dime novel

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

ˈdime novel 7 [dime novel] BrE NAmE noun (NAmE, old-fashioned)
a cheap popular novel, usually an exciting adventure or romantic story

Culture:
Dime novels were popular in the late 19th century and again from the 1920s to the 1940s. The writing in dime novels was often bad, but the action was fast. The original ones were usually about American frontiersmen, such as ↑Buffalo Bill, and soldiers in US wars. The later ones were often about love, crime or horror.