"Dover does their usual wonderful — and visually rich — job in this edition of the penny dreadful vampire tales. Of interest to fans of vampire fiction but also those interested in Victoriana, penny dreadfuls, and trends in popular fiction generally. The woodcuts and other visual embellishments help capture the mood and feel of the original publications." — Society Nineteen Before there was Dracula, there was Varney the Vampyre, the most famous of the sensational penny dreadfuls issued by Victorian-era publishers. Printed anonymously in serial form in 1847, these gripping tales recount the exploits of a deathless creature with an insatiable appetite for blood. A succession of exciting episodes chronicle the horrible fates of Varney's victims as well as the terrifying experiences of the band of comrades sworn to destroy the vampire. Varney the Vampyre not only thrilled countless eager readers but also established many of the conventions and ideas associated with vampirism. Scarcely any copies of the original edition survive, yet this legendary "feast of blood" continues to captivate readers with its inexplicable deaths, impossible escapes, revivifications, and graveyard rituals. This volume, the first of a two-book set, features an Introduction by noted science-fiction/fantasy editor E. F. Bleiler. Both editions are enriched by many atmospheric woodcut illustrations.

Varney the Vampyre: or, The Feast of Blood, Part 1 (Volume 1) (Dover Horror Classics)

Literature & Fiction

Rymer, James Malcolm

Prest, Thomas Peckett

United States

Dover Publications

In the early years of the Victorian age, a newly literate class of readers turned to "penny dreadfuls" for escapist fun. Blood-curdling tales, published in installments and costing only a penny, offered gripping episodes of romance, mystery, and horror. The notorious penny dreadful Sweeney Todd: The String of Pearls recounts a young woman's desperate search for her missing sailor sweetheart―a quest that ends in a Fleet Street barber shop, where the proprietor has an unsavory connection with a local baker and the secret ingredient to her delicious meat pies. Authorship of this tale, which was printed anonymously in 1846-47 in eighteen weekly installments, remains in doubt. The story's serial publication ensured an abundance of cliffhangers, and its dark humor made it an especially appealing source for the long-running Broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. A delight for fans of the modern play, this gripping yarn remains a treat for readers of Victorian mysteries.

SWEENEY TODD The String of Pearls: The Original Victorian Classic (Dover Literature: Gothic/Horror)

Angelina: Or, the Mystery of St. Mark'S Abbey. a Tale of Other Days

Contemporary

Nabu Press

Ernnestine De Lacy, Or, the Robber's Foundling: An Old English Romance

Fatherless Fanny, or a Young Lady's First Entrance Into Life: Being the Memoirs of a Little Mendicant and Her Benefactors

EDGEWORTH, Maria

Taylor, Me

The String of Pearls: A Romance is the title of a story first published as a penny part serial 1846-47. The main antagonist of the story is the infamous Sweeney Todd, "the Demon Barber of Fleet Street", who here makes his literary debut.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street: The String Of Pearls

Genre Fiction

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Varney the Vampire is a mid-Victorian era gothic horror story by James Malcolm Rymer (alternatively attributed to Thomas Preskett Prest), which first appeared 1845-47 in a series of "penny dreadful" pamphlets. This edition is the third of a three-volume series collecting the sprawling epic and collects the final 100+ chapters of the epic.

Varney the Vampire Vol. 3: The Feast of Blood

Penny Dreadful Multipack Vol. 2   Vileroy or The Horrors of Zindorf Castle  The Picture of Dorian Gray  Dracula’s Guest    THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY    'Oh, if it were only the other way! If the picture could change, and I could be always what I am now!'    The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Oscar Wilde, appearing as the lead story in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine on 20 June 1890, printed as the July 1890 issue. The magazine's editors feared the story was indecent as submitted, so they censored roughly 500 words, without Wilde's knowledge, before publication. But even with that, the story was still greeted with outrage by British reviewers, some of whom suggested that Wilde should be prosecuted on moral grounds, leading Wilde to defend the novel aggressively in letters to the British press.  Today, Wilde's fin de siècle novella is considered a classic. It is presented here with illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley, Wilde's one time friend with whom he fell out over 'Salome.' The illustrations include a caricature of Wilde by Beardsley as well as a high definition copy of the original Lipincott's Magazine cover from July, 1890.    VILEROY OR THE HORRORS OF ZINDORF CASTLE   This epic, gripping thriller from Thomas Peckett Prest, the creator of Sweeney Todd is available in a print-book edition for the very first time.  'Zindorff' was a wildly popular serial in the 1850s, outselling works by Dickens and Thackeray, but has now largely been forgotten. All the tropes of the early penny dreadful are here: a quintessential Gothic romance, replete with incidents of physical and psychological terror; remote, crumbling castles; seemingly supernatural events; a brooding, scheming villain; and a persecuted heroine.   DRACULA'S GUEST   This short story by Bram Stoker, the creator of 'Dracula,' was published posthumously by Stoker's widow in 1914, two year's after the author's death and is a must read for any vampire aficionado.   *Fully annotated with original essays "What is a Penny Dreadful?" and "Who wrote Vileroy?"

Penny Dreadful Multipack: Volume 2

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Wilde, Óscar

Stoker., Bram

Mystery

It's Volume 4 of the Penny Dreadful Multipacks!  Included in this bundle:   ‘Frankenstein’ (1818 Version) by Mary Shelley; ‘The String of Pearls’ (Sweeney Todd) by James Malcolm Rymer and ‘The Lady or the Tiger’ by Frank Stockton.   Plus, original essay 'What is a Penny Dreadful?'   ‘Frankenstein’ (1818 Version) by Mary Shelley  This is the original, 1818 text. In 1831, the more traditionally first "popular" edition in one volume appeared.This version of the story was heavily revised by Mary Shelley who was under pressure to make the story more conservative, and included a new, longer preface by her, presenting a somewhat embellished version of the genesis of the story. This edition tends to be the one most widely read now but many scholars prefer the 1818 text, arguing that it preserves the spirit of Shelley's original publication.  ‘The String of Pearls’ (Sweeney Todd) by James Malcolm Rymer  ‘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. The main antagonist of the story is the infamous Sweeney Todd, "the Demon Barber of Fleet Street", who here makes his literary debut.  The tale became a staple of Victorian melodrama. It was the subject of a 1959 ballet by English composer Sir Malcolm Arnold and, in 1979, a Tony award-winning Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler. The musical was adapted for the screen in 2007 as a musical film, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. After 157 years of obscurity, here it is, the book that started it all, presented for the first time in stunning E-book format with original illustrations and extras.  ‘The Lady or the Tiger’ by Frank Stockton  "The lady, or the tiger?" has come into the English language as an allegorical expression, a shorthand indication or signifier for a problem that is unsolvable. The phrase started here, in the title of this short story that had the world talking when it was first published in The Century magazine in 1882. Its fame has long since faded but its capacity to make an impact on the reader remains. Its ending remains one of the greatest conundrums in literature.

Penny Dreadful Multipack Volume 4

Stockton, Frank

SHELLEY,MARY

Short Stories & Anthologies

Varney the Vampire (1847) is a penny dreadful novel by British writers James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest. Originally serialized in cheap volumes, the novel introduced some of the most recognizable tropes of vampire fiction still used today, including the depiction of fangs and the use of a Gothic setting. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, Varney the Vampire is a story of tragedy, damnation, and revenge that pioneered many of the themes common to horror and pulp fiction today. Sir Francis Varney was condemned to an eternity of vampiric life following his actions during the reign of Oliver Cromwell. Having betrayed a royalist and killed his own son in a fit of rage, Varney was forced to suffer death and resurrection countless times over on his insatiable quest for human blood. In the nineteenth century, he targets the Bannerworths, a once-noble family fallen on hard times in their crumbling estate. Gruesome and tragic, the story manages to humanize the vampire without softening his terrifying actions or features, laying the groundwork for an action-packed romp through such legendary cities as London, Naples, and Venice. Varney the Vampire is a grisly penny dreadful novel, a quick-witted work of horror that has inspired generations of storytellers and readers alike. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Varney the Vampire by James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest is a classic of British horror fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Varney the Vampire (Mint Editions (Horrific, Paranormal, Supernatural and Gothic Tales))

Mint Editions

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