James Greenwood (1832-1929) A Janus of Journalism
This author is now a little better known than he was a few years ago. He contributed to the world of boy's books, some exciting, though bloodthirsty works of fiction that can still be avidly read today.
Relying on his experience as a sensational journalist, he leaned heavily on the plot. His charters were not much more than 'cardboard cut-outs', and to a certain extent, he seemed to be obsessed with lycanthropy. 'The Bear King' 1868, 'Purgatory of Peter the Cruel' 1868, 'Adventures of Seven Footed Foresters' 1865… all have shape-changing as a major theme. His descriptions of blood-letting in various forms were highly coloured, leaving very little to the imagination.
Yet, this was the man, who in 1874, published a vitriolic attack on the penny-dreadfuls, their publishers, authors and distributors, (Wilds of London, Chatto 1974). He described the papers as 'penny packets of poison', corrupting the minds of the young and laying the prevalence of all types of crime at their door… (Much the same today with horror films and comics, does nothing change?) As to the distributors, he was at pains to point out that they were greedy and unscrupulous.
