Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-05-12
BOOKS AND WRITER'S.
Close Of Century Witnessing Extinction
Of Dime Novel.
The forthcoming Books-A Successful Novel
oil Western Life.

Ddth 10 inc postum tUty occupied
| about 40 years ago. and the books
which are commanding wide sales to-
| day are what are known as high
priced novels. And yet the dime novel
| has played so prominent a part in the
general literature of this country that
! the story of its genesis, it's develop
ment, its evolution, and its final degen-
Grafton, is rich with interest. Little as
| it is generally realized, the dime novel
| has been a considerable factor in
| American literature. The dime novel
dates from the year 1860. Shortly be-
| fore, the firm of Beadle & Adams had
| begun q series of publications intended
| for lower middle class CONSUMPTION.
| This series was made up of books on
| etiquette on letter writing, and other
| subjects of equal moment and inn
portance. The dime book of etiquette.
| for instance, purported to be Il guide
| to true gentility and good breeding,
and complete directory to the usages
| and observances of society. including
etiquette of the ballroom, of the eve
ming party. the dinner party, the card
| and chess table, of business, and of the
| home circle" II did not differ materi-
| ally from the books of similar nature
that are published today. These books
| had an enormous circulation, and de-
| spite the ridicule which one humor-
| ously inclined may see fit to heap upon
| them. undoubtedly had . serious and
| real educational value.
| Early in the spring of 1860 Orville j.
| Victor conceived the idea of the dime
| novel. At his suggestion the Beadle
| series was begun, and Mrs. Ann S.
Stephens, then one Of the most popu-
| lar and widely known of American
| writer's was asked to contribute the in
| augurative story. For '.Malacska, the
| Indian Wife Of the White Hunter"
she received $3.50, a considerable sum
for a work of its length at that time
"Malaeska" was followed by THE
Privateer's Cruise" by Harry Caven-
dish: "Myra, the Child of Adoption, :
another of Mrs. Stephens romances;
and Alice Wilde. the Raftsman's
| Daughter by Mrs. NJ. V. Victor.
| About the dime novel there speedily
| gathered a staff Of writer's who COM
| bined a knowledge of the popular
| taste. dexterity in the working out of
conventional plots. and an industry
that was simply amazing. With few
exceptions. 800 was the price paid for
| one of these novels, which contained
on an average $4,000 words. ana which
| was produced by its author in week
or 10 days. In addition to the profess
| sional novel-spinners Of the time the
dime library drew on Il number of
| newspaper men. who found in this a
way to materially increase their in
| comes. In the autumn Of 1860 the
first story ever written by Edward s.
Ellis, afterWard SO popular as writer
for boys. found its way into the Office
Of the dime library 1t was called
seth Jones; or. The Captive Of the
Frontier and before it appeared as
the eighth number in the series it had
been advertised with a skill and in
9enGity very rare at time when the
art Of advertising was still. in a meas
ure. in its infancy. Several weeks be
fore the day OF publication gutter
snipcs bearing the simple legend, Seth
Jones" We're placardc1 on walls and
fences all over the city. y week later
these We're followed by other gutter
snipes, on which was printed the
query, Who is Seth Jonee?" \ third
guttersnipe answered the question. and
proved remarkably eff ctive in bring
ing about for the book an enormous
| sale
Despite the literary inadequacy of theSs
pioneers among the cheap popular novels
they were entirely wholesome ana far re
| moved from the viciousness and tho
, brutality which mark their successors in
the later seventies and early eighties
These romances were often eXtravdgdnt
| in plot ana crude in treatment but they
| were primarily designed for the house
| hold reading. Probably none Of tho
| writer's of these hooks was more success
full in c3 GnI nd wide circle ,r of
| fourth Of the stories which she contrib
uted to this series attained a sale which
i makes most of the records of book sales
i Of the present day appear insiEnihcant
| in comparison. This was Uncle Ezekiel, -
| the story of an alleged typical Yankee and
his exploits at home and abroad. In the
United States the book within a short
| time reached a total sale Of 10000 In
! England the sales reached 2l1.H0 This
however, was; surpassed by The Back
woods Bride of which $4,000 were sold;
and "Maum Guinea" The last named
| was a story Of Negro life which appearing
at the time of the war actually rivaied IN
| popularity Mrs. Harriet Beccher stowe 5
| "Uncle Toms Cabin" The success OF this
| series in few years brought many rival
into the field. George Munroe, who had
been bookkceper in the employ OF
| Beadlc & Adams. began publishing him
| self books along the same line about 1860
| A few years later the St1id orange-coVers
|
| by covers of gaudily coored design
| The typical dime novel in 1870 is very in
| tercsting as showing the crudity of the
| colored prints of the time. But the ched!
| novel of the early seventies was only
step in the whole scheme OF evolution
| With the great competition came
| marked decline in the quality OF the
| material Each year showed advances IN
| outright scnsationalism, until the culmi-
nation was reached in the typical shockeI
of recent memory.
Among the newspaper men who nave
entered the lists of successful authors i
f.. w. Howe, editor of the Atchlson
Daily Globe His first book, The story
of a Country Town. received cordial
reception. and has gone through A
editions. Recently Mr.. Howe's publishers
| Houghton Mifflir x Co. of Boston, have
issued new edition of this book in papci
covers a 50 cents. The scenes OF Iht
| story of Country Town are laid III
THE prairie district out West and the
| characters are taken from among thoSe
who wears ago, took part in the dusty
tramp of civilization west ward. The me
of these settlers is brought wildly before
the reader, ana the characters are drawn
with naturaness and Vigor. Poor JI
Frrinc and his miSuudcrStandingS. Rev
John Westlock. the victim of discomfort
his wife. 'palc, timid and oVerwurked;
Agnes Demng. tender and helpful all ap
peal to our sympathy ana hold the inter
est to the close.
Il