James Malcolm Rymer facts for kids
James Malcolm Rymer (1814–1884) was a British writer from the 1800s. He was known for writing popular, exciting stories called penny dreadfuls. He is thought to have co-written two famous stories: Varney the Vampire (1847) and The String of Pearls (1847). The String of Pearls is special because it introduced the well-known villain, Sweeney Todd, for the very first time.
Rymer's Life and Work
It's a bit tricky to find a lot of information about James Malcolm Rymer. This might be because he was very shy and preferred to stay out of the public eye. He also used many different pen names, like Merry or Errym.
Rymer was born in London on February 1, 1814. His family was from Scotland and worked hard. Later in life, he became a civil engineer, which means he designed and built things like roads or bridges. In 1839, he married Caroline Huttley, and they had their first child in 1840.
Rymer started his writing career in 1842. He began by editing a magazine called Queen's Magazine. People think he wrote most of the articles in it himself. After only five months, the magazine didn't do well, and he had to find other work. He soon found a job with a publisher named Edward Lloyd.
This was an important time for Rymer. He became well-known after publishing Ada the Betrayed in 1843. He then wrote two very popular stories that came out in parts, like a TV show, over time. These were Varney the Vampire (from 1845 to 1847) and The String of Pearls (from 1846 to 1847). Both of these stories appeared in a magazine called People's Periodical and Family Library.
Around 1850, Edward Lloyd stopped publishing penny dreadfuls and started publishing newspapers. That same year, a new version of A String of Pearls was released with extra content. After this, Rymer worked for another publication called Reynold's Miscellany. He became friends with the owner, George Reynolds. In 1855, Rymer wrote a book called The Unspeakable. He said that part of this book was about his own life. Because of this, some people think Rymer might have had a stutter in real life.
Rymer's wife, Caroline, is thought to have passed away in 1853. He married again in 1859 to Sarah Rebecca Carpenter. His youngest son, George, also passed away in 1865. These sad events led to him writing less. He stopped all his writing work in 1869.
In 1870, he and Sarah moved to Sussex and took over a hotel there called the Sea House Hotel. In 1877, he made his last public appearance in a court case about whether dogs were allowed at his hotel. He won the case! His health started to get worse in 1883, so he and his wife moved back to London. James Malcolm Rymer passed away on August 11, 1884. He is buried in Kensal Green cemetery in West London.
Who Wrote It?
Back in Rymer's time, publishers often didn't let authors put their names on their published works. This means there's often a debate about who wrote many of the stories published by Edward Lloyd's company. The authors of Varney the Vampire and The String of Pearls are especially debated.
Some experts, like E.F. Bleiler and Louis James, believe that Rymer most likely wrote Varney the Vampire. They looked at how he wrote dialogue and even found some of the original story written in Rymer's own handwriting.
The String of Pearls is usually thought to be written by either Rymer or Thomas Peckett Prest. Other people like George Mcfarren or Edward Lloyd have also been suggested. The first time someone said Prest was the author was in 1894. Then, in 1901, someone else argued that Rymer was the real author. Even though Prest was often given credit for a long time, more recently, people have argued that Rymer should be seen as the true author of The String of Pearls. It's often thought that these stories were written by both authors working together. So, they are usually both considered co-authors.
Rymer's Impact
James Malcolm Rymer is considered one of the four most important writers who helped make vampires popular. He is often mentioned alongside famous authors like Bram Stoker (who wrote Dracula), Sheridan Le Fanu, and John William Polidori.
