Interred in shadows no more, the vampire mythos is illuminated in this captivating exploration of one of the world’s most sinister—and feared—creatures. Join Brian Righi as he unearths the truth behind myths and beliefs, both ancient and modern. He traces the evolution of the vampire—from Dracula’s mysteriously empty grave and the enduring legend it spawned to terrifying documented cases of the real-life blood drinkers of today. Sordid and sultry, the vampire’s long and gruesome history is revealed: —Various cultures’ beliefs and superstitions surrounding bloodthirsty immortals —Chilling true accounts of the unquenchable bloodlust of historical figures such as Vlad the Impaler and Countess Báthory —Stories and lore from villagers, as recalled from the author’s travels through Romania —Serial killers who suffered from delusions of vampirism —How the early Christian church inadvertently fed into the 18th-century Eastern European vampire scare

Thirty-five uncanny and erotic tales of vampires written by supernatural fiction’s greatest mistresses of the macabre. "Fashions change, and the urbane vampire created by Byron and cemented in place by Stoker has had to move on . . . Are you, like me, ready for the new dusk?" —Ingrid Pitt, from her Introduction Prepare to arm yourself with garlic, silver bullets, and a stake. Featuring the only vampire short story written by Anne Rice, the undisputed queen of vampire literature, and boasting an autobiographical introduction and original tale by Ingrid Pitt, the star of Hammer Films' The Vampire Lovers and Countess Dracula, this is one anthology that every vampire fan—vampiric feminist or not—will want to drink deep from. From the classic stories of Edith Wharton, Edith Nesbit, Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon to modern incarnations by such acclaimed writers as Poppy Z. Brite, Nancy Kilpatrick, Tanith Lee, Caitlín R. Kiernan, and Angela Slatter, these blood-drinkers and soul-stealers range from the sexual to the sanguinary, from the tormented Good to the unspeakably Evil. Among those memorable Children of the Night you will encounter are Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Byronic vampire Saint-Germain, Nancy A. Collins' undead heroine Sonja Blue, Tanya Huff's vampiric detective Vicki Nelson, and Freda Warrington’s age-old lovers Karl and Charlotte. Nominated for the World Fantasy Award and the International Horror Guild Award, and now revised and updated, The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women fulfils the bloodlust of the somnambulist horror fan, delivering the ultimate bite.

Vampires in films are often portrayed as night-active creatures, and spend the day in the comfort and safety, resting in their coffins. But how well does this picture match vampirists and how do you know if someone is one? Perhaps there are reasons to suspect if the person in question constantly wears sunglasses, gets easily tanned and looks almost rudely young for their age. There exists a flurry of lists to check off if vampirism is suspected, thus, opinions are split as to what the state means and what criteria to be met.The author will guide you through various definitions of what a real vampire is, and how come they claim to be among us. This book will also bring up different vampiric activities, authentic violent crimes, diseases, research and religious communities - everything you always wanted to know about vampires!This book is not about how the vampire has been portrayed in fiction through history. This is also not a book about the supernatural vampire that has frightened humanity through the ages. The books theme is about alive and breathing humans who have made vampirism a part of their lifestyle. They call themselves real vampires."Fascinating, interesting and well written!" (Jenniesboklista.com, Swedish book blogger and reviewer)Chapter 1: A historical reviewChapter 2: To define the vampiristChapter 3: Clinical vampirismChapter 4: 'Vampire drag' and vampirologyChapter 5: How a vampirist is madeChapter 6: Blood drinking vampiristsChapter 7: Psychic vampiristsChapter 8: Religious vampiristsChapter 9: Vampirists who commit murder

Vampires have always fascinated and frightened, and now their reach goes beyond horror-flick fans. Teens the world over have fallen under the spell of these mysterious, blood-sucking, and oh-so-alluring beings! From Buffy to Twilight, vampire fans have gotten smarter and savvier, and this is the book for them. Learn how vampires live, how they avoid capture, and why they're so darn attractive. Also trace the history of vampire lore--in literature, movies, and on television--from the woods of Transylvania to the modern-day high school. Chock full of info and insight, each gorgeous page will draw in readers of every age, with innovative styling, never-before-seen imagery, and deliciously wicked design. Perhaps this enticing tome is best read while wearing a garlic necklace . . .

Carmilla is a gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, first published in 1872. It is often considered a seminal work in the vampire literature genre, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years. The story revolves around a young woman named Laura and her encounter with a female vampire named Carmilla. The novella is narrated from Laura's perspective, who recounts her strange and eerie experiences with Carmilla. The two young women form a close bond, but Laura begins to experience disturbing dreams and declining health. It is eventually revealed that Carmilla is a vampire, and she is destroyed by a group of vampire hunters. Carmilla is notable for its exploration of lesbian themes, which were considered taboo at the time of its publication. The relationship between Laura and Carmilla is portrayed as intimate and sensual, although it is also fraught with danger and fear. The novella can be interpreted as a commentary on the societal attitudes towards same-sex desire in the Victorian era. The novella is also significant for its contribution to the vampire literature genre. Carmilla is depicted as a seductive and predatory figure, a trope that would become common in later vampire fiction. The novella also introduces the idea of a vampire hunter, a character type that would become a staple of the genre. Carmilla has been adapted into various forms of media, including film, television, and stage productions. It has also inspired a number of derivative works, including the web series Carmilla (2014-2016) and the novel The Gilda Stories (1991) by Jewelle Gomez. In terms of critical reception, Carmilla has been praised for its atmospheric writing and its exploration of taboo themes. However, it has also been criticized for its slow pacing and its lack of character development. Overall, Carmilla is a significant work in the gothic and vampire literature genres, and it continues to be studied and analyzed by scholars and fans alike.

An authoritative new history of the vampire, two hundred years after it first appeared on the literary scene Published to mark the bicentenary of John Polidori’s publication of The Vampyre, Nick Groom’s detailed new account illuminates the complex history of the iconic creature. The vampire first came to public prominence in the early eighteenth century, when Enlightenment science collided with Eastern European folklore and apparently verified outbreaks of vampirism, capturing the attention of medical researchers, political commentators, social theorists, theologians, and philosophers. Groom accordingly traces the vampire from its role as a monster embodying humankind’s fears, to that of an unlikely hero for the marginalized and excluded in the twenty-first century. Drawing on literary and artistic representations, as well as medical, forensic, empirical, and sociopolitical perspectives, this rich and eerie history presents the vampire as a strikingly complex being that has been used to express the traumas and contradictions of the human condition.

Throughout history vampires have been viewed as hideously repellant, strikingly attractive, dangerously evil, and piteously gloomy. This title explores vampire beliefs from the blood sucking beasts of ancient times to the immortal teen heartthrobs of the twenty-first century.

HOME TITLES GENRES AUTHORS LANGUAGES NEW TITLES RECOMMENDED POPULAR Dracula Cover image for Download download author: Bram Stoker published: 1897 language: English wordcount: 160,098 / 423 pg flesch-kincaid reading ease: 73.3 loc category: PR series: World's Best Reading audiobook: librivox.org downloads: 117,966 mnybks.net#: 6694 origin: gutenberg.org more info: litsum.com genres: Horror, Gothic, Fiction and Literature, Audiobook Read Online in Browser Here The world's best-known vampire story begins by following a naive young Englishman as he visits Transylvania to meet a client, the mysterious Count Dracula. Upon revealing his true nature, Dracula boards a ship for England, where chilling and gruesome disasters begin to befall the people of London... Show Excerpt ll and opened up the lofty, snow-covered peak of a mountain, which seemed, as we wound on our serpentine way, to be right before us. "Look! Isten szek!"--"God's seat!"--and he crossed himself reverently. As we wound on our endless way, and the sun sank lower and lower behind us, the shadows of the evening began to creep round us. This was emphasized by the fact that the snowy mountain-top still held the sunset, and seemed to glow out with a delicate cool pink. Here and there we passed Cszeks and slovaks, all in picturesque attire, but I noticed that goitre was painfully prevalent. By the roadside were many crosses, and as we swept by, my companions all crossed themselves. Here and there was a peasant man or woman kneeling before a shrine, who did not even turn round as we approached, but seemed in the self-surrender of devotion to have neither eyes nor ears for the outer world. There were many things new to me. For instance, hay-ricks in the trees, and here and there very beautiful masses of wee

Brian Frost chronicles the history of the vampire in myth and literature, providing a sumptuous repast for all devotees of the bizarre. In a wide-ranging survey, including plot summaries of hundreds of novels and short stories, the reader meets an amazing assortment of vampires from the pages of weird fiction, ranging from the 10,000-year-old femme fatale in Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Conqueror to the malevolent fetus in Eddy C. Bertin’s “Something Small, Something Hungry.” Nostalgia buffs will enjoy a discussion of the vampire yarns in the pulp magazines of the interwar years, while fans of contemporary vampire fiction will also be sated.