Dashing Diamond Dick and Other Classic Dime Novels Book

I read this aloud to my husband. We got through 2 of the 4 stories. They are wonderfully horrible and hackneyed in a way that you just don't see nowadays.

One story was about an inventor who invents a flying machine that is a cross between a blimp and an airplane. (The story was written pre-Wright Bros). He sets out to explore South America with various characters, including two servants who serve as the comedy relief: one with an Irish accent and one with a southern African-American accent--both accents stereotyped imaginings--so politically incorrect for today that one can only laugh. One line from this story that my husband and I repeat to each other because it makes us laugh: a stranger at the front door hands the hero his business card and says, "As you can see, I am a detective!"

The book also contains a lovely introduction on the history of dime novels.