Reproduction of the original: Elsie On the Hudson and Elsewhere by Martha Finley

While the newlyweds Rosie and Will enjoy their honeymoon, Evelyn invites the rest of the family to join her at Crag Cottage, which overlooks the Hudson River. En route to the cottage aboard the Dolphin, the Travillas, Lelands and Raymonds visit many historic sites and learn about the Revolutionary War and its heroes and villains. Meanwhile, Grandma Elsie and Annis visit relatives in Pleasant Plains, Ohio. When the burglar whom Lulu captured escapes from prison, he seeks revenge. Chester Dinsmore, however, saves her life, and Captain Raymond is so grateful that he gives Chester permission to seek Lulu's hand in marriage. Recommended for ages 10 to 14.

Elsie on the Hudson and Elsewhere

Percy Landreth and Chester Dinsmore compete for Lulu's hand in marriage, but Chester places himself in harm's way to save her life.

With their rakish characters, sensationalist plots, improbable adventures and objectionable language (like swell and golly), dime novels in their heyday were widely considered a threat to the morals of impressionable youth. Roundly criticized by church leaders and educators of the time, these short, quick-moving, pocket-sized publications were also, inevitably, wildly popular with readers of all ages. This work looks at the evolution of the dime novel and at the authors, publishers, illustrators, and subject matter of the genre. Also discussed are related types of children's literature, such as story papers, chapbooks, broadsides, serial books, pulp magazines, comic books and today's paperback books. The author shows how these works reveal much about early American life and thought and how they reflect cultural nationalism through their ideological teachings in personal morality and ethics, humanitarian reform and political thought. Overall, this book is a thoughtful consideration of the dime novel's contribution to the genre of children's literature. Eight appendices provide a wealth of information, offering an annotated bibliography of dime novels and listing series books, story paper periodicals, characters, authors and their pseudonyms, and more. A reference section, index and illustrations are all included.