These are said to be the four most influential Vampire Novels of all time, and all are available for free download from Project Gutenburg.
The Vampyre by John William Polidori
A short story originally mis-published under the authorship of Lord Byron. It tells of the exploits of Lord Ruthven, a British nobleman and
Varney The Vampire by Thomas Preskett Prest.vampire.
A gothic horror which first appeared in story form in a series of pamphlets between 1845 and 1847, and was finally published as a cheap and gruesome novel in 1847. The tale revolves around the persecution of the Bannerworth family by Sir Francis Varney, a vampire who enters the bedroom of the daughter of the house and sucks her blood.
Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
A gothic novel set in central Europe. It is the story of a young woman's inability to resist the attentions of a lesbian vampire named Carmilla. The story greatly influenced Bram Stoker in the writing of Dracula and served as the basis for several films between 1932 and 1970.
Dracula by Bram Stoker.
Written in 1897 this has to be the most well known of all vampire stories, and is mostly made up of letters and diary entries written by several different authors, and clippings from newspapers. Stoker did not invent the vampire, myths and legends about these creatures had been around for many centuries before the book was written, but this novel has been solely responsible for the popularity of vampires throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, and for many of the plays and films made about them.
I include this one because although no proof exists, it is rumoured that "Dracula's Guest" was actually the first chapter from the original Dracula manuscript, but was deleted when the book was published.
Dracula's Guest and other weird stories by Bram Stoker. This is a collection of short stories that were published a few years after Stoker's death.
I love and appreciate these books for the works of art they truly are.
Although I must admit that I am glad today's books are less flowery in their prose because that makes them much easier to read.![smile.gif](http://otherkin.30.<a href="http://www.forumer.com">forumer</a>.com/html/emoticons/smile.gif)
The Vampyre by John William Polidori
A short story originally mis-published under the authorship of Lord Byron. It tells of the exploits of Lord Ruthven, a British nobleman and
Varney The Vampire by Thomas Preskett Prest.vampire.
A gothic horror which first appeared in story form in a series of pamphlets between 1845 and 1847, and was finally published as a cheap and gruesome novel in 1847. The tale revolves around the persecution of the Bannerworth family by Sir Francis Varney, a vampire who enters the bedroom of the daughter of the house and sucks her blood.
Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
A gothic novel set in central Europe. It is the story of a young woman's inability to resist the attentions of a lesbian vampire named Carmilla. The story greatly influenced Bram Stoker in the writing of Dracula and served as the basis for several films between 1932 and 1970.
Dracula by Bram Stoker.
Written in 1897 this has to be the most well known of all vampire stories, and is mostly made up of letters and diary entries written by several different authors, and clippings from newspapers. Stoker did not invent the vampire, myths and legends about these creatures had been around for many centuries before the book was written, but this novel has been solely responsible for the popularity of vampires throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, and for many of the plays and films made about them.
I include this one because although no proof exists, it is rumoured that "Dracula's Guest" was actually the first chapter from the original Dracula manuscript, but was deleted when the book was published.
Dracula's Guest and other weird stories by Bram Stoker. This is a collection of short stories that were published a few years after Stoker's death.
I love and appreciate these books for the works of art they truly are.
Although I must admit that I am glad today's books are less flowery in their prose because that makes them much easier to read.