Product Description

The String of Pearls - the original tale of Sweeney Todd, a classic of British horror - was first published as a weekly serial in 1846-7 by Edward Lloyd, the King of the Penny Dreadfuls. One of the earliest detective stories, it became an important source for Bram Stoker's Dracula. After 157 years of obscurity, it appears here for the first time in book form.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82224 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

A Lost Classic
At last someone has brought out a new edition of The String of Pearls! Everybody knows who Sweeney Todd was, but up to now the book itself has been something that even people like me, with a University library at my disposal, could only read about. Now everyone can read it. And what a read! Even though (OF COURSE) I knew the end of the story from long ago, I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. And there are some genuine (if rather cruel) laughs in it. If Matthew Lewis had been a Dickens fan, or if Ann Radcliffe had had a sense of fun, they would have written this. It is a first-rate horror story and -- like the excellent introduction says -- of first rate importance in the history of horror. No-one should give this book a miss. It's delicious!

Better than Dracula
I absolutely loved this book. I'd vaguely heard of it before, but never really hoped to read it, and now it's in print for £1.50!!. I read it in three nights - it's very atmospheric - it's brilliant - it's better than Frankenstein and Dracula!!

Intriguing and readable
Although the style is of its time, it is well written and still very readable. The short introduction is fascinating and reveals the authors as copyright cowboys often just one step ahead of the police (with works such as "Nickelas Nickelberry"). The plot is patchy and has a lot of false leads, probably resulting from more than one author, and from padding required to fill each magazine episode. Several characters seem to be important, but then fade out of the story, and the significance of the pearls to the plot is variable. Overall, though, Todd keeps the continuity, and holds the reader hooked.