James Malcolm Rymer Author

Thomas Peckett Prest (1810-1859) was a British journalist, hack writer, and musician. He is best known for his collaborations with James Malcolm Rymer, coauthoring Varney the Vampire (1847) and The String of Pearls (1847), a novel also known as Sweeney Todd: The Barber of Fleet Street. Prest worked as a writer for London publisher Edward Lloyd, earning a reputation for lampooning the novels of Charles Dickens. James Malcolm Rymer (1814-1884) was a British writer of penny dreadfuls, a cheap form of literature popular in the nineteenth century. Born in London, he is best known for his collaborations with Thomas Peckett Prest, coauthoring Varney the Vampire (1847) and The String of Pearls (1847), a novel also known as Sweeney Todd: The Barber of Fleet Street. Of Scottish descent, Rymer wrote over one hundred novels throughout his career for London publisher Edward Lloyd.