Financial History 25th Anniversary Special Edition (104, Fall 2012) | Page 15

FROM THE COLLEC TION  

THE TICKER

explicit financial themes and characters.
Of course, many of the people and storylines in these titles share the derivative and formulaic characteristics of dime
novels and other mass produced literature
designed to reach a wide audience. Nevertheless, the collection is an incredibly
rich and overlooked source for examining
popular representations of and attitudes
toward banking, the stock market, Wall
Street and other features of American
capitalism in the early 20th century. 
Sarah Buonacore is currently studying
for her master’s degree in Museum Studies at NYU. Franklin Sammons recently
completed his MA in history at the University of Georgia, where he studied the
cultural and economic history of the
US, particularly the intertwined histories
of slavery and capitalism. Sarah and
Franklin are both Graduate Collections
& Archives Interns at the Museum.
Sources
“Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls” http://
www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/
“Dime Novels.” American Treasures of the
Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/
exhibits/treasures/tri015.html
Hoppenstand, Gary, ed. The Dime Novel Detective. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green
University Press, 1982.
Smith, Erin A. “Pulp Sensations.” In The Cambridge Companion to Popular Fiction edited
by David Glover and Scott McCracken.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2012.

DEC

1974

The Crash of 1973–74
hits rock-bottom, as the
DJIA closes at 577.60,
down 45.1% from its
high of January 1973.

DEC

1835

A fire rages through Lower Manhattan, destroying the New York Stock &
Exchange building. A strongbox containing important Exchange documents is
rescued from the flames by a broker.

DEC 18

1985

The US House of
Representatives
approves the Tax
Reform Act of 1986.

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