Vampyres: Genesis and Resurrection from Count Dracula to Vampirella

A comprehensive anthology of vampires in literature, from Dracula to Twilight – published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein

Christopher Frayling has spent 45 years exploring the history of one of the most enduring figures in the history of mass culture – the vampire.

Vampyres is a comprehensive illustrated history and anthology of vampires in literature, from the folklore of Eastern Europe to the Romantics and beyond. Frayling recounts the most significant moments in Gothic history, while extracts from a huge range of sources – including Bram Stoker’s detailed research notes for Dracula, penny-dreadfuls and Angela Carter’s The Lady of the House of Love, new to this edition – are contextualized and analysed.

This revised and expanded edition brings Vampyres up to date with 21st-century vampire literature, including new text extracts, commentary and a revised introduction. For the first time, Christopher Frayling also explores the development of the vampire in the visual arts in four colour-plate sections, with illustrations ranging from 17th-century prints to 21st-century film stills, demonstrating the enduring appeal of the vampire from popular press to fine art and, finally, to film.

Sir Christopher Frayling is a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, and was Rector of the Royal College of Art, London, from 1996 to 2009, where he remains Professor Emeritus of Cultural History. His many public appointments have included Chairman of Arts Council England; Chairman of the Design Council; and the longest-serving Trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum. He is the author of many books, including The Yellow Peril, Cinema: The Whole Story and Sergio Leone, all published by Thames & Hudson.