What Was A 'penny Dreadful'?

A penny dreadful was a short story, usually consisting of an eight page booklet which was on sale for a penny.
Penny deadfuls started in the 1830's and were targeted at readers who found the works of Dickens or Sir walter Scott, too highbrow and challenging, or not gory enough for their tastes. Readers were predominantly from the upper working classes. Traditional books were published in a three volume set and were 31 shillings and sixpence, so many more penny dreadfuls could be bought for the price of an ordinary book.
Titles ranged from Varney the Vampire, to the Darling of the Crew and The Death Ship. Often the penny dreadful was a blatant plagiarised parody of popular novels. They were purchased from street traders and hawkers and tended to be despised by the middle classes who found them vulgar and feared that they would corrupt the working classes.

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