DisQussion

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Devin DoesTheWork

Candace Moonshower

2020-005

April 23, 2019

Soda, Fries, and Guys

“About FTR.” Carly's Malt Shop, www.carlysmaltshop.com/p/welcome-to-malt-shop-home-of-

fifties.html.

This article explains that the Malt Shop Romance was a beloved version of teen romance

that was popular from the 1940's-1960's. It says that Malt Shop Romances were set in a time

period when life was simpler, and the world was more idealistic and wholesome. This review

shares a love and a fondness for this type of sentimental, encouraging form of romance. It also

gives specific details on how to recognize a malt shop romance by giving three primary

characteristics that can be found on the cover or just inside the cover. This article goes on to give

an idea what he basic plots are for most of these romances.

This article is obviously written by someone who has a great love for this genre and loves

the nostalgia of the era that surrounds this genre. It does an excellent job of defining how to

recognize this genre and of identifying what to expect from this genre. It also goes on to tell the

reader where to find these books that are no longer printed and even explains that there is one

publisher who is going to republish these books

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Kaufman, Joanne. “For the Love of Malt Shop Novels.” The New York Times, The New York

Times, 5 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/books/review/malt-shop-teen-

romances.html.

Kaufman gives an overall description of what the malt shop romance was; it was a story

about a teenage girl protagonist as she navigates her way through life and love. It explains that

this genre was popular from the 1940s through mid 1960s. There is discussion of some of the

most popular authors of the malt shop romances and what each of their specialties was. It

highlights the series of each of these authors: Betty Cavanna, Anne Emery, Lenora Weber, and

Rosamund du Jardin. The article suggests that most of these books dealt with topics like how a

girl fits in, how she relates to her peers and to boys, and how she accepts and embraces who she

is. The author suggests that some of the books delve into deeper matters such as alcoholism and

racism but that most present a very idealized view of families and society at that time.

The author of the article is quite helpful in describing the storylines and titles of some of

the most well-known authors. It also gives the reader information on how to find these

publications today. Instead of buying the original publication for extremely high prices, it lists

the current publishing company, Image Cascade Publishing, and the information about its owner

and start date. The article gives the curious reader a foundational base for further research into

this genre by giving key authors names, book titles, and publishing information.

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Marek, Kiersten. “Interview with Joy Canfield, Image Cascade Publishing.” Kmareka.com, 21

Mar. 2018, kmareka.com/2006/05/21/interview-with-joy-canfield-image-cascade-

publishing/.

In this article, Kiersten Marek interviews Joy Canfield, the founder of Image Cascade

Publishing. The interview explains that Image Cascade Publishing was founded because Joy was

trying to find some of her favorite teen fiction books from her youth and realized that the prices

for these books was outrageous. She wanted to find series like the Beany Malone series for a

reasonable price. The article explains the process that Joy went through to contact the families

of the authors of some of these beloved teen romances. Joy explains why people both new and

old love these books that were originally published from 1940’s through the 1960’s. She says

that the books are filled with love, warmth, acceptance, and a sense of family and community

that is not present in today’s teen fiction. Canfield explains that today’s teen fiction is often

highly sexual and problematic. When Marek asks Canfield who she primarily sells to, Canfield

explains that she has readers that originally read and loved these books, but she also has a whole

new group of purchasers that are looking for wholesome material for their kids to read. The

article explains that these books are still relevant today and still help teens and young adults find

a positive identity and navigate the world around them.

This article is helpful because it explains the difference between current teen romance

and romance of the malt shop days. It also gives insight into why these romances were so

popular during with both teens and their parents. What was most interesting about this article

was that the publishing company is attracting as many new readers as nostalgic readers. The fact

that both parents and schools are searching for wholesome reading materials that would interest

teens shows that this market has potential for continued growth.

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Moore, Guusje. “The Malt Shop Era.” Buying and Selling Children's Books - The Malt Shop Era,

www.bookthink.com/0060/60guu1.htm.

Moore writes this article as a bookseller to other booksellers. The main point of the

article is to educate other booksellers on the value of the malt shop romance novels and how to

sell them. Moore highlights each of the most well-known authors like Lenora Mattingly Weber,

Rosamund du Jardin, Anne Emery, and Janet Lambert. She gives a synopsis of the types of

books and series that each author wrote. Her description of each authors series explains what

types of characters they wrote about and what types of issues or problems those characters faced.

Moore explains which books in each series are the most valuable and how to market or sell them

if one is interested in reselling. The scarcity of original copies is addressed but she does give

information on Image Cascade Publishing for reprints.

It is obvious that this bookseller is not a fan of this genre for any other reason than that

the original copies are valuable. Her assessment of each authors books shows that she thinks

these books don’t have much content value and she does not personally like to read them. Yet,

the article is still helpful in that it highlights the top authors in this genre and gives pertinent

information about their book series, characters, and plots. This information helps to show the

diversity of characters and topics covered by these books.

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Stein, Sadie. “Teen Tour.” The Paris Review, 29 Jan. 2013,

www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/01/08/teen-tour/.

In this article in The Paris Review, Sadie Stein talks about her love for the teen romances

of the1940s through 1960s. She explains that only true lovers of this genre refer to it as malt

shop romance. Stein explains that there is great diversity among the authors of this genre but

that there was something to appeal to each type of teen during that era. The article also explains

that theseauthors addressed both simple problems like how not to hurt someone’s feelings but

also includedimportant topics like antisemitism. The majority of the article focuses on Stein’s

favorite author Anne Emery and her series about Dinny Gordon. Stein explains that as an

awkward teenager she really identified with the main character, Dinny, and found comfort in

realizing that she did not have to be perfect. Part of the allure of this genre is that it was very

wholesome and encouraging while still being relevant. It addressed the issues that teens were

concerned about then and are still concerned about today. It taught lessons in a way that was not

nagging or preaching, and it taught girls that it was okay to be themselves.

This article was helpful primarily because it is written from the perspective of someone

who immersed herself in these books growing up. It gives insight into why these books appealed

to teenage girls and why they would eagerly await the next book in a series. It also lets one see

that the teen or young adult of the post-war era was looking to find her place in a society that was

rapidly changing from one of very traditional homes to one where feminism was on the rise and

women now had to figure out where they fit into this new world.