V Is for Vampire: The A-Z Guide to Everything Undead [Paperback]

David J. Skal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

This informative and entertaining pop-culture reference guide covers all aspects of vampirism--from the infamous lore about garlic, mirrors, and wooden stakes to fascinating descriptions of little-known books and films on the subject. Skal's look at the dark creature will recapture the imagination of millions and covers hundreds of topics related to vampires. Photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Nearly as comprehensive as the recent Madonna encyclopedia and of far greater long-term appeal, Skal's vampire vade mecum is also wonderful to read straight through, for each page contains its entertaining tidbits. All of the expected entries are here--Lugosi, Bela; Stoker, Bram; Nosferatu, etc. But they are trumped in interest by the more obscure items: Mad Monster Party, for instance, a 1967 "live-animation horror comedy with music," and many a foreign vampire movie, book, and story. The entry for the 1927 Lon Chaney movie London after Midnight is particularly entertaining, thanks to discussion of its status as a supposedly lost classic, unsubstantiated reports of which "keep cropping up like sightings of the Loch Ness Monster." Skal rakes up Karl Marx's vampire connection and Oscar Wilde's--which was more to be expected--too. Yet Skal notably refrains from desperate reaching to connect anything and everything to vampires and vampirism. His book is great fun and contains two must-have photos of, respectively, Bob Denver and Tiny Tim in Dracula drag. Mike Tribby

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Plume; 1St Edition edition (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452271738
• ISBN-13: 978-0452271739
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,823,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book (wish there was an updated version), June 30, 2011

By 

Amanda Pike (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: V Is for Vampire: The A-Z Guide to Everything Undead (Paperback)

This is a very good book. It is a very full and in depth reference guide to vampires in both popular fiction and in folklore. It's practically an encyclopedia that gives some interesting tidbits of information. The only flaw with this book is that it was published in 1996 and has not been updated since then. I wish there was an updated version. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to research vampires in folklore and fiction before the mess that is Twilight came along and muddied the genre up with it's glittering porcelain doll style vampires...

This book was very well written and thoroughly researched by a respected author who does not (as some authors do) twist things to suit his own views of the genre and mythology as if playing with historical knowledge is perfectly acceptable. There is a professional unbias here that is to be respected. I strongly recommend this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Vampire 101, January 30, 2010

By 

carl jones "comm" (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: V Is for Vampire: The A-Z Guide to Everything Undead (Paperback)

V Is for Vampire by David Skal, is a monster lover's book of information on the supernatural creatures of death. It is a reference like an encyclopedia of all things Vampire, from films and actors, to the history of Dracula. Anyone who is interested in Universal monsters will be very intrigued by the facts and background information. This book is recommended more for classic horror movies than buffs of Twilight and other current vampire films. By all means check out this book.

3.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete, but still very enjoyable, May 11, 2000

By 

Adam P. Lounsbery (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: V Is for Vampire: The A-Z Guide to Everything Undead (Paperback)

"V is for Vampire" doesn't hold a candle to David J. Skal's other books - nearly all of which are minor classics - and he knows it. He admits in his introduction to "V is for Vampire" that the book is neither all-inclusive nor complete. With that in mind, this "A to Z Guide to Everything Undead" is still very enjoyable to read, and is well-suited to relaxed browsing. The problem, however, is that a large number of people who will purchase this book are probably the kinds of horror fans who already know a great deal about the genre and will not be bowled over by anything less than a complete overview of everything they already know, as well as a number of things they don't. "V is for Vampire" is hit-and-miss, and seems more like a loose and disconnected series of notes for a larger book that was never actually finished. Also, several factual errors (a couple of which are quite egregious) destroy a smidgin of the book's credibility, and Skal often seems more interested in being flippant than in getting to the heart of what he is writing about (his misreading of George A. Romero's film "Martin" is especially wrongheaded). Nevertheless, "V is for Vampire" still furnishes a fairly comprehensive and enjoyable overview of the role of the vampire in nineteenth and twentieth century literature, art, and film. And it's a lot of fun.