The Vampire in Europe: True Tales of the Undead [Hardcover]

Montague Summers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 1996

Renowned occultist and clergyman Montague Summers explores the realm of Dracula, Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE and stunning monsters. He comes up with some very shocking possibilities as well as "true tales" of terror from England, Ireland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, et al.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Renowned occultist and clergyman Montague Summers explores the realm of Dracula, Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE and stunning monsters. He comes up with some very shocking possibilities as well as "true tales" of terror from England, Ireland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, et al.

About the Author

Montague Summers wrote or edited numerous classic volumes on witchcraft, demonology, and related topics. His most famous works include THE HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT and DEMONOLOGY, THE GEOGRAPHY OF WITCHCRAFT, and THE VAMPIRE, HIS KITH AND KIN. It becomes clear, as one reads, that Summers truly believed in vampires and supernatural phenomenon in general.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 329 pages
• Publisher: Gramercy (June 29, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517149893
• ISBN-13: 978-0517149898
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,492 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

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the few vampire books written by an actual believer, October 11, 2002

By 

Anthony Hogg (VIC., AUSTRALIA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vampire in Europe: True Tales of the Undead (Hardcover)

I find this book's description a tad misleading ("Renowned occultist and clergyman Montague Summers explores the realm of...Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE") as there is no romanticism of the vampire myth here, or stories told from the vampire's point of view. Instead, Summers (1880 - 1948) catalogues instances and beliefs relating to the Undead under the following headings: "THE VAMPIRE IN GREECE AND ROME OF OLD", "THE VAMPIRE IN ENGLAND, AND IRELAND, AND SOME LATIN LANDS", "HUNGARY AND CZECHO-SLOVAKIA", "MODERN GREECE" and "RUSSIA, ROUMANIA AND BULGARIA".
(See "Vampires & Vampirism: Legends From Around the World" by Dudley Wright if you are interested in this aspect of vampirism.)

Summer's was convinced that vampires were real and also creatures in the Devil's service, so, in effect, his books on the subject attempt to convince the reader of his view by presenting them with "evidence" of this sort.

As a whole, the book is an excellent source of knowledge for the budding vampirologist, but I've detracted a point from it, as Summers had the annoying tendancy to quote certain sources for his material in their original language-be it in ancient Greek, Latin etc. without providing any English translation.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Summers and the world of vampires, January 31, 2005

By 

Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren (Oxford, MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vampire in Europe (Paperback)

In 1973, I received a document on Prince Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler. I was later able to translate the 18th century document and turned it into a graduate research paper. It was in that same year that I re-read Bram Stoker's Dracula for the third time.

Like Sherlock Holmes, Dracula has remained a personal classic. It was therefore a passion of mine to spend many hours in the graduate stacks at the University of Mississippi reading books on vampires and werewolves. I found the folklore and history of such mythological creatures to be an "academic" pursuit while I spent my first year as an EDPA Graduate Fellow working on a history degree. Although I later transferred to educational history, I was fortunate enough to discover Montague Summers. Summers has, according to most historians and folklorists, remained the leading authority on vampires, werewolves and demons. Perhaps the two most important books written on vampires, during the 20th century were The Vampire: His Kith and Kin (1928) and The Vampire in Europe (1929).

To understand these exceptional works, one must first understand the author. Perhaps no one in the current century is better able to describe Summers than Nigel Suckling:

"Alphonsus Joseph-Mary Augustus Montague Summers (1880-1948) was a fascinating character in himself. Throughout his life he was described by acquaintances as kind, courteous, generous and outrageously witty; but those who knew him well sensed an underlying discomfort and mystery. In appearance he was plump, round cheeked and generally smiling. His dress resembled that of an eighteenth century cleric ... He wore sweeping black capes crowned by a curious hairstyle of his own devising which led many to assume he wore a wig. His voice was high pitched, comical and often in complete contrast to the macabre tales he was in the habit of spouting. Throughout his life he astonished people with his knowledge of esoteric and unsettling occult lore. Many people later described him as the most extraordinary person they had known in their lives."

Summers two books on vampires have remained my personal favorites. Although I currently possess over 70 books on vampires and werewolves (i.e. histories, folklores, psychological studies and sociological ramifications), the extensive footnoting and citations by Summers places his works far above anything written since. Summers believed in the existence of vampires. It is this belief that made the reading of his books worthwhile. It is also well worth the time and effort needed to translate all of the sources that Summers utilized in his massive works.

Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren
Professor of Military and Medieval History
Member, Royal Historical Society (University of London)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone interested in Vampirism will love this book!, September 23, 2005

By 

An Occult Scholar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vampire in Europe (Paperback)

The Vampire in Europe, Summers' second book dealing with vampire folklore, focuses on vampire lore and panics in various specific cultures and times in Europe, including ancient Greece and Rome, Britain, modern Greece, eastern Europe and Russia. Summers is meticulous in his research and passion on this subject!