Presented here are three of the most celebrated and terrifying examples of early ‘vampire fiction, ‘ presented by the authors who are responsible for having invented the genre. In this collection are the classic novels ‘Dracula, ‘ by Bram Stoker, ‘Carmilla’ by Sheridan Le Fanu and ‘The Vampyre’ by John William Polidori, the seminal tales of the undead, as originally conceived and published by their creators.
First, perhaps the most famous vampire tale of all, Bram Stoker’s legendary story of the King of the Vampires himself: Count Dracula. When a young man travels to Transylvania to assist in a routine business transaction, he finds himself drawn into a dark tale of obsession, supernatural horror and bloody murder.
Next, we have Sheridan Le Fanu’s fantastical tale of a lonely girl who is seduced by a beguiling young companion, the titular vampiress ‘Carmilla.’ Predating ‘Dracula’ by twenty-five years, this is one of the earliest examples of vampire fiction and the first to explore the idea of a young, female vampire.
Finally, we end where it all began with ‘The Vampyre, ‘ by John William Polidori, which might just be the first vampire book ever written. Conceived of on the same night that Mary Shelley invented the characters for her book ‘Frankenstein, ‘ Polidori’s short tale of the undead has gone on to become of the most celebrated horror stories of all time.
Three tales of horror and suspense, ‘The Classic Vampire Collection’ is a must-read for all fans of horror fiction. These three classic works are presented here in their original and unabridged format.
About the author
John William Polidori (1795-1821) was a British author and physician, best known as the creator of the genre that became known as ‘vampire fiction.’ Born in Westminster, Polidori received his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh at the age of nineteen. After becoming the personal physician of Lord Byron, the two of them traveled through Europe together and Polidori was paid 500 pounds to chronicle their travels in a diary that was published posthumously.In June of 1816, while on his road trip with Byron, Polidori found himself in Lake Geneva in the company of Mary Wollstonecraft, her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary’s stepsister, Claire Clairmont when- on a dark and stormy night- Byron suggested they each attempt to write an original ghost story. Wollstonecraft would create a story that later became the basis for Frankenstein, while Polidori borrowed a character created by Byron to craft The Vampyre, the first vampire story published in English. (The story was, at first, erroneously credited to Lord Byron, much to the chagrin of both authors). While Polidori would publish a variety of different works, including medical papers, poems, plays and an additional novella, he would die very young – at twenty-five – after suffering from depression and financial ruin. ‘The Vampyre’ remains his enduring work and Polidori will be remembered chiefly for founding this genre of horror fiction.
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