- Hardcover
- Publisher: Doubleday (Jun 1973)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385003838
- ISBN-13: 978-0385003834
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 15.2 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (271 customer reviews)
Dracula
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Product Description
Review
[Coralie Bickford-Smith's] recent work for Penguin Classics is...nothing short of glorious (Anna Cole Co. )
One of the most powerful horror tales ever written (Malcolm Bradbury ) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
One of the most powerful horror tales ever written (Malcolm Bradbury ) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Margaret L. Carter, Bradley University
"…valuable for both research and classroom use…All Dracula scholars will want to own this useful, very reasonably-priced text."
--This text refers to the
Paperback
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First Sentence
3 May. Bistritz.-*Left Munich at 8.35 p.m. on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6.46, but train was an hour late. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
3 May. Bistritz.-*Left Munich at 8.35 p.m. on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6.46, but train was an hour late. Read the first page
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Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
i downloaded this ebook as an excuse to play with my new prezzie!! and because it was free, after it was downloaded i read it first out of all the downloaded books mainly to get it "out the way" how wrong was i!!! this is probally one of the best books i have ever read the whole story builds pace as you go along and the last third i could not put down anyone out there want a fun very well written brilliant story read this
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dracula is without doubt the prime vampire novel. Bram Stoker writes with tension and passion, forfeiting overly gruesome images for restless tension. This novel is a must for lovers of 'horror', but equally can be read as a historic representation of late 19th Century culture. A literary classic.
37 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Next year is the 110th anniversary of the publication of Dracula. Dracula, or Count Dracula, is probably the most famous vampire of them all. After one hundred years, Dracula is so ingrained into vampire mythology that when we think vampires - we think Dracula.
You could argue that the reason for this began with F.W. Murnau's film Nosferatu. Although the main character, wonderfully portrayed by Max Schreck, is referred to as Count Orlok - the viewing public were not fooled! Thousands of fans knew Murnau was telling the Dracula story! And so began a phenomenon, Dracula is now the most portrayed character in the horror genre - beating the likes of Frankenstein - and notching up over 160 portrayals. Most notable of these, apart from the previously mentioned Max Schreck, include those by: Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee and, more recently, Gary Oldman.
So, does this explain the unbelievable success of the Dracula novel? Are the scores of portrayals serving as huge advertising campaigns? Is this the reason why one hundred years on thousands of copies of Dracula are still being sold? Of course not!
Bram Stoker's Dracula completely captured the imagination of the reading public. One of the reasons for this is that it is not written like a novel - one unknown voice telling you a story. Stoker's Dracula is told to us by many voices all of which are characters within Dracula. The protagonists tell us the story through diary entries, newspaper clippings and letters. This style of story telling adds to our fear while reading, as it immerses us in the character's plight and gives us the impression that these events could be based on truth. You may think this last statement ludicrous and it probably is, but the fact that we have never found the burial place of Vlad Dracula (Vlad the Impaler), only adds to an air of uncertainty. When you are alone at night, a copy of Dracula on the bedside table, the wind and rain pelting against the windowpane, what seems ridiculous in cold light of day seems only the more real with the unexplained noises that occur during the night.
One of the most interesting reasons why Dracula has survived the test of time is quite simply; it is the ancestor of all vampire novels. All other vampire stories are descendants of it, even Anne Rice, who refers to Dracula in one of her novels as the, "vulgar fictions of a demented Irishman," cannot dispute that her novels are descended from it.
How do we know that every vampire novel is descended from Bram Stoker's? The reason is simple, Stoker set down a list of vampire rules, and every book that followed after has used these rules. These rules may have been reinterpreted but still today, most stay remarkably true to Stoker's original vampire laws. Stakes through the heart, fear of religious symbols, sleeping in coffins- these are all Bram Stoker's ideas. All modern portrayals of vampires and vampire slayers use Stoker's story as a benchmark, or something to aspire too. You could even argue that Buffy the Vampire Slayer's watcher is a modern interpretation of Van Helsing.
Stoker was also the first person to coin the term "Un-Dead," used to this day by fiction writers to refer to vampires or zombies. Not many writers have ever achieved the accolade of inventing a word that becomes automatically absorbed into the English language.
In conclusion, if you are a avid reader looking to read one of the classics, you can't go wrong with Bram Stoker's Dracula, and like wise if you are aspiring horror writer- make it first on your list of books to read and inspire you.
You could argue that the reason for this began with F.W. Murnau's film Nosferatu. Although the main character, wonderfully portrayed by Max Schreck, is referred to as Count Orlok - the viewing public were not fooled! Thousands of fans knew Murnau was telling the Dracula story! And so began a phenomenon, Dracula is now the most portrayed character in the horror genre - beating the likes of Frankenstein - and notching up over 160 portrayals. Most notable of these, apart from the previously mentioned Max Schreck, include those by: Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee and, more recently, Gary Oldman.
So, does this explain the unbelievable success of the Dracula novel? Are the scores of portrayals serving as huge advertising campaigns? Is this the reason why one hundred years on thousands of copies of Dracula are still being sold? Of course not!
Bram Stoker's Dracula completely captured the imagination of the reading public. One of the reasons for this is that it is not written like a novel - one unknown voice telling you a story. Stoker's Dracula is told to us by many voices all of which are characters within Dracula. The protagonists tell us the story through diary entries, newspaper clippings and letters. This style of story telling adds to our fear while reading, as it immerses us in the character's plight and gives us the impression that these events could be based on truth. You may think this last statement ludicrous and it probably is, but the fact that we have never found the burial place of Vlad Dracula (Vlad the Impaler), only adds to an air of uncertainty. When you are alone at night, a copy of Dracula on the bedside table, the wind and rain pelting against the windowpane, what seems ridiculous in cold light of day seems only the more real with the unexplained noises that occur during the night.
One of the most interesting reasons why Dracula has survived the test of time is quite simply; it is the ancestor of all vampire novels. All other vampire stories are descendants of it, even Anne Rice, who refers to Dracula in one of her novels as the, "vulgar fictions of a demented Irishman," cannot dispute that her novels are descended from it.
How do we know that every vampire novel is descended from Bram Stoker's? The reason is simple, Stoker set down a list of vampire rules, and every book that followed after has used these rules. These rules may have been reinterpreted but still today, most stay remarkably true to Stoker's original vampire laws. Stakes through the heart, fear of religious symbols, sleeping in coffins- these are all Bram Stoker's ideas. All modern portrayals of vampires and vampire slayers use Stoker's story as a benchmark, or something to aspire too. You could even argue that Buffy the Vampire Slayer's watcher is a modern interpretation of Van Helsing.
Stoker was also the first person to coin the term "Un-Dead," used to this day by fiction writers to refer to vampires or zombies. Not many writers have ever achieved the accolade of inventing a word that becomes automatically absorbed into the English language.
In conclusion, if you are a avid reader looking to read one of the classics, you can't go wrong with Bram Stoker's Dracula, and like wise if you are aspiring horror writer- make it first on your list of books to read and inspire you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hard to belive it was written so long ago
It was written in an unusual style which was quite gripping. It was based on the characters' diaries, Newspaper reports, ship's logs etc. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Morlech
Dracula
Book is so much different from any of the movies about vampires. The characters keep their own diaries describing their feelings, emotions and fears.
Published 14 days ago by Zhanusjad
gothic thriller
i loved this book becuase i am all for the gothic theme and i am fasinated in vampires. dracula is sooooo cool and i thought this book sucked. Read more
Published 16 days ago by ishrooneyhamerxxx
ABSOLUTE CLASSIC
This book is the formation stone for all the horror fiction to follow over the decades through print, radio, film and television. Read more
Published 17 days ago by scottai25
A classic brought to life
I had always wanted to read Dracula so I set about ordering the book from Amazon. The order arrived fairly quickly and there was little to complain about; it arrived looking... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Lambie
Why did I wait so long?
I downloaded Dracula as it was free - I'm an avid reader but never in a million years did I think I would enjoy this book this much. Read more
Published 20 days ago by ermie
Brilliant
I read this book at the request of my wife, she had read it years ago and kept telling me how brilliant it was. Read more
Published 21 days ago by wes
i really don`t get what all the fuss is about.
i tried to read this book. i gave up at, like, 1%. i should have known this book was going to be hard work. i even asked my friend about it and she said that it was a hard read. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Miss Juliet Zemaits
Read only at night
i was very surprised by this book, held in great suspense all through the book i could hardly out it down at times. Read more
Published 22 days ago by john
not what I expected
OK, I couldn't finish this book. I tried, holy hell did I try - but by 90% I was so annoyed I had to put it down. The writing was too sterile. The diaries were far too boring. Read more
Published 24 days ago by ovarovar
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