Penny dreadfuls were a form of cheap popular fiction that emerged in Britain during the early 19th century, primarily targeted at working-class youth. Originating around the 1830s, they were so named because they typically cost a penny per issue and featured sensational, often lurid stories of crime, horror, or adventure that were considered morally suspect or “dreadful” by the standards of polite society. They grew out of earlier forms of inexpensive literature like broadsides and chapbooks, and their rise coincided with the