Sweeney Todd : The Real Story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Behind the shutters of Sweeney Todd's barbershop on the crime-ridden Fleet Street of late-18th-century London, the man who advertised "Easy shaving for a penny" was in fact involved in a spree of robbery and murder unique in the annals of history. Delving beneath the myth to uncover the real-life demon barber who terrorized London for 15 years, Peter Haining traces Todd's childhood, early crimes, and imprisonment in Newgate (where he acquired a smoldering hatred of society along with a barber's skill); he describes how Todd committed his crimes with the assistance of the enterprising Mrs. Lovett, who baked the grisly remains of his murder victims into the meat pies that were her stock in trade; and he recounts how the cut-throat barber was finally brought to justice. The book also examines Todd's long life in literature and on the stage, including, most recently, Stephen Sondheim's glorious award-winning musical. B&W illus.