or The Tigers of Tombstone Dashing Diamond Dick or The Tigers of Tombstone

Background Dashing Diamond Dick was published in The Boys Weekly in 1898. Series was issued weekly and sold for 5 cents, though one could buy a year subscription for $2.50 The cover states that it was written by W. B. Lawson, though through research, we discovered that mat be a pen name. It is believed to possibly be written by Theodore Dresier. George B. McClellan was Dr. Diamond Dick

Plot Summary The beginning of the dime novel introduces the villain, Tornado Tom, who is forcing a German man to dance for him. The man is saved from dancing by an approaching stagecoach, carrying a young, beautiful woman. Tom fell for her and instantly began lusting for her. Before he was able to take her from the coach, Diamond Dick and his son begin a duel with Tom. The fight escalates with one of the Tigers darting toward the coach, resulting in the woman being shot and killed.

Theme The theme of the dime novel, as one can tell from the cover, is courage. In the image, Diamond Dick is shielding, and seemingly saving, a woman from the villain, Tornado Tom. Due to the amount of change occurring around them, Victorians found courage to be an important characteristic, because they had to be brave and courageous. This story was still relatable to women, even though it was set in the wild west with a male protagonist; women were constantly struggling to get what they felt was fair.

Theme Cont. At the end of the novel, the young woman was killed. This is important because it shows that not all battles will be won, no matter how hard one fights.

Works Cited Finch, L. Boyd. "Leavenworth’s Flamboyant Medicine Man." 2003. www.kshs.org/publicat/history/2003spring_finch.pdf. Web. 4 April 2017. Lawson, W.B. "Dashing Diamond Dick or The Tigers of Tombstone." Diamond Dick Jr. (1898): 32. Print. Thacker, Kim. "Daffy for Dime novels!" 11 December 2011. http://www.bookshoptalk.com/2011/12/daffy-for-dime-novels.html. Web. 4 April 2017.