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The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories [Paperback]

Alan Ryan
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Paperback CDN $14.44  
Paperback, Oct 5 1988 --  

Book Description

Oct 5 1988
They're lurking under the cover of darkness … and between the covers of this book. Here, in all their horror and all their glory, are the great vampires of literature: male and female, invisible and metamorphic, doomed and daring.

Their skin deathly pale, their nails curved like claws, their fangs sharpened for the attack, they are gathered for the kill and for the chill, brought frighteningly to life by Bram Stoker, Fritz Leiber, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, Charles L. Grant, Tanith Lee, and other masters of the macabre. Careful—they are all crafty enough to steal their way into your imagination and steal away your hopes for a restful sleep.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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About the Author

Alan Ryan has served as a judge for the Film Fantasy Awards and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. He regularly contributes to The Washington Post, USA Today, The Smithsonian, and Travel and Leisure, among other publications.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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"In the year 17-, having for some time determined on a journey through countries not hitherto much frequented by travellers, I set out, accompanied by a friend, whom I shall designate by the name of Augustus Darvell. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, scary stuff May 26 2004
Format:Paperback
This book is especially good reading during those late fall and winter evenings when dark comes early and the nights grow long. Even before Bram Stoker penned his classic horror novel, vampires were the stuff of lore and legend, guaranteed to scare the pants off people: evil bloodsucking monsters without souls or morals, looking to recruit innocent victims into their unholy ranks. Almost every country in Europe had its own vampire stories. But it was Stoker's "Dracula" that unleashed the widespread popularity of vampire tales and novels that has continued unabated.

This anthology includes vampire stories from 1816 (a fragment of a novel by Lord Byron) to 1984. Even Ole Drac himself makes a reappearance in Bram Stoker's "Dracula's Guest", a self-contained chapter initially written as part of "Dracula" but omitted to shorten the novel to its current length. Some modern-day gems include "Pages From a Young Girl's Journal" by Robert Aickman, in which a bored and lonely teenage girl meets her demon lover and eagerly awaits her passage into the ranks of the Undead, and "Bite-Me-Not" by Tanith Lee, a beguiling combination of love story and horror tale. The one glaring omission in this otherwise fine compendium is Stephen King's short story "One For the Road", in which Salem's Lot is revisited with calamitous results. I would have given this book five stars if it had been included here. There is also an appendix of selected vampire novels and vampire films. There are enough good, shivery reads in here to satisfy the most insatiable fan of vampire literature. Lock the doors, turn up the lights, and enjoy the fun.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely, entertaining read Mar 8 2004
Format:Paperback
I seem to go for gothic when I'm in need of a nice, therapeutic read (Edgar Allan Poe when under stress last summer, that sort of thing) and this does the trick beautifully. Whether you're just looking for a good story to make you shiver, or are interested in the historical progression of the vampire myth and the ways different writers have used it symbolically, it's great fun to read. The stories range from deeply chilling, traditional vampire tales to the ridiculously melodramatic penny-dreadfuls of the 1800s to thoughtful modern sci-fi variations, and don't miss the hilarious account of the new werewolf who meets a rather nice vampire and is taken home to meet her parents...
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4.0 out of 5 stars A good vampire anthology Dec 17 2002
By Volks
Format:Paperback
I had to get this for school and ended up keeping it for my personal collection. Some of the stories are a little poorly written, but most present a very entertaining cross-section of vampire stories from the eighteen-hundreds up through the end of the twentieth. As an intoduction to Western vampire myth, I found it very enlightening and entertaining.
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