Customer Reviews

Vampires and Vampirism : Legends from Around the World (Classics of Preternatural History)

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

 

 

I remember discovering monster movies, bag in the days when 50 cents got you into the Saturday show with a bag of popcorn as well. After watching all the ghoulishness on the screen I would search the used book stores for scary stories, and anything that said mummy or vampire in the title. Back in those days books like "Vampires & Vampirism" were making their last rounds - worn volumes on the dusty shelves in the back of the store.

Written first in 1914, and reprinted in 1924, "Vampires & Vampirism" is a classic example of its type. The author, a folklorist and specialist in ancient religions and occult beliefs has compiled out of obscure references and records a huge number of legends about vampire behavior. The book is a confection of such stories, compiled and retold, with the author providing the bare bones framework needed to organize the material and ensure an orderly progression from one to another.

Dudley Wright organizes his reports primarily by country or region. One gets to read of the ancient vampires of Babylonia and Greece, then the scene shifts to Britain, Germany, Hungary, the Balkans, Russia, and the Oriental realms. He even comes up with some modern material in the U.S. Wright is less well organized from a historical viewpoint, but his material covers a period from several millennia B.C. to 1923. Additional chapters discuss the power of excommunication (which is apparently how Vlad the Impaler became Dracula the vampire), living vampires, literary references and a somewhat tedious discussion of whether (or how) vampires existed.

While not a great academic study, the book is more like a compost heap of imaginings waiting for the delectation of the curious, or to feed the fertile imaginations of both readers and authors alike. In digesting it one must keep in mind that, up to the period in which this book was written, vampire literature was still quite scarce. Whether Dudley Wright and his kind are responsible for the resurgence of the vampire tale as an entire genre I cannot say, but it is a tempting to draw that conclusion. "Vampires & Vampirism" is full of interesting little facts and twists and is easy, pleasant reading. For the vampirophile this is one of those volumes without which one's library would be incomplete. In other words, great fun.

Vampires and Vampirism : Legends from Around the World (Classics of Preternatural History) by Dudley Wright is a book that will forever remain on my bookshelf.

Wright has compiled the legends of the vampire worldwide from the beginning of recorded word until the early 20th century. While slightly dated in language usage (this was first written in 19l4), the book is a throughly good read.

It is a must have for anyone interested in the vampire legend - whether you are just curious or an author looking for a new twist on the vampire myth.

As you read, you have to wonder how many of these stories Bram Stoker heard before he wrote his famous "Dracula". While not necessarily in historical order, all the stories are tied by region. Some are so silly as to be humorous, others will just make you wonder.

I would recommend this book to anyone who even has a passing interest in how the legends began.

Vampires & Vampirism was first published in 1914. While the style of writing might be a tad outdated and it even talks about the Kaiser's dominions this just adds flavor to this collection of stories and folklore from Europe, Asia, Middle East and even Great Britain. There is even a chapter on vampires in literature which is a great source for early vampire novels. Over 200 pages of great fun.

This book is full of 'eyewitness accounts' and testimonials of vampirism around the world. It's a pretty damn cool read but it made me wonder if vampires became so popular because they fit the mold of urban legends. Whatever the case, author Wright managed pretty much to cover fiends and ghouls in every land.

I'm a huge fan of vampire fiction and movies and found this book listed on some websites. When I sat down to read it, I discovered it was a reprint of one of the first serious books on vampirism, so the style and type is old fashioned. Still, it's definitely worth the read. After all, vampires are the most fascinating of all creatures in folklore. I think that it is a very good book for first time vampire readers, and will help dispel the misconception that vampires are all from Central Europe. It was cool to read about British fiends and Persian ghouls.

This was a cool read even though the book is originally pretty old. I like how the author seriously relates some folktales and stories about vampirism around the world; some I had read before but a lot were new to me. Worth the price!