Author: Thomas Peckett Prest

James Malcolm Rymer (1814–1884) was a British nineteenth century writer of penny dreadfuls, and is the co-author with Thomas Peckett Prest of both Varney the Vampire (1847) and The String of Pearls (1847), in which the notorious villain Sweeney Todd makes his literary debut. Thomas Peckett Prest (1810–1859) was a British hack writer, journalist and musician. He was a prolific producer of penny dreadfuls. He is now remembered as the co-creator (with James Malcolm Rymer) of the fictional Sweeney Todd, the “demon barber” immortalized in his The String of Pearls, as well as the co-author with Rymer of Varney the Vampire. He wrote under pseudonyms including Bos, a takeoff of Charles Dickens” own pen name, Boz. Before joining Edward Lloyd”s publishing factory, Prest had made a name for himself as a talented musician and composer.