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

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

• 
  Vivienne

  The problem is with this book is that it claims to tell the real story of Sweeney Todd and says that 25 years of research went into it. Haining asserts that Todd was a real person citing dates and the like but doesn't back this up.
  
  In no way is this a well researched book - there is no bibliography or documentation that one would expect in anything classing itself as a non-fiction work dealing with history.
  
  Poorly written and its seems no one proof read it as there are some glaring mistakes.
  
  Happily I obtained this via a library so I didn't pay anything for it.
  
  
  
• 
  Rose

  Sweeney Todd’s crimes struck horror into the hearts of eighteenth century Londoners, and continue to chill and fascinate two hundred years later. According to the legend, Todd was a barber with a grimy shop on Fleet Street. When solitary victims settled into his chair for a shave, the ‘Demon Barber’ would pull a lever that opened the floor beneath the chair and pitched them into the dark cellar below. If the fall did not kill them, he would cut their throats, and then help himself to their valuables. Todd disposed of the bodies with help from accomplice Margery Lovett, who baked their flesh into meat pies that she sold in her Bell Yard shop. The nightmare pair claimed over 160 victims before authorities stepped in and brought their spree to a halt.
  
  The unbelievable victim count, the fantastic revolving chair, and the two centuries that have passed since he cut his last victim’s throat have led crime historians to question whether or not Sweeney Todd really existed. Even the flesh-into-pie method of concealing his crimes has a Grimms aura of unreality about it. Peter Haining attempted to set the record straight in this book, which was originally published in 1993, and re-released in 2007 in the wake of the popular film starring Johnny Depp. He doesn’t fully succeed.
  
  ‘Sweeney Todd: the Real Story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ is a well-written account of both the Demon Barber’s deeds and the London that he lived in. But the problem is that Haining does not list his sources. In 1993 footnotes were not the norm outside of academic texts, but authors usually compensated by identifying source material in the book itself i.e. “According to the People’s Periodical of November 1, 1846…” We’re given a lot of intriguing information that cannot be verified. Haining describes Todd’s trial and execution in vivid detail, yet neither event appears in the official records. Discriminating readers are left with a sense of hollow enjoyment. We want to trust such an entertaining book, but we can’t.
  
  This could have been a five star book, but the sense of uncertainty it leaves me with forces me to accord only three.
  
• 
  Sara

  Am currently reading this book - by mistake. I thought it was the READ Sweeney Todd book, but alas,it is only a historical review of the times of Sweeney Todd.
  
  The book is interesting although the author goes on inconsequential tangents and I often forget what the original purpose of the chapter/paragraph/sentence is.
  
  I'll certainly finish reading it - hopefully it will be informative for when I read the actual story of Sweeney Todd!
  
  [Additional note: I've decided not to finish reading this as I picked up way better books at the library!]
• 
  Alan K

  Haining's version of events purported to be the true story of Sweeney Todd is hard to believe. His sources are unverified by any contemporary scholars, as far as I can tell. He refers to the Newgate Calendar often, but that is hard to track down as several publications have taken that name over the years. Also, from what I've seen the Newgate Calendar, as was the case for many (or even most) Victorian newspapers, was extremely prone to sensationalist embellishment. A good number of his claims have no citation at all, and he even cites passages from the penny dreadful as if they were fact. What he claims to be indisputable evidence is actually of questionable veracity. Haining's account of Todd's doings reads like historical fiction. Literally. It was immediately apparent that he let his imagination take hold of what is supposed to be objective.
  
  I added a star because his chapters on modern adaptations are useful and better-cited. However, considering the unimpressive scholarship in first half of the book, I can't help but doubt.
• 
  Margaret

  Oddly charming book positing the idea that Sweeney Todd actually existed.
  
  I went in doubtful, came out convinced that Peter Haining's research had born fruit.
  
  An interesting, if somewhat unusual, read.
  
  Highly recommended.
• 
  Heather Hay

  This book could be recommended to:
  
  History Buffs : The author took great lengths to assemble historical records and cross reference them with detailed graphic depictions of what was going on in London at the time. The complete bibliography at the back of the book is worth looking into. Those doing research on their own will learn why certain parts of history really are hard to come by and how you can find new avenues of research.
  
  Steampunk fans: Children of the Nineteenth and Eighteenth century did not go to band camp to get away from their abusive drunk parents. They went to the tower of London where the guards delighted in showing kids how their torture devices worked (on incarcerated people, or just explaining, not torturing kids). Several contraptions and devices are elaborated on in this book, not to mention the origins of barber devices. Those who wish to write steam punk will find lots of inspiration from this book in creating a convincing villain.
  
  True Crime Readers: In researching the real Sweeney Todd, Mr. Haining ran across several other cannibals and murderers the tale could have started from. These tails and historic accounts are almost more chilling to read than that of the real Todd. Fans (could you call them that?) of Jack the Ripper will appreciate the fact that this author ties in the two characters and just like the ripper crimes, he explains what is in the locations now in present day London. It is also worth learning about the evolution of the British police force.
  
  High-Brow Literature Geeks: Learn where the origins of many characters have come from by learning about the disgusting habits of old London. Also read about the evolution of the Newspapers of England from the Penny Dreadfuls, to tabloid-esque newsletters of the goings on inside prisons to the modern day papers.
  
  Sickos who enjoy of-all-things BROADWAY MUSICALS: Yeah. You can read it too.
• 
  Kristen

  Originally, I had this in my 'true crime' shelf, but had to remove it from there after my reading of the first few chapters. Although Haining tries to pass this off as a researched account proving that Sweeney Todd did truly exist in London, he fails abysmally. The writing is not terrible, and many of the facts about London culture were interesting. However, Haining fails to provide any evidence that what he claims as fact did actually occur. The first half of the book is a confused mix of "this is why Todd has to have existed", and undocumented but extremely detailed events that supposedly occurred in his lifetime, even though Haining does not mention sources or actually come to the believable conclusion that he was not a figment of fiction.
  
  The second half of the book is devoted, not to Sweeney Todd's life and crimes, but to the media adaptations that took place through the 19th and 20th century. These are not organized chronologically; Haining jumps from a 1940's movie adaptation back to the 1800's and the first novel and back to play and then over to the introduction of the story in American culture without rhyme or reason. In addition, he packs the second half with unnecessary and unrelated facts (the entire page detailing how the actor who was famous for playing Todd went bankrupt and then died was my personal favourite), which are utterly mind-numbing.
  
  The book read like a 'true account' of Roswell, or Big Foot sightings and not the researched historical account I was interested in. I suggest no one interested in true crime read this. If you are looking for an account of the legend and the media portrayal, choose another book that focuses on that aspect, as this author's continuous and unfounded claims of the 'truth' of the man will most likely grate your nerves, as it did mine.
  
  I quit reading this book on chapter 17, and it therefore has been added to my 'incomplete' shelf.
• 
  Lucian Vaizer

  Lo que menos me gusta en este mundo es atacar a otros colegas escritores, menos aún si como en el caso del Sr. Haining, han pasado a mejor vida. Opino que no hay reglas a la hora de escribir un libro, cualquier fórmula es buena, ya que a fin de cuentas todos los escritores "mentimos" a nuestros lectores contándoles historias que no son ciertas.
  
  El drama viene cuando un escritor quiere hacer pasar por cierta una historia inventada, y se basa en argumentos, en pruebas que simplemente provienen de su imaginación, únicamente con el objetivo de ganar reconocimiento y obtener ventas. No hay nada de "Real Story" en el ensayo de Haining. Ningún hombre llamado Todd fue encarcelado en la prisión de Newgate y ahorcado en Tyburn.
  
  Sweeney Todd se basa en una leyenda urbana francesa de más de cuatrocientos años de antigüedad, la leyenda de "La Posada de los Tres Reyes" de París.
• 
  Jaylin Jones

  Okay, so when I picked this book up, I was expecting a novel. 1st person point of view, 3rd person, I didn't know. Or care, really. The first three chapters though, were something I thought to be an author's note of some sort, but I read it anyway. It was the beginning of the fourth chapter, however, that I realized it was not a novel, but rather, a biography. And upon this discovery, I put together the facts that a biography is a work written about someone by someone else. NOT FICTION. Learning all this to be fact, I'm now quite eager to go to London to see many of the famous landmarks associated with the legend of Sweeney Todd.
• 
  Deanne

  This is not the version of Sweeney Todd seen in the film, and based on the victorian play which was romanticised by adding the young lovers.
  This is based on information in the Newgate calender, other documentation of the 1800's and local folklore and knowledge of the area of Temple Bar.
  It's interesting reading, although I did enjoy the latest film this is the more believeable version for me.
  
• 
  Sam

  A thorough and entertaining account of the Demon Barber based on the Newgate Calender publications of the 1800's and not the romanticized Victorian version. This is a candid look at the man behind the legend giving the how, where and whens of his crimes, trial and execution and how Todd has influenced popular culture ever since. The only flaw is the lack of source identification and so the reader is left wondering how much is real and how much is conjecture.
• 
  Fishface

  A really good read, taking the opposing viewpoint to Mack's "The Wonderful And Suprising History Of Sweeney Todd," and intriguingly USES EXACTLY THE SAME EVIDENCE TO PROVE HIS THESIS -- that Sweeney Todd was not an urban legend but a real, live person. he has all kinds of facts, figures and dates with citations. Not quite as absorbingly written as Mack's, but more dramatic and far more grisly, which is always good for me.
• 
  Jonathan

  Quick read - good for the rainy days. I have done the "Ripper walk" in London more than i care to admit (used to be a tour guide there.
  Had I of actually listened to my peers and read this book when it was given to me in 1998 - I would have been all over Fleet Street. Dark, vicious, and forbiding - the best of London.
• 
  Susan Jo Grassi

  I must admit that I always thought the character of Sweeney Todd was nothing more than a figment of a warped imagination, used to scare children or produce a strange play and an even stranger motion picture. As with all of Peter Hainings books, it is well written and researched. If you like horror/thriller, true-crime books, this is the one for you. Just don't read it at the dinner table.
• 
  Alex

  Very cool to learn he was a real dude.
• 
  Lisa

  I didn't finish, and I suggest you don't even start. I read more than half, so I'm counting it toward my 2022 challenge. Just try to stop me. :D
  This is supposedly the "real" story of Sweeney Todd, but since Sweeney Todd wasn't real... There is no bibliography or reference section, so it doesn't even do a good job of pretending to be research. And the writing is terrible. This author was a journalist, but he didn't know that the past tense of "lead" is "led"? The cells of Newgate may have been dank, but I doubt they were "stiffling." I've heard of a "prerequisite" and a "perquisite," but never a "prequisite." "Inexorably" contains no H. Prisoners are hanged, not hung. (That's pictures and laundry.) What he calls "Fleet Fleet" is more likely "Fleet Street." "Doggerel" rhymes; I don't know what "doggrel" does. I stopped soon after "only the keen-eyed would every have noticed...." for the sake of my sanity.
• 
  Nancy 6+

  Though there is much debate about whether Sweeney Todd actually existed, Mr. Haining makes an intriguing case that he did. I might have given this three stars, if not for the many typos and grammatical errors riddled throughout the book. Also, almost the entire second half just relates to theatrical productions of the story, in which I am just not interested. I did enjoy the rest of the story, which related in great part to the living conditions of 18th century London. It would not be surprising to me that some poor people may have resorted to cannibalism to survive, there being no social services in those days.
• 
  Johnny Ray

  This is an interesting nonfiction detailing the history of Sweeney Todd, delving into whether he is myth, legend, or actual murderous barber. At times it was a history of the era and not so much of Sweeney Todd.
• 
  Ron Popp

  Enjoyable enough once he stops trying to prove Sweeney was a real person. Some really questionable "research"
• 
  Sherry

  Interesting history behind the drama of screen and stage.
• 
  Linda

  Sometimes I'm a little slow on popular culture. When the Sondheim musical on Sweeney Todd came out, it didn't seem to me such a big thing and I had never heard of Sweeney Todd. Of course, I did learn who he was and why he was famous.
  
  THEN Johnny Depp made the movie with Tim Burton and I couldn't resist that team. Now I'm on the lookout for other Sweeney Todd stuff. Hence this book.
  
  Haining has me convinced that Sweeney Todd really existed. But this book insists it is the REAL story of the man's life and death (not to mention his "life" in fiction, drama and film). But the quality of the book is really bad - misspellings, wrong typesettings, incorrect references, that it makes me doubt the author's claim of extensive research.
  
  His bibliography is scarce and doesn't list any of the primary sources he says he reviewed. For instance, he says that it was impossible to get copies of the People's Periodical and Family Library (an old "literary magazine" dedicated to the working class - things just above penny dreadfuls) that even the British Library doesn't have copied and yet he suddenly finds a person with a complete set. This CAN happen, I know, but.....
  
  Anyway, I would like to see a listing of those primary sources such as the above and the New Newgate Calendar, but Haining doesn't give us any way to access them.
  
  He does do a fairly good job of putting us in the atmosphere of London of the mid 18th century however. And he extensively details how the Sweeney Todd legend grew from serial stories in the newspapers, to plays, to fiction and finally to the silver screen.
  
  And the best part is that he ends with the Burton-Depp movie.....
• 
  Meaghan

  This book was a disappointment, not what I was expecting it to be. From the annotation on the back cover I expected it to be a scholarly historical work, with footnotes and such, making the case for Sweeney Todd's existence and chronicling what little is known of his life. Instead, the book provided a few chapters for Todd's life and crimes and his trial, then the second half focused on the impact Todd had on history and all the plays, musicals, etc., done about him. Which is fine if you like that sort of thing, but I had wanted something different. How does the author KNOW all that stuff he wrote about in the biography section actually happened? What are his sources? How do his sources "prove" Sweeney Todd existed? I'm not saying I don't think he existed, but I would like to have seen a lot more evidence and argument provided than what I got.
• 
  Claire

  There's a cracking book to be written about Sweeney Todd, but unfortunately this isn't it. In fact, this is the kind of book that really irritates me - although it is obvious that Haining has done a lot of research on the subject, he doesn't seem to understand how to use it properly or edit it for relevance. This book is mostly badly written tosh, and it is also extremely badly edited and referenced; there are far too many examples of the lazy use of phrases like 'the evidence suggests' (what evidence? where's the reference?) and 'it is argued that' (argued by whom? in what context?) without demonstrating any proof along the way. The chapter on Todd's trial is, admittedly, vividly written and neatly quotes contemporary sources, but that's about the only good thing I can find to say about this book. Avoid.
• 
  Elizabeth

  Though the existence of Sweeney Todd is under debate, Peter Haining makes an interesting case for him. Most of his evidence is simply speculation, but it is an interesting read if you are interested in the real story and history of the Sweeney Todd tale.
  
  One thing I found annoying about the book was that Haining often goes on unnecessary tangents that really have nothing to do with the tale of Sweeney Todd and don't help to prove his case - they are simply there.
  
  But, other than that, I found the book interesting even if it didn't convince me that Sweeney Todd was once an actual person. Some of Haining's points are definitely worth considering and looking into.
  
  If you are a history buff that takes an interested in crime and criminals of the past or simply are a fan of the Sweeney Todd tale and want to learn everything about it you can, this is a book you might like.
  
• 
  Ashley (Tiny Navajo Reads)

  While the life and history of Sweeney Todd himself is interesting, there's not much to hold my attention after he dies in this book.
  
  I want to know about Sweeney Todd, I want to know more about how his early life was, how he came into contact with his profession as a barber, and how he thought that murdering people and turning them into meat pies with Mrs. Lovett would be a good idea.
  
  While this book gave a very basic answering to all of these questions, I always want to go deeper, it doesn't seem to go as deep into the history as I would like.
  
  Yes, and interesting book, but there's not enough to interest me afterwards in the fictionalization of Sweeney Todd. I want to know about his life, not about his fiction.
• 
  Jackie Harris

  As someone who really loved the Movie directed by Tim Burton as well as watching the original Broadway play I really enjoyed this book. Not only do you learn of the actual story of Sweeney Todd you learn about his history of how he became the know Demon Barber of Fleet Street, as well as other characters who is believe to have given him the ideas of his murderous plan. He's a character who isn't well know like the famous Jack he Ripper but his story is much more violent, detailed, and successful than that of Jack. If you like such stories that include murder and how the murders make their plan (in detail) this is the book for you.