num_pages: 147
description: Sweeney Todd is notorious as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who, with the aid of an ingenious revolving chair and cut- throat razor, is said to have robbed and murdered over 160 victims. He is as famous in London history as Jack the Ripper and Dr Crippen, yet while the elusive Ripper and the devious quack doctor have between them been the subject of dozens of books and films, Todd has been almost completely ignored by historians - some of whom believe him to be a purely imaginary figure. Yet this callous and deadly barber who has been called 'the greatest mass murderer in English history' continues to exercise macabre fascination over the public.Sweeney Todd was born in Stepney in 1756, where he vowed to rise above the gutter. Yet fate had determined a different path for him. Following a conviction for petty theft he was imprisoned for five years, during which time he plotted to avenge himself on all those who were wealthy or in authority... and so the seeds of murderous intent were sown. Fleet Street was the scene of his appalling crimes, yet even worse deeds were carried out in Bell Yard, where his lover and accomplice, Margery Lovett, cooked the flesh of his victims for meat pies.This definitive biography exposes the man behind the myth. Drawing carefully upon fact and fiction and delving into the grim underworld of London 150 years ago, the life of Sweeney Todd is investigated to reveal a gruesome yet fascinating account of a unique criminal and his reign of terror in the opening years of the 19th century.
language: English
title: Sweeney Todd: The Real Story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Stteet
titlecomplete: Sweeney Todd: The Real Story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Stteet
genres: Historical, True Crime, Crime, History, Biography, Horror, Nonfiction, Theatre
ratings_count: 257
publisher: Boxtree Limited