dime novel

noun

1. a cheap melodramatic or sensational novel, usually in paperback and selling for ten cents, especially such an adventure novel popular c1850 to c1920.

dime novel

noun

1. Also called (esp Brit): penny-dreadful. (formerly) a cheap melodramatic novel, usually in paperback

Word History and Origins

Origin of dime novel¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Example Sentences

Carson’s life as a fur trapper, scout and courier was chronicled in dime novels and newspapers accounts that made him a legend in his own time.

Read more on Seattle Times

It was an easy way for publishers of dime novels and tabloid newspapers to make a quick buck.

Read more on Salon

I rounded up some cutlery and found the table, which had been buried under a stack of dime novels and Shakespeare’s plays.

Read more on Literature

It’s a fitting image for a book that reimagines the western dime novel, this time with historical context — far more potent than the whitewashed narratives that have long dominated.

Read more on New York Times

No wonder the dime novels and yellow press of the day exaggerated the facts surrounding the western gangs and gunfighters: Too often those facts won’t stand on their own.

Read more on New York Times