Ralph T. Adimari (1902–1970) was an

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, researcher, and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

of the

dime novel The dime novel is a form of late 19th-century and early 20th-century American popular fiction issued in series of inexpensive paperbound editions. The term ''dime novel'' has been used as a catchall term for several different but related form ...

Life

A prodigious collector, Adimari did extensive research on dime novels, and published many articles in ''Dime Novel Round-Up'' before 1940, and at least 20 articles between 1954 and 1964. He also wrote a piece titled "Saga of a Dime Novelist" which appeared in ''American Book Collector'' in early 1935. Through correspondence with fellow dime novel historian and ''Dime Novel Round-Up'' editor Ralph F. Cummings, Adimari acquired the letters and notebooks of William J. Benners (1863-1940), a dime novel historian, author, and agent, and wrote a biography of Benners for the ''DNRU''. Building upon Benners's work identifying dime novel authors, Adimari compiled detailed lists of authors and

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, titles, and publishers, definitively solving several mysteries about dime novel authorship. Adimari was born Raphael Adimare on October 19, 1902. He lived in the

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area for most of his life, including Mount Vernon and Suffolk. In addition to his work on dime novels, he co-edited a 1936 collection of

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

's essays, titled ''New York Dissected''. Adimari died November 1970 in Suffolk, New York. The Ralph Adimari Papers are housed in the Fales Library and Special Collections at

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Bobst Library The Elmer Holmes Bobst Library ( ), often referred to simply as Bobst Library or just Bobst, is the main library at New York University (NYU) in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The library is located at 70 Washington Square South between LaGuar ...

. The papers comprise correspondence from fellow dime novel collectors and historians, including Edward G. Levy, Dr. Albert Johannsen, ''Dime Novel Round-Up'' editors Edward T. LeBlanc and Ralph Cummings, the latter from whom Adimari acquired William Benners's papers, and writers including Col. Charles D. Randolph, aka "Buckskin Bill," known for his dime-novel and Western themed poetry. Also included are notebooks of research, manuscripts, newspaper clippings related to dime novel authors, photographs, and Victoriana. The William J. Benners Papers, also housed in Fales, includes several of Benners's notebooks that were subsequently used and annotated by Adimari.

External links

''Dime Novel Round-Up''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adimari, Ralph 1902 births 1970 deaths