The Prairie Bride; Or, the Squatter's Triumph

A fight breaks out over a claim in this action-filled homesteading story. The hardships of covered wagon life, the danger of the prairie fire, and the romance of the young bride's new home made this a best-seller in 1869. One of the things that made dime novels so popular was the lurid cover art. These scandalous imaged caught the attention of readers and, indeed, the ellicit nature of the stories was most appealing. Publishers capitalized on the interests of young female readers, especially, bringing tales of strong, willful heroines to life between the cheap paper covers of these books.