[Ads-l] dime-store novel

paul johnson paulzjoh at MTNHOME.COM
Mon Jan 14 18:30:52 UTC 2019


In the late '40s a resale store in Lake Geneva Wis had a huge selection 
of true dime novels, at a nickle each I must have bought over 200 of 
them , language was a little stilted but the 'true' stories were 
wonderful, hobo and con men one or two by people who claimed to be bank 
robbers.  Maybe 150 to 200 pages slightly larger than a present day 
pocket book. really cheap pulp paper, I think my parents threw them all 
out when I went into the service. Shame.

On 1/14/2019 11:34 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> My own reaction to it was/is that it alluded to the swiveling racks of
> paperback mysteries and sci-fi once found in dime stores (Woolworth's and
> Lamston's were my favorites).
>
> They were found elsewhere, of course.  But if you're going to rationalize
> the "dime" in "dime novel," "dime-store" seems like a good way to do it.
>
> JL
>
>
> On Mon, Jan 14, 2019 at 10:34 AM Mark Mandel <mark.a.mandel at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> As "only worth a dime".
>>
>> Mark
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Jan 14, 2019, 8:17 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I mentioned this rationalization of "dime novel" back in 2005 and again
>> in
>>> 2007. I heard it more than once from a student in 1992.
>>>
>>> Joshua Green, CNN Political Analyst, has just characterized the current
>> WH
>>> intrigue as "something in a dime-store novel."
>>>
>>> With the eclipse of dime-stores, however, the idea will have to be
>>> rationalized again.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
-- 
Hollywood capital city of Flashinthepanistan

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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