Dracula, Prince of Many Faces: His Life and His Times (Paperback)

~ Radu R Florescu (Author), Raymond McNally (Author) "THE real Dracula, who ruled the territories that now constitute Romania, was born in 1431, the year that Joan of Arc was burned as a..." (more)
Key Phrases: dissident boyars, boyar council, boyar class, Vlad Dracula, Holy Roman Emperor, John Hunyadi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The fictional Dracula of Bram Stoker's novel is better known than the actual Vlad Dracula the Impaler, who ruled as prince of Wallachia for three brief periods in the mid-15th century. This study by two Boston College professors who have written other books about Dracula explores how the legend of the Transylvanian vampire arose. As a ruler, Dracula spread terror far and wide, inflicting appalling tortures on his victims, killing them by impalement, by boiling or skinning them alive. Yet when the time came to defend Europe against Turkish invaders, he led the battle, and the authors view him as "the first modern Renaissance prince of the land." Florescu and McNally offer so much detail about the battles of kings, princes, princelings and claimants to thrones that the book will appeal only to the most ardent Dracula fanatics. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Dracula is the third book that Florescu and McNally, both historians at Boston College, have written about either the real Dracula or the legendary vampire ( Dracula: A Historical Biography of the Impaler, 1431-1476 , Hawthorn, 1973; LJ 2/1/74). This scholarly work focuses almost exclusively upon the "real" Dracula, a 15th-century Romanian prince. The authors present him as a multifaceted figure, a national hero still revered for defending Romania from the Turks, yet also a psychopath who used his power indiscriminately to torture and murder thousands of his enemies and subjects. Because of the constant interest in the occult (especially in the vampire Dracula), public libraries will want this for popular collections. Because of its sound treatment of an important figure in Eastern European history, academic libraries also should consider.
- Ann H. Sullivan, Tompkins Cortland Community Coll. Lib., Dryden,
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 261 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (October 31, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316286567
• ISBN-13: 978-0316286565
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,602 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Definitive Book on the Man Behind the Myth, May 17, 2001

By	phimseto (Chestnut Hill, MA United States) - See all my reviews

In an earlier review I wrote regarding Dr. McNally's work on Robert Louis Stevenson, I noted that I had been a student of his in college. In reviewing this book, rather than discuss the meat of what lies within, I thought I would relate a couple of stories related to me by Professor McNally.

The first is that the opening of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula film was inspired directly by the writings in McNally and Florescu's two Dracula books, although there was a bit of tiff over the fact no credit was given.

The second tidbit came later in that semester, when I caught an "In Search Of..." episode on A&E which detailed the search for Dracula's castle and featured some rube gumming happily to the camera over his discovery. Well, the next day I tracked down the Professor and mentioned it to him. Befitting his status as the "Dracula professor", he let out this deep, rumbling and, well...evil, laugh. He was well acquainted with the special, and the simple fact was the castle in the special was the wrong one! In fact, as Prof. McNally evidenced in class soon after with a nifty little highlight video from the late 70's/early '80's, he and Radu Florescu had gained their noteriety by being the ones to find and prove which castle belonged to the historical Vlad.

These two stories evidenced for me, and ought to evidence for the prospective buyer, that Ray McNally and his longtime associate Radu Florescu are the definitive academics on the historical Vlad and the legend of Dracula. If you are interested in the man and the myth, then you need go no further than "Dracula: Prince of Many Faces" and "In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires".

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Florescu and McNally provide window into fascinating past, June 21, 1999

By A Customer

Florescu and McNally have done a commendable job not only at revealing the historical person of Dracula but also at providing the reader with a fascinating window into the man's world. I found this work extremely informative since I am deeply interested in the history of Eastern and Central Europe and well-written and well-researched works in English can be difficult to come across when it comes to this part of the world. It is nice to read a book about this period and not have to wade through a myriad of contemporary Western biases.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hero, or villian!, February 5, 1999

By	Robert Jarvis ([e-mail]) (El Salvador) - See all my reviews

The title may sound flippant, but make no mistake, this is a very deep & studious history of the character. Thrill seekers should be more than satisfied by the vivid descriptions of Dracula's divers forms of despatching those poor individuals who incurred his wrath. The authors deal both thoroughly & entertainingly with all the characters, wars, international intrigues, & give a chilling idea of what life was about in those violent & dangerous times. Dracula in particular is described in a most non-judgemental manner. Whilst it is impossible to defend his awful behaviour, study of his early life leads one to easily understand how his baser instincts might be brought to the surface. The book abounds with ironies & contrasts. Depending on the country of origin, there are totally different historical treatments of his deeds. He was brave, cruel, ambitious, devious, loyal, unreliable, resourceful & vain. A clever, or honest response to his interrogation could result in impalement, or dinner & a pot of gold, depending on Dracula's violent & unpredictable mood swings. Anyone however, remotely interested in seriously knowing more about Dracula's "life & times" can't fail to be impressed by this book.