dime novel

a hack paperback novel of a type popular in the later 19th and early 20th cent., usually sensational or melodramatic and originally costing a dime

See dime novel in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
A melodramatic novel of romance or adventure, usually in paperback.

Origin:

Origin: After the Dime Book Series, published by Erastus Flavel Beadle (1821-1894)

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Related Forms:

  • dime novelist noun
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