Tales of Mystery & the Supernatural The String of Pearls - the original tale of Sweeney Todd, a classic of British horror - was first published as a weekly serial in 1846-7 by Edward Lloyd, the King of the Penny Dreadfuls. One of the earliest detective stories, it became an important source for Bram Stoker"s Dracula. After 157 years of obscurity, it appears here for the first time in book form.