Vampire Readings [Textbook Binding]

Patricia Altner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810835045 | ISBN-13: 978-0810835047 | Publication Date: October 22, 1998 | Edition: annotated edition

It was only a little more than 100 years ago, when Bram Stoker wrote the now famous Dracula, that vampire myths began to achieve their current popularity. Hundreds of books now portray vampires in a variety of non-traditional roles, including aliens from outer space, private detectives, and time travelers.

Vampire Readings is an annotated bibliography of 779 entries divided into five sections: Novels; Anthologies and Novellas; Young Adult; Additional Readings; Unread Undead. The largest section is Novels and here, besides a summary of the plot (without spoilers), the author indicates where each novel may fit into other genres such as science fiction/fantasy, mystery, romance, etc. Works by such writers as Anne Rice, Tanya Huff, Christopher Pike, Tanith Lee, Barbara Hambly, Kim Newman, and, of course, Bram Stoker are discussed in Vampire Readings . Separate author and title indexes are included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Avid students of the supernatural, and of vampires in particular, will be pleased with this bibliography of vampire readings...The annotations are well-written and provide entertaining reading in and of themselves...Vampire fans...will likely find this a useful tool for pursuing their reading interests. (Voya )

This book sets out to index and cross reference vampire fiction for approximately the last ten years. And it succeeds admirably...to make the plot summaries even more useful, Altner has included key words, such as History, Mystery, Romance, Religion, and Humor...another nice touch is a summation of distinctive plot elements for an author's series. (Science Fiction Romance )

...amusing illustrations...this compilation should not be missed... (Library Review )

...plot descriptions and other annotations seem to be usefully informative. (Interzone )

Altner's book is...worth seeking outtttt (The Mad Bibliographer )

...a highly readable introduction and guide to a genre of literature that may not be well known to many readers, and quite useful for those who may wish to expand their familiarity with the genre into areas of which they might not be aware. This would be an excellent reader advisory resource for any library with a sizable fiction-reading population, and is also suitable for academic libraries with a strong literature collection. (Arba )

Altner's book is...worth seeking out (The Mad Bibliographer )

About the Author

Patricia Altner (M.S.L.S., University of Kentucky) is a freelance writer and researcher.

Product Details

• Textbook Binding: 144 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press; annotated edition edition (October 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810835045
• ISBN-13: 978-0810835047
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,904,842 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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Romantic vampires, April 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Vampire Readings (Textbook Binding)

I had no idea there was such a variety of vampire inspired novels and short stories. I was especially happy to find several novels with romance themes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just what we need more of..., July 28, 2004

By 

D J. Nolan (Toronto, On) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vampire Readings (Textbook Binding)

It is great to see that annotated bibliographies still get published. A book written by someone who has read the majority of the corpus and is able to write clear precis of each text is just what we need. Annotated bibliographies are a well respected genre for academics and the research public, and good ones are few and far between.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great directory of vampire books!, July 11, 2010

By 

K. Gilligan "grad student & literature lover" (Haddon Heights, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vampire Readings (Textbook Binding)

While it may seem easy to find a vampire book, often sifting through the endless displays of fantasy/supernatural books at stores like Borders or Barnes&Noble can be discouraging. Or if I'd rather shop online, amazon can give me suggestions. But this book was even more helpful. It's pretty much a directory of vampire books. Of course it has the popular authors like Stoker or Rice, but it also has obscure ones. The only thing that would make this better is if it were self-updating. Tons of new vampire books have been published in the last couple of years. Therefore this book is still useful, but not up to date.