James Malcolm Rymer (1814–1884) was a British 19th-century writer of penny dreadfuls, and is the probable co-author with Thomas Peckett Prest of both Varney the Vampire (1847) and The String of Pearls (1847), in which the notorious villain Sweeney Todd makes his literary debut.
[1] Information about Rymer throughout his life is difficult to find, possibly due to his infamous shyness and desire to escape the public eye,[1] as well as his usage of many pseudonyms such as Merry or Errym.
[3] The String of Pearls is usually attributed to either Rymer or Thomas Peckett Prest, however other contenders such as George Mcfarren or Edward Lloyd have been suggested.
[3][4] Rymer is held to be one of the four important writers of vampires and helping popularise them alongside Bram Stoker, Sheridan Le Fanu, and John William Polidori.
[7][8] According to legend it is said that Rymer and Lloyd both grew so embarrassed by his previous work that they paid people to go around and take them out of stores in order to prevent them being seen by the public.
Dick Collins speculates that this story originates from a copyright dispute where Lloyd lost the rights to some of Rymer's works and had to ask for them to be sent back as he could no longer profit off their sales.