Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures That Stalk the Night

by Bob Curran, Ian Daniels (Illustrator)

"Vampire!" The very word conjures up visions of ruined castles, of enigmatic, pale-skinned noblemen shrouded in dark cloaks, of slumbering beauties being bloodily ravished by supernatural, nocturnal creatures. But just how accurate is that picture? How much do we really know about these mysterious entities? Surprisingly, perhaps, almost every culture can boast of its own vampire beings, few of which correspond to the stock Hollywood image—some are not even human in form, some do not drink blood, some appear in daylight. Are you ready for such horrors as the Penangal, the screaming blood-soaked lead that drifts through the Malayan jungle seeking victims; the Jaracacca, the Brazilian stalker that hides in the clothes of its victims to drink their blood or bodily fluids; or the Aswang, the scaly demon of the Philippines, who lies among the leafy roofs of huts and drinks through its tongue? And how do we dispose of vampires? Is the simple stake through the heart—much beloved of Hollywood directors—really enough, or is there something more? And does the sight of the crucifix repel all vampires—what if the vampire is Jewish (a dibbyuk)? Vampires is a unique, lavishly illustrated work that explores the rich diversity of vampire belief and lore, ranging from countries as diverse as Japan, Sweden, and Ireland, looking at their historical origins, and setting them in their cultural context.

Genres: Vampires, Nonfiction, Paranormal, Horror, Occult, Supernatural, Mythology

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2005

About the author

BOB CURRAN is an educational psychologist in Coleraine University. His interests are broad-ranging but are focused especially on history and story. He has written several books, including The Field Guide to Irish Fairies, The Wolfhound Guide to the Shamrock, Creatures of Celtic Myth, The Truth about the Leprechaun.

Reviews

[Mark Moreland · Rating 2 out of 5]

While some of the legends of vampires throughout the world are interesting, this is a terribly written book. The author displays only a rudimentary grasp of prose, and many phrases and sentences are awkward and strangely structured. Further, no references are cited for additional research into the myriad folklore referenced. In fact, even "block quote" sections lack any attribution and contain a suspiciously similar voice to the rest of the book; making up your own dramatization of a legend is fine, but call it what it is.

I think the most annoying part of the book was that fact that every chapter ended with an eye-roll-inducing comment such as, "who knows what vampiric creatures stalk the misty countryside?" or "Travelers should be wary when walking darkened fields at night." Really? How old is the target audience for this book, or how gullible?

Perhaps I just had the wrong expectations for what this book would be. I wanted an academic or at least serious recounting of world legends and esoteric folklore and instead got a brief overview of some superstitions written from the perspective of someone who seemingly believes them (or at least wants the reader to). In the end, I just took the basic premises hinted at and did a google search for those that interested me and found a lot more information (and better written and cited accounts). Thing is, searching the internet is free; I want my money back for this book.

The art, on the other hand is great, so it wasn't a total waste.

[MohamadSaleh NooraniZadeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good source for all those who like reading about monsters and all the things that go bump in the night and drink your blood!

[Liz Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting reference but poorly written book.

[Daan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. As in different societies in different places have different ideas in what a vampire is. And just how they work, how they are formed and how they feed. And their symbiotic connection to other things.

Though many things are shared also with ghosts, witches, and demons. It is obvious humans had a lot to fear and created these creatures of the night to make sense of it all. Or at least, that is what it seems to be in my eyes.

Very common themes among the different vampires, based on the society they show up in. And quite a few are few times heard off.

So a great book if you want to know more about what goes behind the vampire myth. A good start point for further research. And I agree that is what it lacks, references ... it really is a start point for a good night on google. And that's it.

Still, many interesting creatures of the night in one book. Can't complain.

[Leanbh Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide to many cultural folklores and legend of vampires from around the world with useful references for further research. Engaging writing makes this an enjoyable read too. Highly recommended for anyone interested in vampiric lore, history and legends.

[R.J.]

Thoroughly researched and concisely presented. Handy reference book.

[Monserrat Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesante, pero a la vez se me hizo muy pesado leerlo

[JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does a great job of breaking down vampire lore throughout the world and how to protect yourself!

[Michaela Vysloužilová · Rating 4 out of 5]

O obsahu tejto knihy som v dôsledku tej fakt (fakt) hnusnej českej obálky spočiatku dosť pochybovala, no napriek tomu som si ju požičala z knižnice. Teraz som rada, že som jej venovala čas, pretože autor v nej priniesol zaujímavú zbierku upírskych legiend z rôznych kútov sveta (dočítate sa napríklad o fanúšikom upírskej YA fantasy známych moroioch a strigoioch z Rumunska, ale aj o podobách upírov v starom Babylone, na Filipínach, v Mexiku, Írsku, Francúzku, Brazílii, Latinskej Amerike, Indii, na Islande a mnohých ďalších krajinách).

Kniha bola vydaná v roku 2005 a je dielom amerického výskumníka a učiteľa, ktorý rád píše aj o zombiách či vlkolakoch. Viacero ľudí jej vyčíta, že autor dostatočne necituje – mne osobne to neprekážalo, inak by sa to čítalo ako učebnica a nie ako populárno-náučná literatúra. Avšak – ocenila by som, keby boli uvedené zdroje aspoň pri dlhších úryvkoch, ktoré svojím formátovaním pôsobili, ako keby boli prevzaté z iných diel, ale štýlom rozprávania zodpovedali zvyšku textu, takže vlastne neviem, čo mali prezentovať. A rozhodne mi tam chýbal aspoň zoznam použitej literatúry. Knihu odporúčam skôr tým, ktorí sa chcú dozvedieť niečo nové, než tým, ktorí sa aktívne venujú upírskemu folklóru. Anglickému originálu je tiež vyčítaná slabá štylistická stránka, ale český preklad z roku 2008 s tým podľa mňa nemal taký problém.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably since the beginning of time, humans have wondered about death. Foremost in our ponderings is the key question of what happens to the dead after they pass from our world. Though our modern perception of the afterlife tends to be fairly positive with various versions of a perfect place where the good are rewarded for their behaviour, this attitude has not always been prevalent.

In nearly every country and culture of the past, death has been a terrifying prospect. Moreover, commonly the dead have been feared as potentially harmful, full of revenge, and jealous of the living. Myths, legends, and stories worldwide repeatedly recount how the dead seek to kill and cannibalize the living in order to exact revenge or to regain their valuable life energy.

Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures that Stalk the Night is a chilling must have reference for anyone who loves the mysterious horrors of the night. This book recounts shocking myths, creepy legends, and terrifying stories of vampire-like creatures from Germany, Austria, Sumeria, Babylonia, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ireland, France, Scotland, Iceland, Wales, Brazil, Malaysia, India, Albania, Romania, South Africa, the United States, and Greece. I was completely mesmerized by the accounts in this book. I will also never look at Santa Claus the same way again.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm surprised this book is written by a doctor because he has failed to provide any list of resources to justify his work. The book is indeed an interesting read, featuring lore from around the world albeit no sources were cited to back up his stories. The illustrations are cool. This seems more like a fun read and not one to be taken too seriously. True vampyre/vampire lore is out there and there is evidence of such, unfortunately you can not find the latter in this book. That being said, it is still part of my collection on the darker topics.

[Petra · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://hazelthewitch.blogspot.com/201...

This was a very interesting read! The author takes different geographical areas and talks about folklore figures that are either local variations of vampires, or are somehow "related", but he also mentions other supernatural beings. At the end of every chapter there is a part that tells us how people can protect themselves from these creatures.
This is a good reference book. The text is informative, but it's written clearly and neatly.
Anyone interested in vampires should have a look, but I especially recommend this to people interested in folklore. It is not an academic text, so anyone can read it without having a headache. :)
Before this one, I had read another book by this author, and I'll probably read his other books, too. In his books he covers a large area and in this one he gives you a great overview of the origins of vampires, and points you in the right direction if you want to dig deeper. This might be a good "inspiration book" for writers as well. There are also beautiful illustrations, as you can see, if you scroll down and read the excerpt.

(Excerpt is on my blog.)

[Rhianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A starting point for lore lovers...

I really enjoy reading collections of lore that feature classic mythological entities. One of my favorites is the vampire simply because a form of it exists in nearly every culture. Bob Curran's field guide touches on many familiar sources of vampire mythology and many I was not aware of. Though I was somewhat familiar with the Asiatic creatures we could call vampires they are by far some of the creepier and more diverse, which made them particularly interesting to read about. Ian Daniels' illustrations give dimension to the different chapters and help give a visual to some of the more unusual incarnations of vampire.

I would recommend Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures That Stalk the Night to anyone who hasn't taken the time to explore vampire myths beyond the traditional Hollywood types prevalent in Western culture. While not an exhaustive guide I found it to be an interesting and imagination provoking collective worth the read.

**Review copy received via NetGalley.

[Amy Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures That Stalk the Night
By Bob Curran
Published by Open Road Press

I’d like to make it clear that I’m biased--zombies are my first love. If the creature doesn’t lust for brains and has all its parts intact, it’s not going to be my cup of tea---or entrails, or whatever. That said, I really enjoyed Bob Curran’s Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures that Stalk the Night. Folklore and mythology are two of my loves, and this illustrated guide satisfies my lust for both.

Curran compiles vampire lore from all over the world into this concise guide, complete with popular legends from each region. While the sophisticated vampire fan out there might find a lot of this information obvious, this is a terrific first book for the new vampire lover.

**This review is based on an uncorrected proof furnished by the publisher via NetGalley**

[Skoora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It offered a broad perception of vampiric lore and folk tales as well as providing some key ties between superstitions and real-life illnesses. However I do believe the book could have benefited from an overall database look at the end - something that graphs the similarities across the cultures especially in unique traits such as 'becoming a ball of light' or the ability to separate body parts to accomplish tasks and also those vampires that are associated with and/or considered to be witches and warlocks. Overall, very nice read and very nice imagery and details without going so overboard that younger audiences and the faint of heart would be turned off from continuing.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great resource for any vampire fan out there.

This book looks at vampire myths and tales from all around the world and presents them in this handy 'field guide'. Some of the tales I was familiar with, but others were new to me and were very interesting to read.

Another strong point with this book is the selection of great illustrations throughout. And, for a change, they didn't even slow the scrolling on my Kobo - a very pleasant surprise. A good index at the back helps you navigate if you are looking for something particular; otherwise you can just browse.

The only downside was a lack of references for further reading.

In conclusion: a good selection of varied tales from all corners of the globe; lovely illustrations; a must-read for vampire fans.

[Delia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires was an excellent book for anyone interested in the history of the vampire legend. Bob Curran takes us through different lands telling each areas tale in short easy to read segments. It is the kind of book you can read from cover to cover or just flip to an area of interest. I especially liked the tales of the vampires close to my New England home. I had honestly no idea there were so many tales in this part of the world I have always thought Vampires were from Europe.

[Catie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting reference book, but poorly written. There were a number of editing issues, including inconsistent spelling of names, and some conflicting information. Some of the stories listed were interesting, and the art was beautiful. Overall I’d recommend this book for people just starting to read into vampire mythology, especially younger readers. For those who have studied the subject for a while, this book can be skipped.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading this book on Vampire legends and folklore the other day and I found it a really interesting read. I never imagined there would be so many veriations(sp) on a vampire and they are so far away from the Hollywood imagine of a vampire. It has definitely given me a new look on the whole Vampire mythology.

[Greg Meyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't trust any book that gets the afterlives of multiple religions--Catholic, Norse, and more--wrong in its introduction. I also don't trust any book that's as clunkily and poorly written as this is. The prose is graceless and the research suspect. Either of those might be forgivable on their own, but together make this book unappealing in the extreme.

[Lizzi Crystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning: book contains nudity in the form of drawings. That put me off, so I only skimmed the rest before taking it back.

[Hannah Proviance · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's interesting.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the typos were distracting. Where the hell was the editor? Was he asleep when he looked this book over??

[Laura Morrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great beginner's guide to some of the legends that inspired vampire stories. Simple, easy to read writing, enjoyable to read. Lovely illustrations.

[Bill Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wealth of information, covers every country where vampires have a background or link. Can be read straight through or taken by sections. Great read.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in High School, really opened up a deeper interest in folklore
I recommend this book as a great beginners guide monsters and folklore