Product Description

Vampires and Vampirism is a treasured part of the folklore canon on vampires. Inside these pages are many accounts of the presence of nocturnal creatures with an unnatural hunger. Readers will discover that tales of vampires are whispered not only in the sleepy villages of easternand central Europe but also in the Middle East, the Asian sub-continent, and the isles of Great Britain. This book is the inaugural volume in the Classics of Preternatural History series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #394208 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

Review
"If you have an intense desire to learn more about the mysteries of the undead, you need this book..." -- The Stygian Labyrinth (www.stygianlabyrinth.net)

Anyone with even a glimmer of belief in vampires will thoroughly enjoy reading Vampires and Vampirism from Lethe Press --Tara Mahovetz, Horror Books & Movies at About.Com

Anyone with even a glimmer of belief in vampires will thoroughly enjoy reading Vampires and Vampirism from Lethe Press. -- Tara Mahovetz, Horror Books & Movies at About.Com

If you have an intense desire to learn more about the mysteries of the undead, you need this book... --The Stygian Labyrinth

From the Publisher
This book is the first volume in the Classics of Preternatural History series which explores area of the occult, pseudoscience, and the supernatural that have had a lasting impact upon the history and psyche of civilizations.

About the Author
Dudley Wright was a prolific British author and folklorist who wrote several works on ancient religions, Freemasonry, and legends. His work in the area of vampirology remains important to this day.

Customer Reviews

Unlife Before Buffy
I remember discovering monster movies, bag in the days when 50 cents got you into the Saturday show with a bag of popcorn as well. After watching all the ghoulishness on the screen I would search the used book stores for scary stories, and anything that said mummy or vampire in the title. Back in those days books like "Vampires & Vampirism" were making their last rounds - worn volumes on the dusty shelves in the back of the store.

Written first in 1914, and reprinted in 1924, "Vampires & Vampirism" is a classic example of its type. The author, a folklorist and specialist in ancient religions and occult beliefs has compiled out of obscure references and records a huge number of legends about vampire behavior. The book is a confection of such stories, compiled and retold, with the author providing the bare bones framework needed to organize the material and ensure an orderly progression from one to another.

Dudley Wright organizes his reports primarily by country or region. One gets to read of the ancient vampires of Babylonia and Greece, then the scene shifts to Britain, Germany, Hungary, the Balkans, Russia, and the Oriental realms. He even comes up with some modern material in the U.S. Wright is less well organized from a historical viewpoint, but his material covers a period from several millennia B.C. to 1923. Additional chapters discuss the power of excommunication (which is apparently how Vlad the Impaler became Dracula the vampire), living vampires, literary references and a somewhat tedious discussion of whether (or how) vampires existed.

While not a great academic study, the book is more like a compost heap of imaginings waiting for the delectation of the curious, or to feed the fertile imaginations of both readers and authors alike. In digesting it one must keep in mind that, up to the period in which this book was written, vampire literature was still quite scarce. Whether Dudley Wright and his kind are responsible for the resurgence of the vampire tale as an entire genre I cannot say, but it is a tempting to draw that conclusion. "Vampires & Vampirism" is full of interesting little facts and twists and is easy, pleasant reading. For the vampirophile this is one of those volumes without which one's library would be incomplete. In other words, great fun.

A Gem of A Book - a must have for the vampire enthusiast
Vampires and Vampirism : Legends from Around the World (Classics of Preternatural History) by Dudley Wright is a book that will forever remain on my bookshelf.

Wright has compiled the legends of the vampire worldwide from the beginning of recorded word until the early 20th century. While slightly dated in language usage (this was first written in 19l4), the book is a throughly good read.

It is a must have for anyone interested in the vampire legend - whether you are just curious or an author looking for a new twist on the vampire myth.

As you read, you have to wonder how many of these stories Bram Stoker heard before he wrote his famous "Dracula". While not necessarily in historical order, all the stories are tied by region. Some are so silly as to be humorous, others will just make you wonder.

I would recommend this book to anyone who even has a passing interest in how the legends began.

Was vampirism an urban legend?
This book is full of 'eyewitness accounts' and testimonials of vampirism around the world. It's a pretty damn cool read but it made me wonder if vampires became so popular because they fit the mold of urban legends. Whatever the case, author Wright managed pretty much to cover fiends and ghouls in every land.