Vampires: From Vlad Drakul to the Vampire Lestat

Lisa M. Rohlmann is a former business owner in Shelburne, Ontario.

An accomplished writer of fiction and nonfiction books, Anna Szigethy
has traveled extensively in Eastern Europe researching and documenting
the highly elusive vampire mysteries. Anne Graves, the author of
numerous articles on all kinds of topics, is perhaps best known for her
knowledge about the gothic era during the middle ages, a time when most
of the vampire activities took place.

After comprehensive introduction, Vampires opens with the well-known
story of Vlad Dracula, Prince of Wallachia (aka Vlad the Impaler). Born
in November 1431, he was captured by the Turks in 1442 and spent the
rest of his childhood learning the art of torture. After he was set
free, Dracula waged brutal wars against his adversaries. He was killed
during a battle in 1476 and his head was sent to Constantinople for
display. In 1976, the Romanian communist leader, Nicolae Ceausescu,
ordered that the 500-year anniversary of Dracula’s death be observed
nationwide.

Other true or legendary stories—like “Real Vampires,” “The
Blood Countess,” and “The Shoemaker of Silesia” recount the lives,
and deaths, of blood-thirsty vampires. Fiction, such as “The
Vampyre” by John Polidori, “Varney the Vampire” by James Malcolm
Rymer, “Vampire Chronicles” and Interview with a Vampire by Anne
Rice, informs the reader of the abundance of vampire stories in
literature and film. The book ends with Franz Hartmann’s “An
Authenticated Vampire Story,” which leaves the reader with no doubt
about the existence of blood-thirsty human vultures. This beautiful,
richly illustrated book is a superb resource for any serious student of
the supernatural.