Welcome!

At Penny Journal, I collect and share #dimenovels for everyone's enjoyment.

What are Dime Novels?

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, dime novels were the popular form of printed media. The term refers "to story papers, five- and ten-cent weeklies, 'thick book' reprints, and sometimes early pulp magazines." (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dime_novel) That means anything from short stories to entire novels can be called a dime novel. What separates them is that they were cheaply printed and sold.

What am I Doing with Them?

I'm posting them one chapter at a time. To start, I'm going to post only first chapters. You need to comment on the ones you like for me to continue the story. There are a lot of dime novels out there, so I'll be able to post first chapters for a long time. If I find a story I really like, I'll post more chapters for it. If you find a story you like, let me know and I'll post more chapters for it, too.

I'm reading the stories at the same time you do. That means that if I decide I'm done reading something, I'll stop posting the chapters. I'll let you know why I chose to stop posting and show you where to read more if you so desire.

If and when I ever finish posting a whole novel, I want to print and sell it. That way, people can get their hands on these old books again. I'll sell them as cheaply as possible to keep with the spirit of the dime novel.

Isn't This Stealing?

Nope. These works are under the Public Domain. That means their copyright is gone and anyone can use them. My goal is to help spread the joy that these novels bring by sharing them.

What Can You Expect to Read?

Dime novels cover a wide range of genres, including fantasy, sci-fi, and romance. They were also written for many different audiences. I'm only going to post family-friendly stories. Each post will be tagged with their genres so you can find what you're interested in reading.

How Can You Help?

You can help by commenting on posts and sharing my blog with others. You can also help by telling me about sources of dime novels. You can look below to see my sources. Finally, you can help by donating. Donations will help with book printing. (Donations not currently set up.)

Sources

This list will be updated as more sources roll in. Last updated: 1/15/2024.

Dime Novel Bibliography https://dimenovels.org/

Gutenberg https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/6414