The Everything Vampire Book: From Vlad the Impaler to the vampire Lestat - a history of vampires in Literature, Film, and Legend (Everything Series) [Paperback]

Barb Karg (Author), Arjean Spaite (Author), Rick Sutherland (Author)

Book Description

Series: Everything Series | Publication Date: January 17, 2009

From Bram Stoker's "Dracula", to Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series, vampires have fascinated and frightened young and old alike for centuries. Whether it is an evil, sharp-fanged creature who appears from the mist, or a handsome, erotic man or woman of mystery, the vampire in all its incarnations is one of the most popular and intriguing characters of literature and film. Vampires alternately terrorize and become objects to be idolized and desired. "The Everything[registered] Vampire Book" examines their notorious history and legends, their evolution and portrayal in books, television, and cinema, and the on going fascination with the 'vampire lifestyle'.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barb Karg is a 26-year veteran journalist, author, graphic designer, and screenwriter. A seasoned writer, who has authored or co-authored 22 books. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. Arjean Spaite is a freelance writer, editor, and history aficionado. She resides in Boardman, OH. Rick Sutherland is a seasoned writer, editor, and researcher. He is co-author of fourteen books. Currently residing in the Pacific Northwest.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (January 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605506311
• ISBN-13: 978-1605506319
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,012,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Blood-Sucker Overview, February 4, 2009

By 

Mikey (Platte City, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Everything Vampire Book: From Vlad the Impaler to the vampire Lestat - a history of vampires in Literature, Film, and Legend (Everything Series) (Paperback)

I've reading up on my horror films these days, and recently picked this up with The Vampire Film: From Nosferatu to Bram Stoker's Dracula - Third Edition and Monster Rally. The Everything Vampire Book isn't just about Vampire movies, but the total mix of history, entertainment, and literature gives the reader a full feel for how vampires have managed to pervade our culture. The book doesn't manage to mention every single vampire book or movie ever made, but considering the vast amount of material out there, it is quite exhaustive and more than complete. If you're into vampires, you'll want to pick this up.

2.0 out of 5 stars nothing new, May 12, 2010

By 

Kate Robinson "Collage Artist" (near Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Everything Vampire Book: From Vlad the Impaler to the vampire Lestat - a history of vampires in Literature, Film, and Legend (Everything Series) (Paperback)

This text was purchased for a home schooling course about legends and folklore surrounding zombies and vampires. The book offers not much "new" information for a teen already well-read in the area of zombies. It is a good "first book" or reference for vampire films and history itself. It is not much fun to read for a teen.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everything is Ok, April 30, 2010

By 

Sean (Plymouth, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Everything Vampire Book: From Vlad the Impaler to the vampire Lestat - a history of vampires in Literature, Film, and Legend (Everything Series) (Paperback)

I teach a college class on vampires and I read this book to see what it had to offer. Bottom line, it's ok. It gives basic information on the subject and serves as a possible entry point to the subject, but not a very thorough one. It is definitely worth reading if you are first exploring the subject, but your reading should be supplemented to get more complete, in-depth information.

The beginnings and endings of the chapters are the most frustrating. In the beginning of each chapter the author offers a paragraph to introduce the subject of the chapter, and then when the reader turns the page the author takes up more space with another introduction. So, there is a good page and a half of wasted space that sets up the chapter that gives no useful information (not a characteristic of a concise history). It wouldn't be a problem if the introductory portions had good information, but they do not.

Another factor that is troubling is the presence of watered down information. Definitions, explanations, and anecdotes are only on a surface level, not giving the reader the whole story. That is not to say that the information is inaccurate or not useful or that some portions are, in fact, thorough, it just doesn't paint the whole picture of vampire legend and lore in a satisfactory way.

The book does present some insightful nuggets that other books that attempt to give a survey of vampire lore do not. For example, the section "The Indian Effect" explores the Native American blood legends that are concurrent with vampire lore. This is the only book that I have seen so far that gives that information. Those parts alone make the book worth reading.