Jr. Jesse James, My Father. Cleveland: Arthur J. Westbrook Company, [1906].
The Lives of the Felons. New York: M. Long and Brother, 1848.
Love, Robertus. The Rise and Fall of Jesse James. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1926.
Martin, Douglas D. Tombstone's Epitaph. University of New Mexico Press, 1951.
McKenney, Ruth. Industrial Valley. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Company, [1939]. (1st Ed.)
Patten, Gilbert (Burt L. Standish). Mr. Frank Merriwell. New York: Alliance Book Corporation, [1941].
Philip Durham, Ed. Seth Jones and Deadwood Dick on Deck. New York: The Odyssey Press, Inc., [1966].
Rascoe, Burton. Belle Starr the Bandit Queen. New York: Random House, 1941.
Ray, Clarence E. Rube Barrow. Chicago: J. Regan and Co., Publishers, [n.d.].
Rhoads, Thomas Y. The Battlefields of the Revolution. Philadelphia: John E. Potter and Company, [n.d.].
Roberts, Theodore Goodridge. Musket House. Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., 1923.
Vincent, W.D. My Book Life. Spokane, WA: Spokane Study Club, 1935.
The War Library. New York: Novelist Publishing Company, [1882?].
Historical Context
The book that is considered the first American dime novel was created in June of 1860 when Irwin Beadle and his brother Erastus published a story called "Malaeska: The Indian Wife of the White Hunter." The story was an instant success - not due to the quality of the writing, but due to flashy marketing and a low price. The Beadles' comic book-like creations were aimed at a less literate and poorer mass audience, in contrast with the typical novels of the time which were aimed at a more educated class. The Beadles were able to offer titles for a dime, and in some cases even five cents, because the books were made of the newly available cheap wood pulp paper (the original "pulp fiction"), using flimsy paper covers. The Beadles' company (later to become Beadle and Adams) soon faced competition from publishers such as Street and Smith and Frank Tousey.
It should be noted that, scholars usually refer to the publishers of dime novels more than authors because in many cases authorship is often undeterminable. Publishers would typically employ multiple authors under a single pseudonym for titles in a series. Similarly, single authors also wrote using many pseudonyms.
The dime novel industry churned out series after series, title after title, creating some memorable characters such as "Deadwood Dick," "Nick Carter" (see image above) and "Buffalo Bill." The subjects of the early dime novels mostly dealt with sensational adventures on the western frontier, owing much to the themes of James Fenimore Cooper. Later dime novels tended toward urban settings and genres of detective, science fiction, and stories of athletic prowess. The target readership was young men, however there were a few series aimed at young women. The dime novel reached peak popularity during the last third of the 1800s, correlating with a time when more Americans of all classes had leisure time. The success was not to last, however. Few new dime novels were published after World War I, and no new material was produced after 1920. Standing out among the various reasons from the dime novel's downfall was the advent of the motion picture, which cost less than a dime novel, and was a more sensational experience.
Dime novels were never considered a form of art, and some people found them to promote immorality and were dangerous to the youth of society. They were not typically well-crafted, lacking originality, base on plot formulas and character tropes, and the prose itself tended to be predictable and unoriginal. What makes the dime novel interesting is that it mirrors the tastes, values and stereotypes of its era. The dime novel represents a rejection of traditional European models of literature. American authors used American subjects, settings, and characters, and they reached a broad popular audience. The dime novel helped create and shape American popular culture.
Additional Resources
Dime Novel Collection, Stanford University
American Women's Dime Novel Project, George Mason University
