Penny Dreadful Multipack Vol. 4

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 

‘The Lady or the Tiger’ by Frank Stockton 

Original essay 'What is a Penny Dreadful?' 


Plus ... 


Stunning illustrations. 

Links to free full-length audio recordings for 'Frankenstein' and 'Sweeney Todd.' 


‘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. 


Fully annotated. Two Victorian classics and the Stockton short story. 


*Links to unabridged audio recordings of ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Sweeney Todd.’ 


*Individual, active Table of Contents for each book.  This book series is not affiliated with Showtime Networks’ television series PENNY DREADFUL.