- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Senate Books; New edition edition (April 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0091851432
- ISBN-13: 978-0091851439
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 13.5 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,257,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Renowned occultist and clergyman Montague Summers explores the realm of Dracula, Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE and stunning monsters. He comes up with some very shocking possibilities as well as "true tales" of terror from England, Ireland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, et al.
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First Sentence
ALTHOUGH perhaps, in Greek and Roman authors, it may be said that, strictly speaking there are-with one possible exception-no references to, or legends of vampires according to the exactest definition of the term as given in such standard works as Webster's International Dictionary and Whitney's Century Dictionary, yet there do occur frequent, if obscure, notices of cognate superstitions, esoteric rituals, and ceremonial practice, which certainly prove that vampirism was not unknown in Italy and in Greece of ancient times. Read the first page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
ALTHOUGH perhaps, in Greek and Roman authors, it may be said that, strictly speaking there are-with one possible exception-no references to, or legends of vampires according to the exactest definition of the term as given in such standard works as Webster's International Dictionary and Whitney's Century Dictionary, yet there do occur frequent, if obscure, notices of cognate superstitions, esoteric rituals, and ceremonial practice, which certainly prove that vampirism was not unknown in Italy and in Greece of ancient times. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was written in the late twenties by a consummate researcher into occult matters. It is scholarly in style and references, written from the standpoint of someone who really believed that vampires existed and constituted a grave menace to mankind. Summers retails factual accounts from Roman times to the famous Croglin Hall case in C19th England, and more recently still in Transylvania. Indeed, so many and varied are the sources he uses, many quite respectable, that an impartial reader will pause for thought before dismissing Summers' admittedly fervidly held beliefs. The modern reader must be patient with the many Greek and Latin citations, but will be rewarded with a sounder grasp of the subject than most modern books afford. It also has to be said that the stories and accounts are very entertaining.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is a collection of vampire legends from various parts of Europe. Each chapter focuses on a country or region, and then proceeds to detail many vampire encounters which have occurred there.
This book isn't designed to give real information about vampires, rather it is a source book for the reader to assume what he will from the material.
The actual writing isn't especially gripping. Eventually the stories become tedious, and one seems pretty much the same as the other. For a factual introduction to vampires, I'd recommend books by Sean Manchester instead.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
One of the few vampire books written by an actual believer
12 Oct 2002
Format:Hardcover
I find this book's description a tad misleading ("Renowned occultist and clergyman Montague Summers explores the realm of...Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE") as there is no romanticism of the vampire myth here, or stories told from the vampire's point of view. Instead, Summers (1880 - 1948) catalogues instances and beliefs relating to the Undead under the following headings: "THE VAMPIRE IN GREECE AND ROME OF OLD", "THE VAMPIRE IN ENGLAND, AND IRELAND, AND SOME LATIN LANDS", "HUNGARY AND CZECHO-SLOVAKIA", "MODERN GREECE" and "RUSSIA, ROUMANIA AND BULGARIA".
(See "Vampires & Vampirism: Legends From Around the World" by Dudley Wright if you are interested in this aspect of vampirism.)
(See "Vampires & Vampirism: Legends From Around the World" by Dudley Wright if you are interested in this aspect of vampirism.)
Summer's was convinced that vampires were real and also creatures in the Devil's service, so, in effect, his books on the subject attempt to convince the reader of his view by presenting them with "evidence" of this sort.
As a whole, the book is an excellent source of knowledge for the budding vampirologist, but I've detracted a point from it, as Summers had the annoying tendancy to quote certain sources for his material in their original language-be it in ancient Greek, Latin etc. without providing any English translation.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Summers and the world of vampires
1 Feb 2005
Format:Paperback
In 1973, I received a document on Prince Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler. I was later able to translate the 18th century document and turned it into a graduate research paper. It was in that same year that I re-read Bram Stoker's Dracula for the third time.
Like Sherlock Holmes, Dracula has remained a personal classic. It was therefore a passion of mine to spend many hours in the graduate stacks at the University of Mississippi reading books on vampires and werewolves. I found the folklore and history of such mythological creatures to be an "academic" pursuit while I spent my first year as an EDPA Graduate Fellow working on a history degree. Although I later transferred to educational history, I was fortunate enough to discover Montague Summers. Summers has, according to most historians and folklorists, remained the leading authority on vampires, werewolves and demons. Perhaps the two most important books written on vampires, during the 20th century were The Vampire: His Kith and Kin (1928) and The Vampire in Europe (1929).
To understand these exceptional works, one must first understand the author. Perhaps no one in the current century is better able to describe Summers than Nigel Suckling:
"Alphonsus Joseph-Mary Augustus Montague Summers (1880-1948) was a fascinating character in himself. Throughout his life he was described by acquaintances as kind, courteous, generous and outrageously witty; but those who knew him well sensed an underlying discomfort and mystery. In appearance he was plump, round cheeked and generally smiling. His dress resembled that of an eighteenth century cleric ... He wore sweeping black capes crowned by a curious hairstyle of his own devising which led many to assume he wore a wig. His voice was high pitched, comical and often in complete contrast to the macabre tales he was in the habit of spouting. Throughout his life he astonished people with his knowledge of esoteric and unsettling occult lore. Many people later described him as the most extraordinary person they had known in their lives."
Summers two books on vampires have remained my personal favorites. Although I currently possess over 70 books on vampires and werewolves (i.e. histories, folklores, psychological studies and sociological ramifications), the extensive footnoting and citations by Summers places his works far above anything written since. Summers believed in the existence of vampires. It is this belief that made the reading of his books worthwhile. It is also well worth the time and effort needed to translate all of the sources that Summers utilized in his massive works.
Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren
Professor of Military and Medieval History
Member, Royal Historical Society (University of London)
Like Sherlock Holmes, Dracula has remained a personal classic. It was therefore a passion of mine to spend many hours in the graduate stacks at the University of Mississippi reading books on vampires and werewolves. I found the folklore and history of such mythological creatures to be an "academic" pursuit while I spent my first year as an EDPA Graduate Fellow working on a history degree. Although I later transferred to educational history, I was fortunate enough to discover Montague Summers. Summers has, according to most historians and folklorists, remained the leading authority on vampires, werewolves and demons. Perhaps the two most important books written on vampires, during the 20th century were The Vampire: His Kith and Kin (1928) and The Vampire in Europe (1929).
To understand these exceptional works, one must first understand the author. Perhaps no one in the current century is better able to describe Summers than Nigel Suckling:
"Alphonsus Joseph-Mary Augustus Montague Summers (1880-1948) was a fascinating character in himself. Throughout his life he was described by acquaintances as kind, courteous, generous and outrageously witty; but those who knew him well sensed an underlying discomfort and mystery. In appearance he was plump, round cheeked and generally smiling. His dress resembled that of an eighteenth century cleric ... He wore sweeping black capes crowned by a curious hairstyle of his own devising which led many to assume he wore a wig. His voice was high pitched, comical and often in complete contrast to the macabre tales he was in the habit of spouting. Throughout his life he astonished people with his knowledge of esoteric and unsettling occult lore. Many people later described him as the most extraordinary person they had known in their lives."
Summers two books on vampires have remained my personal favorites. Although I currently possess over 70 books on vampires and werewolves (i.e. histories, folklores, psychological studies and sociological ramifications), the extensive footnoting and citations by Summers places his works far above anything written since. Summers believed in the existence of vampires. It is this belief that made the reading of his books worthwhile. It is also well worth the time and effort needed to translate all of the sources that Summers utilized in his massive works.
Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren
Professor of Military and Medieval History
Member, Royal Historical Society (University of London)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Anyone interested in Vampirism will love this book!
23 Sep 2005
Format:Paperback
The Vampire in Europe, Summers' second book dealing with vampire folklore, focuses on vampire lore and panics in various specific cultures and times in Europe, including ancient Greece and Rome, Britain, modern Greece, eastern Europe and Russia. Summers is meticulous in his research and passion on this subject!
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