Customer Reviews

In Search of Dracula (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A nice blend of scholarship with fascination, this is the first book to look for the truth behind the fiction. Does a nice job not only of explaining where Bram Stoker got the bits and pieces he picked up to turn Vlad the Impaler into Count Dracula, but also puts the Wallachian Prince in historical perspective. There are more detailed biographies of Vlad out there, but this is really the book that opened the door and its writers are paricularly well suited to the task. If you only want to read one book about the real Dracula and his transformation into one of the major fictional characters of all time, this would be that book.

"In Search of Dracula" is an exploration into any historical basis that may exist for Bram Stoker's icon of gothic horror, Count Dracula. The authors, Raymond McNally and Radu Florescu, both history professors at Boston College, undertook seven research expeditions to investigate their hypothesis that the infamous vampire Count was in part based on a real person: the 15th century Eastern European ruler Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad Tepes' father was Vlad Dracul, who ruled Wallachia before him, and Tepes preferred the name "Dracula", by which he was widely known in his own time. Bram Stoker's Count Dracula appears to have been inspired by stories of Vlad the Impaler along with the vampire folklore of the region that the historical Dracula dominated. Vlad the Impaler has never been considered a vampire by his countrymen, and similarities to the fictional Count are superficial, but they are enough to indicate more than coincidence: The two men have the same name. Count Dracula is from Transylvania, while Prince Dracula was from neighboring Wallachia, but his castle was on the Transylvanian border. Both men led their nations to victory against the incurring Ottoman Turks. And both were widely feared. Vlad the Impaler was and still is considered to be one of the most bloodthirsty and Machiavellian leaders to have ever lived, having murdered an estimated one fifth of his own population. Legend has it that the ruthless Prince ate bread dipped in the blood of his victims. That's not substantiable, but it may provide a further connection to Bram Stoker's fictional Count. Count Dracula and Vlad Tepes have nothing in common beyond these few traits, and the horrific truth of Vlad Tepes' rule in the mid- to late- 15th century is far more frightening than any gothic horror novel, but not nearly as seductively allegorical.

The first approximately hundred pages of "In Search of Dracula" are about about the life of Vlad Tepes, or Prince Dracula, Count Dracula's historical namesake. This history is not scholarly enough for my taste. But it serves well as an introduction to the subjects of the Ottoman incursions into Europe, Eastern European politics in the 15th century, and the life of the infamous Vlad the Impaler. It has inspired me to delve further into these subjects. The book also includes chapters on Bram Stoker and on Dracula's incarnations in fiction and film. Ironically, although the authors' case for how and why Vlad Tepes was an inspiration for Count Dracula is reasonably strong, I felt that it was stated weakly. And readers would very much benefit from a good map during the discussions of conflicts with the Turks, but the book offers only two small and extremely poor maps. I would be inclined to give "In Search of Dracula" 3 stars if not for its Appendixes, which include translations of old German, Russian, and Romanian stories about Vlad Tepes as well as a comprehensive vampire filmography up until 1992. I found the filmography very useful. So, although it's far from perfect, I recommend this book to anyone interested in the origins of Dracula.

If given the choice I would prefer to split this book down the middle, the first half being given fours stars and the second 1. I would have to say that the title of the books says this is a history of vampires as well as dracula. I think this is incorrect; there is one chapter on vampiric folklore which to be blunt is very vague and doesn't really tell you anything.

However, whilst I have doubts about there use of some evidence (the authors repeatedly seem very trusting of peasant folklore) the chapters on Dracula (Vlad Tepes), which constitute the bulk of the book, are very good and the book is worth buying for that alone.

I do have the feeling that once this was done the authors needed to padd the book out and hence add three chapters on vampire fiction to the present day. It is only because I have an obsessive need to finish any book I start that I finished this, otherwise I would have given up contented once they had finished with Dracula.

However, I am in agreement with the previous reviewer who stated that the score was recued by the appendixes. By bringing such resources in one place it is a very useful aid to the reader's further research and hence am happy to recommend.

I'm a college professor in History and next semester I will be offering a special course on Dracula and his Contemporaries. I have chosen this book as one of the required readings. It serves as a companion volume to Florescu's Dracula: Prince of Many Faces. Particularly useful are the bibliography and the translated documents. The book tells us about the research the authors did on Vlad the Impaler and about his career as Prince of Wallachia.

This is one entertaining volume, one I can refer back to time and time again. The writers give a very matter-of-fact account of the life and times of Vlad Tepes, occasionally laced with a bit of wry humor, and relate the legends that have grown around ye olde impaler. From there, they take us through Bram Stoker and his background, and on to the celluloid versions of Dracula, all without pausing for breath...and happily so. My favorite bits are the various legends about Prince Vlad told from several points of view, and how they compare with each other. Very revealing, and always entertaining. Great fun for vampire afficionados and "serious" devotees alike.

If you were ever curious as to how and where the vampire stories began and how Bram Stoker conceived the idea for his book this is a must have. It depicts the events in the life of Vlad Teppes (Dracula), the son of Dracul and notorious leader of Transylvania and the bloodthirsty Eizabeth Bathory of a Hungarian aristrocratic family.

A very nice work by two very good researchers/authors. I would love to see more work done about that time period and geographical location. That era in time, with the exception of the early Crusades, has had, I believe, the most significant impact through time all the way to present day. A must read for military, Eastern European, Ottoman empire buffs, and for those interested in events and places surrounding the fall of Byzantium.

I really love this book,I keep it by my bed at night.This book has more information on Vlad & vampires than most I have read. More than half the vampire books I have just barely graze Vlad (Dracula)& his history.This book contains a real detailed look into Vlad's life & Stoker's monster.

This was one of the best books I ever read back in 1978 (I think) when it first came out. It ties together both the historical and the fictional Dracula and explains how the bloodthirsty ruler of Wallachia could become the infamous vampire from Transylvania. This format makes it particularly easy for Western readers to relate to. As an added bonus the oral stories about the real Dracula at the end of the book provides an excellent background for anyone interested in comparing the oral traditions and the differences in the same stories between the Russians, Romanians, and Germans.

Not only is this book fun to read, but it made a great guide when I was traveling through Romania. We were easily able to find the sites listed based upon the directions in the book. Well worth the price!