Book History

The Were-Wolf

Submitted by Lorraine Janzen... on

A Mystery in Scarlet: Editorial Introduction

Submitted by Rebecca Nesvet on
August, 2020

Robert Louis Stevenson, celebrated author of Treasure Island  (1882-3), Kidnapped (1886), and "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1886) was a lifelong connoisseur of "penny dreadfuls": illustrated serial fiction that targeted working-class readers. In Stevenson's childhood, his nurse Alison Cunningham often read dreadfuls to him. In adulthood, Stevenson was haunted by one serial in particular. This was A Mystery in Scarlet by “Malcolm J. Errym,” the pseudonym of James Malcolm Rymer (1814-84).

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A Mystery in Scarlet

Submitted by Rebecca Nesvet on
October, 2021

Robert Louis Stevenson cherished the 1866 penny dreadful A Mystery in Scarlet, written by his "genuine influence" Malcolm J. Errym, the pseudonym of "Sweeney Todd" creator James Malcolm Rymer (1814-84) and illustrated by the celebrated "Phiz" (Hablot K. Browne, 1815-82).

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The Were-Wolf

Submitted by Lorraine Janzen... on

Clemence Housman invented her gothic story to entertain the women in her wood-engraving class in London in 1884. She first published "The Were-Wolf" in the 1890 Christmas number of Atalanta, where it was illustrated by Everard Hopkins. In 1896 she collaborated with her brother, Laurence Housman, to produce an illustrated edition of The Were-Wolf for John Lane at The Bodley Head. In addition to authoring the text, Clemence Housman wood-engraved the 6 illustrations, decorated title page, and illuminated initial designed by her brother, Laurence Housman.

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