Tales from the terrific register - Cate Ludlow

Fast-paced, astonishingly gory and always featuring as many corpses as possible, the Terrific Register was a publishing sensation. As a schoolboy, Charles Dickens was never without a copy, and he later recalled how it 'frightened my very wits out of my head, for the small charge of a penny weekly'. This selection contains many tales of London life that will startle the modern reader. Including gripping stories of fires, floods and disasters, 'eye-witness' accounts of the great plague and 'the last moment of Lord Balmerino, executed on Tower Hill, 1746', it is a fascinating read for anyone who knows the city. Many of these tales have not appeared in print since Dickens himself read them. Richly illustrated with original woodcuts, it will astound residents, tourists and historians alike.