William James Benners, Jr. (1863-1940) was a writer, publisher and historian of dime novels which was a class of popular fiction that flourished in the mid- and late-nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century. Benners was also a poet, actor, and an avid traveler, who maintained correspondence with many dime novel authors and aimed to compile a directory of popular writers and bought and sold stories and publishing rights and also penned some dime novels of his own.