"A Plea for Old Cap Collier" by Irvin S. Cobb tells the story of how many books used to teach students in the past were not very interesting to the student and that dime novels could have been a better choice of engaging reading material. At a time when most students would prefer to read about characters like Old Cap Collier, Tombstone Dick, Kit Carson or Mustang Sam this story shows that required reading has always been a pain for young students.