The wonderful and surprising history of Sweeney Todd : the life and times of an urban legend / Robert L. Mack.

Traces the history of the Todd narrative from its earliest "proper" appearance as a "penny dreadful" in 1846-47, and then as a popular melodrama, through to its twentieth-century manifestation in film, ballet, musicals and opera, up to current and future productions including the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp film. Each successive generation has found a compelling fascination in the story's themes of avarice, ambition, desire, appetite, retribution, justice, and cannibalism. Following in the footsteps of the myth, this book takes the reader on a journey from the roots of the story in the alleyways and pie-shops of Victorian London to its modern incarnations on stage, screen and in popular culture.--From publisher description.