Reading from GWM Reynolds’ “Mysteries of the Courts of London”

George WM Reynolds was the father of the so-called “Penny Dreadfuls,” a publishing phenomenon of the nineteenth-century. These serialized stories were published weekly, often over many years, adopting the tropes of gothic fiction to describe the poverty, violence, and crime of London. In one sequence, Reynolds provides us with a vivid description of W.G. Ross’s performance of “Sam Hall” at the Cider Cellars.

Read George WM Reynolds, Mysteries of the Court of London, “Recreations and the Horrors of London Life”

10 minutes