DIME STORE HEROES AND PULP FICTION

Dime store novels entered American culture before the civil war in the form of paperback books, which were sold throughout the country for the grand sum of 5 to 10 cents. The first publisher of dime store novels was Beadle and Adams. They published over 3,000 titles with sales up to 5 million copies from 1860 - 1898. These fictionalized stores of real people such Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and Kit Carson thrilled readers in the form of paperback books.

Beadle and Adams featured the exploits of William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody. In 1872 Buffalo Bill starred in Buntline's play Scouts of the Plains which was the beginning of his show-business career which showcased the colorful, action-packed, rip-snortin' WILD WEST SHOWS. Wild Bill Cody began a legend and an American Icon woven into our history of the old West.

Buffalo Bill was featured in over 800 dime novels and in hundreds of other famous cowboys like Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Bid, Texas Jack and Bronco Bob. Calamity Jane fixed the image of the Wild West for the entire world. Paul Bunyan, the mythological hero of the old Northwest and Pecos Bill, a southwestern frontier cowboy whose feats included lassoing lightning and riding cyclones thrilled the minds and energized the hearts of boys and girls as well as adults until 1920. The last of these publications and fictionalized accounts of real events was replaced with a new pulp called Western Story Magazine.

Pulps explored into the 1920s and 1930s with Western adventures. In addition to Western Story Magazine, Argosy, Texas Rangers, Frontier Stories, Western Trails Lariat and West thrilled readers around the country and in 1940 the Western paperbacks began flooding the market.

Zane Grey published his first novel in 1903 but did not establish his following until 1912. The novel, Riders of the Purple Sage brought Zane Grey into the limelight by selling over 1.8 million copies. Zane Grey, a new york dentist, was a prolific writer and subsequently wrote 54-Westerns. The Code of the West, The Lone Star Ranger, Wanderers of the Wasteland, Thundering Herd were action packed, colorful and romantic.

In 1930 the Little Books published by Whitman Publishing Company began issuing Western novels in a unique format. The little books were predecessors to the comic book of the 1940s. Other companies joined the bandwagon publishing fast action books which were noted for their exceptional artwork on the inside and outside of the covers. A small series of books were published by Saalfield featuring Tom Mix, Buck Jones and others. These little books measured 3-3/4" x 4" x 4-1/2" and ran 300 to 400 pages. Later these Little Books became, Big Little Books and called Better Little Books and New Better Little Books and consisted of novelized newspaper comic strips such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Little Orphan Annie and Dick Tracy and soon became branded and began classics. The stories included biographies and movie features. Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger, Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, Rex Allen were the new heroes of the 40's and 50's.

The popularity of these pulps, paperback and old western novels dating from the late 1800s into the 21st century continues to draw readers and collectors. The old west and the American Cowboy as well as other action back heroes have become so ingrained into the American Culture and our hearts that they have become "bigger than life". They became our family, in some respects, and certainly role models that inspired one to be better, to take care of those less fortunate and it taught young ones to be brave and to always have a bigger dream.

It was a period of goodness that, in my opinion, has been lost. There was a purity of heart and a time when neighbors really depended upon one another for their survival. Our history certainly had its bloodshed and wars where we fought for our dignity and human rights the the era of the dime store novels and pulp fiction was and still is a very special time when readers could be transformed into a very special time warp of adventure and become the action-packed heroes braving it out in the old west of lawless renegades.

Pups and paperbacks are highly collectible today primarily for their exceptional well-executed action-packed covers. Original art from the "golden age" of graphics is extremely difficult to find and comic book art is extremely difficult to obtain. The next best thing to the original art are the books and comics themselves. These can be found through collectors and dealers online, antique shops as well as flea markets and book stores. It is what what I personally like to collect. I love books and I love Zane Grey novel, old western comics and movie posters. I'll bet that the reader (he or she) has their own memories to share of the days when The Lone Range, Roy Rogers, Hop-Along Cassidy and Annie Oakley were their best friend too.

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Cowboy Hero Novels and Pulp history research obtained through various references and the collectors book on western pulp: Box Office Buckaroos. by John Gilman and Robert Heide.