The Value of Dime Novels and Fictional Fluff to the Reenactor.

As historical enthusiasts, we are always looking for new resources for primary documentation to improve our historical impressions. If you're like me, and your era of primary interest is in the 1900-1918 (Pre-WWI era) period, you've probably read all the books on camping and hunting from big names like Theodore Roosevelt, Horace Kephart, and Nessmuk. Some of this stuff can be heavy and dry at times, though the lists of supplies, descriptive techniques, and drawings are invaluable. However, if you're looking to immerse yourself in something that is fun, interesting, and still has some educational value, look no further than the HUNDREDS of cheap dime novels that were published for teens in this period.

The Boy Scouts of America was a new organization for boys in 1910, so numerous novels were published to encourage boys to join up.

There were books written by individual authors, or ghost-written by teams under a pen name, on just about every subject that might appeal to a boy or girl. From sports, to airplanes, automobiles, boats, movies, and camping adventures, the topics go on forever. They are usually published as a series of books, usually following what we now think of as the "Harry Potter" story. An underprivileged, often orphaned, child finds a new life and new friends, obtains wealth in some way, at least enough to start an adventure, and the tale rolls from there. Sometimes the kid is a "smart and plucky lad" who invents and patents a new discovery or product and strikes it rich. Sometimes he wins a contest and gets a motorcycle that he races to win a touring car. Sometimes an unknown wealthy relative is revealed, or the kid helps a rich boy or girl who befriends them and makes their dreams come true. In every case, the main character is an upstanding youth of good character and

morals and with the right amount of "pluck" (an early 20th century term for "chutzpa" or "get-up-and-go") to make things go their way. There's also always a rotten kid who is jealous, usually wealthy and spoiled, who tries to make things unpleasant for our hero. (Cue Harry Potter reference again.)

The Motor Boys series was published from 1905-1924 and was wildly popular. Many of these books are available on Kindle as e-books for less than a dollar each.

So, aside from being fun, often unbelievable fiction, what value is there in these for the reenactor or historical enthusiast?

These are ALL primary source documents. They were written in the period, and they were written to be the latest, up-to-date, modern interpretations of life at that time. Sure, some of the technology and science is "futuristic" for the period and at times, can be a bit ridiculous, but the dialogue, thought processes, and interactions are incredible insights into the social behavior of the period. You'll pick up on popular slang like "that's really going some" or the now bizarre negative verb "don't lets". You'll catch archaic words like "aeroplane", "volplane", and "airship". You'll experience the world of that period as it felt to the writers and readers of that era. This insight into the period will really help your ability to immerse yourself in the past.

Many of the subjects in these novels are still popular subjects today!

Modern themes often clash with ancient prejudices in these books. Female characters, especially in girls' books, are very modern, pro-women's rights, pro-suffrage, and the female characters often buck societal norms. Male characters tend to often be more traditional, seeking success in business, higher education, or military valor, and yet they are often forward thinking in terms of caring for those less fortunate, and treating animals kindly. Unfortunately, in every genre, characters of color are often degrading. They're often represented as less intelligent, though wholly trustworthy individuals. It's an interesting, though often disturbing, view of the racist mindset of America at the time. For example, Tom Swift has extremely high morals and won't even take advantage of his enemies when the opportunity arises, but he has an older man of color named Eradicate Samson, who works around his father's farm doing odd jobs, and often, the man makes some off-handed, unintentional comment that gives Tom the idea of how to solve a problem with an invention, which he later receives a patent for, but "ol' Rad" receives no royalties or shared fame. For some reason, Tom doesn't see any problem with this. Now, in the end of the original series, which ran from 1910-1940, Tom does provide Eradicate with a home and financial support when he is too old to work, so I suppose that's something. If you can stomach the underhanded racism, the rest is a good read.

Stories for girls often feature extremely modern, feminist themes for the period.

If nothing else, these books are a fun romp to immerse yourself in the period. Some are rather cheesy, and poorly churned out. Others have greater literary value. The "Canoe Mates" series is one that I particularly enjoyed for the quality of the writing, as well as the "Motor Maids" series. The best part is that there are hundreds of these books out there. Some are extremely rare and highly collectible, and as such, are hard to get for reading. However, many of the most popular titles, such as the "Motor Boys", "Tom Swift", and "Ruth Fielding" series can be acquired on Kindle, Google Books, or Project Gutenburg as E-books for mere pennies. I find this to be excellent bedtime reading, because I just have to enjoy the story and not do too much historical analyzing.

I hope you give these stories a try, and I hope you get the same pleasure from them that I have. While you're dreaming of early 1900s adventures, don't forget to peruse our website, Logsdon & Co, for gear to outfit your own, real, early 20th century adventure!

the value of dime novels to the reenactor