LCCC to Host Dime Store Novel Display

This fall, the Ludden Library at Laramie County Community College will welcome a dime novel display and discussion with Dr. John C. Rumm, Curator of Western American History at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming. This step back in time is free and open to the public from 11 a.m.-noon Wednesday, Oct. 17, in the Ludden Library Instruction Room.

Popular in the late 1800s through early 1900s and generally written for male readers, dime novels featured exciting stories of the wild west, detectives or other adventures. Like many other expressions of popular culture throughout the ages, some saw “cheap” dime novels as morally corruptive and contributing to juvenile delinquency.

This public program will explore how dime novel stories helped launch the career of Buffalo Bill, the first global superstar. Following an illustrated presentation by Dr. John C. Rumm, audience members will be invited to take part in a dramatic reading of an exciting excerpt from “Buffalo Bill: The King of Border Men.” Join us to explore how historic dime novels shaped the perception of the American West. This program is funded in part by an LCCC Foundation Golden Apple Grant awarded to Cindy McCormick.