Wry and smirking Altick does it again. Victorian Studies in Scarlet is a rundown of some of the most notorious crimes of the Victorian Age. Altick is a pleasure to read. He often gives the impression the reader is being let in on a little secret. Skip the chapters on yellow journalism and the Victorian mind, unless you want enlightening about the origin of the term ‘penny dreadful’ and theories on their role in improving English literacy. ( )