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Dracula: The Original 1897 Gothic Horror Classic
507 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 26, 2026
About the author
Bram Stoker
2,831 books6,186 followersIrish-born Abraham Stoker, known as Bram, of Britain wrote the gothic horror novel
Dracula
(1897).
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
September 16, 2026
The movie version of this book haunted me and gave me nightmares for years as a kid. This book brought that same spooky, hair-on-end energy.
I listened to the audio version with a full cast (including Tim Curry) and it was absolutely fantastic.
Not only did this book have a haunting, mysterious, anxiety-inducing tone, but it had so many layers representative of the time it was written. Boundless metaphor and symbolism were present. The juxtaposition between Lucy and Mina- suffering the same affliction- and their fates, with the undertones of that era of "new women" vs "traditional woman" was something I found maddening, though apt for the time and the fear that was happening in the UK in the late 1800s.
Dracula being this slippery, elusive, powerful being with no known background (that were privy to) and no direct connection to his thoughts or voice added to the eerie feel of this book.
I suspect some people may find the pacing off- it was, but in a way I appreciated. There was so much build up, puzzling pieces together, plan-building. Then the last 50 or so pages were action-packed, fast-paced, and thrilling. Personally, I enjoyed that. It felt like a slow-burn into an enthralling climax of the story.
I listened to the audio version with a full cast (including Tim Curry) and it was absolutely fantastic.
Not only did this book have a haunting, mysterious, anxiety-inducing tone, but it had so many layers representative of the time it was written. Boundless metaphor and symbolism were present. The juxtaposition between Lucy and Mina- suffering the same affliction- and their fates, with the undertones of that era of "new women" vs "traditional woman" was something I found maddening, though apt for the time and the fear that was happening in the UK in the late 1800s.
Dracula being this slippery, elusive, powerful being with no known background (that were privy to) and no direct connection to his thoughts or voice added to the eerie feel of this book.
I suspect some people may find the pacing off- it was, but in a way I appreciated. There was so much build up, puzzling pieces together, plan-building. Then the last 50 or so pages were action-packed, fast-paced, and thrilling. Personally, I enjoyed that. It felt like a slow-burn into an enthralling climax of the story.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review