Literature Review: Bram Stoker’s Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition
Posted by pete in General, Literature, News, Reviews on November 12th, 2008
The Authors
Robert Eighteen-Bisang, is most famous for his large private collection of vampire literature, which is the largest in the world and is considered an authority on Dracula and vampire literature. He runs a publishing house called Transylvania Press and has a Masters Degree in Sociology.
Elizabeth Miller is recognized the world over for her expertise on Bram Stoker’s Dracula and is a retired English professor. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She has published dozens of articles and six books on Dracula: Reflections on Dracula, Dracula; The Shade and the Shadow, Dracula; Sense & Nonsense, a volume on Dracula for the Dictionary of Literary Biography and A Dracula Handbook
Michael Barsanti - Foreword
To be honest, I have to tell you first that to me Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the Holy Bible of Horror Fiction. In fact the only book that has been in print longer and sold more copies is the Bible itself. I have read Dracula too many times to remember and I own about twenty versions of it in hardcover, paperback, graphic novel etc. I didn’t think anything could compare to this timeless story until I received my review copy of Bram Stoker’s Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition in the mail.
My hands were literally shaking as I read through the pages and saw the photos of Bram’s handwritten notes. With the novel right beside me I went back and forth between the two books, comparing, researching and just having a hell of a time putting myself in Bram’s shoes so to speak. It was a wondrous experience that I will never ever forget.
The Holy Grail has been found and we all have a chance to drink from it.
I find it difficult to put into words how much this book means to me. It has opened a whole new realm of appreciation for Stoker’s vampire tale, one that did not exist before and I have the coauthors to thank.
Reading this book is like traveling through time. With the wonderful annotations and insights of the coauthors you can picture yourself looking over Bram’s shoulder as he works. The painstaking work and detail put into this book is mind boggling and was surely a labor of love for Dr. Miller and Mr. Eighteen-Bisang.
The book also includes Bram’s typewritten research notes with a thorough analysis of all the materials. The coauthors rely on their vast knowledge of vampire lore and Dracula to lead you through the novels construction and the changes made to its characters and plots.
In addition to the notes and annotations, there are also separate appendices that contain the construction of the novel, “Dracula’s Guest”, the novel’s characters, an 1888 Encyclopedia Britannica entry on the term ‘vampire’ and more.
Bram Stoker’s initial notes and outlines for Dracula were auctioned at Sotheby’s in London in 1913 and ended up at the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia, where they remain. Until now you had to travel to Philadelphia to see the notes but with this book not only can you see photos of the notes you have the coauthor’s expertise to guide you.
This is no mere book about Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this is the authoritative supplement to the novel, you can’t own one without the other. Anyone with any interest in the creation of one of the greatest novels in history must own Bram Stoker’s Notes for Dracula. It is that exceptional.
Publisher: McFarland
1-800-253-2187
