Book Description
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck; and a lunatic asylum inmate raves about the imminent arrival of his 'Master'. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire." For this completely updated edition, Maurice Hindle has revised his introduction, list of further reading and notes, and added two appendices: Stoker's essay on censorship and his interview with Winston Churchill, both published in 1908. Christopher Frayling's preface discusses Stoker's significance and the influences that contributed to his creation of the Dracula myth.

Product Description
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck; and a lunatic asylum inmate raves about the imminent arrival of his 'Master'. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire." For this completely updated edition, Maurice Hindle has revised his introduction, list of further reading and notes, and added two appendices: Stoker's essay on censorship and his interview with Winston Churchill, both published in 1908. Christopher Frayling's preface discusses Stoker's significance and the influences that contributed to his creation of the Dracula myth.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Mysterious, gloomy castles and open graves at midnight are just two of the Gothic devices used to chilling effect in this 19th-century horror classic that turned an obscure figure from Eastern European folklore into a towering icon of film and literature.

ANNOTATION

The Dracula mythology has inspired a vast subculture, but the story has never been better told than by Stoker.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck; and a lunatic asylum inmate raves about the imminent arrival of his 'Master'. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire." For this completely updated edition, Maurice Hindle has revised his introduction, list of further reading and notes, and added two appendices: Stoker's essay on censorship and his interview with Winston Churchill, both published in 1908. Christopher Frayling's preface discusses Stoker's significance and the influences that contributed to his creation of the Dracula myth.

SYNOPSIS

In this story of a prim and arrogant society threatened by a supernatural force, Stoker captured the fears of his age. Dracula represents everything respectable Victorians feared: the irrational, the pagan, the erotic, and the foreign. Dracula has been imitated and adapted for cinema many times. It remains as exciting and relevant today as when first published in 1897.

The handsome volumes in The Collectors Library present great works of world literature in a handy hardback format. Printed on high-quality paper and bound in real cloth, each complete and unabridged volume has a specially commissioned afterword, brief biography of the author and a further-reading list. This easily accessible series offers readers the perfect opportunity to discover, or rediscover, some of the world's most endearing literary works.

The volumes in The Collector's Library are sumptuously produced, enduring editions to own, to collect and to treasure.

FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10Students will delight in this melodramatic presentation which is accomplished with echoes, howling wolves, blood-curdling shrieks, and spooky music. The imaginative use of hundreds of sound effects grabs listeners attention as the St. Charles Players, ten actors and actresses, present this abridged version of the 1897 novel. Carefully chosen to represent appropriate ages, sexes, and accents (British, Transylvanian, and Texan), they read briskly and are usually clearly understood. The Count always rolls his rrrs and is enhanced with an echo. Some of the Victorian dialogue is retained, giving a period flavor to the radio-play. It is also accurate in that some of the presentation is made through journal entries and letters. Events happen quickly and dramatically. While certain details, especially motives and reasons behind events, are omitted from the plot, they are not significant since the overall storyline is retained. (However, there is an epilogue hint of future actions from a vampire that is not in the edition of the novel that I consulted.) The popularity of Dracula will ascertain that this will circulate with studentstoo bad the flimsy cardboard case will not survive for many circulations. Teachers could also use the tapes to motivate students to read the book.Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

Stoker's familiar classic is presented in truly memorable ways. The vampire himself, Count Dracula, is made chillingly bloodcurdling by narrator Greg Wise, but the other characters he reads are equally on target. Speaking of targets, the damsels whose necks the count would love to kiss are flawlessly rendered by Saskia Reeves. This is an audiobook tour de force, a seemingly full-cast recording of many voices and accents, set amid exquisitely handled elements of drama, fear, puzzlement, and resolve. Daytime listeners will hate to see it end; nighttime ones may hesitate to turn off the lights and will keep their crosses and wooden stakes handy. T. H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

AudioFile - Emily S. Beeler