Bram Stoker Books

Back in 1992 I was forced to buy this little paperback for a class called Literature of Terror. The class turned out to be pretty lame, but the book remains with me to this day -- battered, dog-eared and beloved. Most college textbooks are nothing more than extortionately priced trash, but this one packs a three-punch combination: three of the Great horror novels of English literature in one binding.

For openers we get Bram Stoker's DRACULA, arguably one of the ten most famous books ever written. Despite being written in the epistolary style -- that is, as a series of letters penned by various characters in the books -- the novel is highly entertaining, especially the opening chapters, which are set in Transylvania and achieve a remarkable atmosphere of brooding intensity. We are so inundated with vampires nowadays -- the BLADE trilogy, the television shows BUFFY and ANGEL, the UNDERWORLD series, not to mention Anne Rice's seemingly endless parade of Lestat novels -- that it is sometimes difficult to remember that Stoker's book, while not the first vampire tale, singlehandedly invented the genre -- not only the immortal Dracula character, but most of the lore that surrounds vampires generally.

Next up is the book everybody knows about but nobody has read, Mary Shelly's FRANKENSTEIN, which if it had been called FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER would have spared everyone of that name a lot of suffering as children ("Frankenstein was the scientist, you bastards, not the frickin' monster!"). Shelly's ornate, very 19th century prose is not easy on the reader, although there are passages which are so beautifully written they
resemble poetry ("I collected bones from charnel houses, and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame") and there more than a few preposterous plot developments and tedious Victorian asides; but as a moral tale about the price of hubris and the desire to play god, it hardly has an equal. In any case, readers will be interested to see that Shelly's monster is not the mute, shovel-headed zombie of the black-and-white films, but an intelligent being whose desire for revenge, rather than the manner of its creation, makes it a monster.

The closer is Robert Louis Stevenson's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, the shortest and, in my opinion, the easiest read of the three novels. Like FRANKENSTEIN, HYDE is a moral tale, rendering a harsh verdict on Victorian hypocrisy and on the human desire to have one's cake and eat it too. Poor Dr. Jekyll is handcuffed by convention; he cannot satisfy his ungentlemanly appetites without ruining the angelic public image he has worked so hard to create. So like an American politician, he spends his days kissing babies and his nights (as Mr. Hyde) chasing babes, only to discover that his nifty little potion has a nasty drawback ("Side effects may include shape-shifting and homicidal mania. Do not take the potion if you are evil, or have a tendency to become evil.") Though he lived in an ornate era, Stevenson resists the urge to gild his story in purple prose or to indulge in the long, often tedious passages which make FRANKENSTEIN so relentlessly gothic. Nor does he allow the novella to bog down as DRACULA does in mid-story. What we get is a tersely written, highly effective bit of genius.

So there you have it. Three horror classics in one softcover edition. It is truly unfortunate, and stupid, that this little gem is out of print, because anyone wanting to take a gander at the foundation stones of all modern horror should start by reading this book.

There is an introduction written by Stephen King but it adds some to the stories themselves as it places them within historical context. But if you are a first time reader of these stories be warned there are no footnotes, endnotes, or explanations of unfamiliar terms - so you could find yourself at a bit of a loss.

The book contains the third edition of "Frankenstein" originally published in 1831, I understand from other readings that Shelley made some changes in the text itself. The third, and last, edition includes the introduction she finally wrote for the novel.

For the experienced gothic reader or the novice willing to look up unfamiliar words, this book is a treasure as it has the three most famous and chilling gothic stories of the 19th century.

Enjoy them thoroughly and chillingly.

Three classics books, three classic monsters, and three classic stories that have been told and retold time and time again, all here in one great book! I'm sure you Horror Film fans like me have seen the Boris Karloff Frankenstein, the Bela Lugosi Dracula, and the Fredric March Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but if you haven't read the original novels...YOU AIN'T SEEN OR READ NOTHING YET! Buy this book now, you won't regret it!

Like Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker is considered to be a one-hit wonder in the world of literature. Of course when you are talking about novels like "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus" and "Dracula," that is enough to establish your literary immortality. Both authors did write other works, and while Stoker does not have anything else in his literary resume as good as Shelley's novel "The Last Man," overall his writing output was superior. "Lair of the White Worm," his last novel, written fourteen years after "Dracula," is the centerpiece of "Graphic Classics, Volume 7: Bram Stoker," but to no one's surprise his vampire count pops up in a number of pieces as well.

"Lair of the White Worm" is illustrated by Rico Schacherl and adapted by Tom Pomplum in 32 pages. Adam Salton arrives from Australia to meet with his great uncle Richard as the last surviving members of the Salton family. Adam travels to the old kingdom of Mercia in the heart of ancient Britain where strange things start happening. For example, snakes quickly crawl away from Lady Arabella March but later a mongoose attacks her. Eventually we get to the well by which the legendary White Worm came and went, and Lady Arabella has an even stranger encounter with a mongoose. Eventually Adam figures out what is going on and the goal becomes to destroy the titular creature. Do not think that the cover painting by Glenn Barr gives an indication of what the artwork is like for "Liar of the White Worm" because Schacherl's work is a lot more cartoonish. But the adaptation is solid and does a more serviceable job than the Ken Russell movie version.

"Dracula" pops up in a variety of ways in this collection. The book's introduction is a letter to Stoker by Mort Castle with a modest proposal for a new dramatic presentation of "Dracula" as a ballet (which makes sense to anybody who has seen Guy Maddin's "Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary," which both Castle and I have done). "Dracula's Voyage: An Excerpts from Dracula by Bram Stoker," adapted by John W. Pierard, retells the story of the journey of the "Demeter" that brought the count from Varna to Whitby. The black & white illustrations are more white than black, which is an interesting approach, and if Pierard is thinking about doing the entire novel that would be fine. "The Dracula Gallery" has a dozen one-page illustrations based on the novel displaying a wide variety of drawing styles. Those by Michael Manning, Jeff Gather, Lisa K. Weber, Todd Schorr, and Todd Lovering stand out from the others. Then there is "Professor Abraham Van Helsing's Vampire Hunter's Guide," freely adapted by Tom Pomplun and illustrated by Hunt Emerson to humorous effect.

The rest of the volume is an interesting variety of approaches and visual styles. "Torture Tower," adapted from Stoker's "The Squaw" by Onsmith Jeremi, uses a dozen panels per page to tell the story of a man on his honeymoon in Germany who makes the mistake of killing a kitten (think E.C.'s "Tales from the Crypt"). "The Wondrous Child" is a fanciful fable by Stoker where the text has been edited down and there are a half dozen illustrations by Evert Geradts. "The Funeral Party" is a very short story by Stoker on one page with a Richard Sala illustration opposite. "The Dualists" is another edited text story, this time illustrated by Lesley Reppeteaux, which also evidences Stoker's grim sense of humor. By the time you get through these you will definitely be revising your estimation of Stoker as a one-hit wonder.

The final selection of stories gets us back to conventional comic book presentations. Artistically "The Judge's House," adapted by Gerry Alanguilan, is the most effective. I liked his close-up of the rat steadily glaring at our hero with baleful eyes; for that matter, I like the eyes of the judge and the ill-fated hero on the last couple of pages of the story. "The Bridal of Death," an excerpt from "The Jewel of Seven Stars," is adapted and illustrated by J. B. Bonivert, with an almost art deco style that seems rather ill suited to Stoker's story but which is certainly striking.

Tom Pomplun's name pops up a lot in this volume because he is the designer, editor and publisher of "Graphic Classics" (he specifically edited down the text stories presented herein). You can find "Graphic Classics" devoted to the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, H.G Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, and O. Henry. This venture has been successful enough that a revised and expanded second edition of "Graphic Classics: Edgar Allan Poe" has been released. There are few recognizable names (e.g., Richard Corden, Gahan Wilson), involved in these retellings, but you will see some of the names in this volume in others and will certainly come to have your favorites. I look forward to more of these volumes, especially if we get to the likes of Arthur Machen, Clark Ashton Smith, and Robert Bloch that I was read in my formative years.

Graphic Classics: Bram Stoker presents illustrated novel adaptations of classic tales of terror by Bram Stoker, best known for his classic novel "Dracula." Stark black-and-white imagery by a variety of different artists (Hunt Emerson, Rico Schacherl, J.B. Bonivert, Evert Geradts) adds a stringent and often visually provocative touch to these spine-chilling and narrations which are especially recommended to the attention of Bram Stoker fans and Horror Fiction enthusiasts.

"Graphic Classics: Bram Stoker" serves up an excellent collection of illustrated stories by horror Grandmaster Bram Stoker. Each tale is either fully illustrated, comic book style, or text and page combined. All of the illustrations are in black and white, and feature a wide variety of styles and flair. This is definitely not the typical art you would find in a DC or Marvel comic, but is much more "arty."

There is plenty of "Dracula," Stoker's number one claim to fame, but there is also enough of his other works to let us know that he wrote more than one novel.

"Lair of the White Worm" is a great tale of jolly, haunted England and the monsters that haunt its green and pleasant land. A comic book style tale, with a Victorian flair in style.

"Torture Tower" shows the danger of being a loud-mouthed American tourist in Nuremberg. Comic book style.

"The Wondrous Child" is illustrated text, with a flight of fancy and a trip to fairy land.

"The Funeral Party" is a one-page illustrated text. Excellent dark humor.

"Dracula's Voyage" is a scratchy rendition of the first few chapters of "Dracula." Very well done.

"The Dracula Gallery" has artists taking a snatch of text as inspiration, then creating a page.

"Vampire's Hunter Guide" is a combination of Van Helsing's text and semi-humorous drawings.

"The Dualists" is an illustrated text piece of two friends and their passion. By far the most gruesome of the lot.

"The Judge's House" is comic book style, a haunted house story.

"The Bridal of Death" is adapted from "The Jewel of Seven Stars." A mummy tale.

My daughter and I have been reading (and re-reading!) the DK Classics (of which "Dracula" is part of) for several years, since she was 5. These books are very colorful, with lots of illustrations and photos of genuine artifacts, maps, and people from the era in which the story is set. Side panel text gives background information about the author, pictures and story. These "additions" (which do not detract from, but only enhance the story) help the young reader (and the adult too!) put the story into context. It is like getting both a classic and a pictorial history book rolled into one! The text is easy to read. My daughter is now 9, and reading the books on her own. Not only has she developed an appreciation for classic literature, but for history as well. These are great books for parents to read with their children. I highly recommend them!

I have never read the oringanal Dracula but now I undoubtfully will. The story is amazing and the pictures really bring the story alive. There are so many amazing facts about what people thought of vampires that I never really considered. The book is most definitely worth reading.

Listening to this is a real treat. The multitude of movies just can't come close to the how this story is told. I'm no literary genius so I won't get into Victorian or Gothic whatever. The narrator is superb. It's like having someone standing in the room and telling the ultimate ghost story.

For horror fans this has everything. Wolves,mist,castles, and class. Its sad to see how the modern horror genre has declined into a pornography of violence. This story is is on the other end of the spectrum.

I'll be listening to this again in a year or so.

One of the very best Gothic novels gets first-class treatment from narrator Robert Whitfield in this unabridged production. Just the right amount of melodrama; excellent accents. It's amazing how, after all these years and in this day of slasher flicks and such, Stoker's classic never fails to tingle the spine.

Surprisingly "Denn die Toten reiten schnell" or "For the dead travel fast" is more than an opening line to this tale of love in the dangerous moon light. After watching several Drac movies and a few Nosferatu's, I pretty much though I had a handle on the genera. Little did I know what a wonderful world of mystery and suspense that Bram Stoker opened up for me.

The story is told mostly third party though the papers, diaries, and phonograph recordings (on wax calendars) of those people involve in a tale so bizarre that it almost defies belief. The general story line is that of a Count that plans to move to a more urban setting (from Borgo Pass to London) where there is a richer diet. There he finds succulent women; something he can sing his teeth in. Unfortunately for him a gang of ruffians (including a real-estate agent, asylum director, Texas cowboy and an Old Dutch abnormal psychologist) is out to detour his nocturnal munching. They think they have Drac on the run but with a wing and a prayer he is always one step ahead.

Of more value to the reader is the rich prose chosen by Stoker as he describes the morals and technology of the time. We have to come to grips with or decide if we can perform the rituals that are required to eliminate vampires verses the impropriety of opening graves and staking loved ones. The powers in the book differ from the movie versions in that they are more of persuasion and capabilities to manipulate the local weather. At one point the Dutch Dr. Van Helsing, is so overwhelmed by a beautiful vampire laying in the grave that he almost for gets why he is there and may become vamp chow.

All in all the story is more in the cunning chase. And the question as to will they succeed or will Dracula triumph. Remember "For the dead travel fast."

"Dracula" was not the first vampire novel, nor was it Bram Stoker's first book. But after years of research, Stoker managed to craft the ultimate vampire novel, which has spawned countless movies, spinoffs, and books that follow the blueprint of the Transylvanian count.

Real estate agent Jonathan Harker arrives in Transylvania, to arrange a London house sale to Count Dracula. But as the days go by, Harker witnesses increasingly horrific events, leading him to believe that Dracula is not actually human. His fiancee Mina arrives in Transylvania, and finds that he has been feverish. Meanwhile the count has vanished.

And soon afterwards, strange things happen: a ship piloted by a dead man crashes on the shore, after a mysterious thing killed the crew. A lunatic talks about "Him" coming. And Mina's pal Lucy dies of mysterious blood loss, only to come back as an undead seductress. Dracula has arrived in England -- and he's not going to be stopped easily.

"Dracula" is the grandaddy is Lestat and other such vampires, but that isn't the sole reason why it is a classic. It's also incredibly atmospheric, and very well-written. Not only is it very freaky, in an ornate Victorian style, but it is also full of restrained, quiet horror and creepy eroticism. What's more, it's shaped the portrayal of vampires in movies and books, even to this day.

Despite already knowing what's going on for the first half of the book, it's actually kind of creepy to see these people whose lives are being disrupted by Dracula, but don't know about vampires. It's a bit tempting to yell "It's a vampire, you idiots!" every now and then, but you can't really blame them. Then the second half kicks in, with accented professor Van Helsing taking our heroes on a quest to save Mina from Dracula.

And along the way, while our heroes try to figure stuff out, Stoker spins up all these creepy hints of Dracula's arrival. Though he wrote in the late 19th-century manner, very verbose and a bit stuffy, his skill shines through. The book is crammed with intense, evocative language, with moments like Dracula creeping down a wall, or the dead captain found tied to the wheel. Once read, they stick in your mind throughout the book.

It's also a credit to Stoker that he keeps his characters from seeming like idiots or freaks, which they could have easily seemed like. Instead, he puts little moments of humanity in them, like Van Helsing admitting that his wife is in an asylum. Even the letters and diaries are written in different styles; for example, Seward's is restrained and analytical, while Mina's is exuberant and bright.

Intelligent, frightening and very well-written, "Dracula" is the well-deserved godfather of all modern vampire books and movies -- and arguably among the best.

I know that the detail about this book says its for junior level reading, but I'm 20 and absolutely love it. I'm not going to take the time to tell you about the story itself, seeing as it IS Dracula through and through. The illustrations in this book are amazing. True, there aren't a million of them (and more would be fantastic), but the artist's renditions of Dracula are like none I've ever seen. The mood of the novel is reflected perfectly within the paintings. The point: BUY THIS COPY OF DRACULA! and bring it home...FOREVER! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

"Dracula" was not the first vampire novel, nor was it Bram Stoker's first book. But after years of research, Stoker managed to craft the ultimate vampire novel, which has spawned countless movies, spinoffs, and books -- and here, his immortal story is enhanced by the creepy, jagged art of Jae Lee.

Real estate agent Jonathan Harker arrives in Transylvania, to arrange a London house sale to Count Dracula. But as the days go by, Harker witnesses increasingly horrific events, leading him to believe that Dracula is not actually human. His fiancee Mina arrives in Transylvania, and finds that he has been feverish. Meanwhile the count has vanished.

And soon afterwards, strange things happen: a ship piloted by a dead man crashes on the shore, after a mysterious thing killed the crew. A lunatic talks about "Him" coming. And Mina's pal Lucy dies of mysterious blood loss, only to come back as an undead seductress. Dracula has arrived in England -- and he's not going to be stopped easily.

"Dracula" is the grandaddy is Lestat and Jean-Claude, but that isn't the sole reason why it is a classic. It's also incredibly atmospheric, and very well-written. Not only is it very freaky, in an ornate Victorian style, but it is also full of restrained, quiet horror and creepy eroticism. What's more, it's shaped the portrayal of vampires in movies and books, even to this day.

Despite already knowing what's going on for the first half of the book, it's actually kind of creepy to see these people whose lives are being disrupted by Dracula, but don't know about vampires. It's a bit tempting to yell "It's a vampire, you idiots!" every now and then, but you can't really blame them. Then the second half kicks in, with accented professor Van Helsing taking our heroes on a quest to save Mina from Dracula.

And along the way, while our heroes try to figure stuff out, Stoker spins up all these creepy hints of Dracula's arrival. Though he wrote in the late 19th-century manner, very verbose and a bit stuffy, his skill shines through. The book is crammed with intense, evocative language, with moments like Dracula creeping down a wall, or the dead captain found tied to the wheel. Once read, they stick in your mind throughout the book.

It's also a credit to Stoker that he keeps his characters from seeming like idiots or freaks, which they could have easily seemed like. Instead, he puts little moments of humanity in them, like Van Helsing admitting that his wife is in an asylum. Even the letters and diaries are written in different styles; for example, Seward's is restrained and analytical, while Mina's is exuberant and bright.

Jae Lee has done work for other creepy, grimy stories like Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series. And those shadowy, sharp-edged pictures are well-suited for this story; a few are in muted colours, but most are black-and-white. Lee creates chilling portraits of the looming vampire, his brides, ships in the mist, and Renfield eating a giant beetle; the most shocking is a bloody-mouthed Lucy clutching a baby.

Intelligent, frightening and very well-written, "Dracula" is the well-deserved godfather of all modern vampire books and movies -- and arguably among the best.

On April 1, 2005 the Horror Writers Association named Oddest Yet one of the four Nominees for the Bram Stoker Award (Young Readers category), the horror genre's top honor. The other four authors nominated are Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, and Jeff Mariotte. Winner to be announced at the Stoker Banquet in Los Angeles June 24, 2005.

This nine tale collection of chilling suspense that edges towards the realm of horror and fantasy genres targets the middle school aged child. The contributions are fabulous and adults will enjoy the entries too. Each tale is unique whether it pays homage to Stephen King ("Storming Stephen King") or Devaney and Hoag struggling with a paranormal mystery ("The French Acre" actually a longer short than the other contributions). The illustrations found in five of the stories add to the eerie feeling that something bad is about to happen usually to youngsters. Yet the key to ODDEST YET EVEN MORE STORIES TO CHILL THE HEART like its award winning predecessors is that the stars like the train muggers of "Uncle Bando's Chimes" using somewhat nasty language so that it seems real when a wind chime works its magic. It is that the tales entertain with realistic protagonists although the format is magically short.

Harriet Klausner

I purchased this book at Whitby Abbey, one of Dracula's key settings, 4 years ago. It provides an outstanding companion to the novel as well as documenting the predecessors of the renown Count Dracula. The author presents his findings in a concise manner, never leaving the reader hanging or uninterested. I would recommend this book to any fan of the gothic novel, voracious readers, inquisitive English student/professor, or to those who wish to further their knowledge of the original Dracula and banish Hollywood's pollution from thier minds.

I am not a fan of Dracula's films, but I like the novel by Bram Stoker. This book makes a great effort to go further than the myth we have in mind. Not only because its historical research, but also for its interesting study of anthropology.

Death, blood, folkore and so. And also a very interesting bibliography. I think that with the Annotated Dracula by Wolf this is a keeper for those who are interested in vampyrs, but also is a very interesting book for those who like anthropology.

This is by far the best vampire film book I have ever read! Combining film analysis with Vampire lore makes for a fun read. Chapters include: "Hammer and the Victorian Pyschology," "Elisabeth Bathory: Still Thirsty After All These Years," and "I Was a Teenage Vampire." Worth Having!

"The Vampire Film" is an astounding reference book for those interested in vampire films. The descriptions of the films are great, including an excellent section on the vampires of Hammer films. The filmography at the book's end is great!

In this work Summers discusses the vampire phenomena from a relentless Catholic perspective; he believes in the literal reality of vampires! This is not a hoax. This book has all of the apparatus to qualify as an academic study, including footnotes, extensive quotations in the original languages, and references to rare source documents. Of particular interest is the final chapter, which traces the development of the vampire craze in 19th century literature

This is the textbook of vampirism and, is about as entertaining as any college textbook would be. It is the first of several books on the subject written by Montague Summers. It was written in the days before the Hollywood vampire and, reads like an Audubon Society field guide to birds. If you are looking for the definitive non-fiction work on the subject, you have found it. If you are looking for "Vampire: The Masquerade" type kitsch, you're in over your head here.