Vampires of Lore: Traits and Modern Misconceptions

by A.P. Sylvia

Vampire . . . the word immediately conjures up bloodstained fangs, an aversion to sunlight, bats, garlic, and wooden stakes. These undead immortals have haunted our favorite books, television shows, and movies for decades. This exploration of a seemingly supernatural topic delves into past traditions around the world and how those traditions have affected our pop-culture modern-day monster. Explore belief systems as well as origins of various notions we all seem to have about vampires, and unearth the bloody dirt about this mystical creature. Discover differences and similarities between the realm of folklore and what modern media has taught us. Did villagers really use wooden stakes, garlic, and mirrors? What about vampires turning into bats or hypnotizing victims? Did they really cause disease, turn into dogs, and sleep in coffins? Topics are arranged by trait so that the reader can consider each characteristic before believing or dismissing it. So . . . if you're ready, let's hunt some vampires.

Genres: Nonfiction, Vampires, Mythology, Horror, History, Research, Cultural

128 pages, Hardcover

Published October 28, 2019

About the author

A. P. Sylvia has long had an interest in supernatural beliefs and their origins. Beyond just immersing himself in the essential texts of vampire folklore, he has traveled to a number of vampire-related locations. He runs the website LocationsOfLore.com and is a fan of classic monster movies.

Reviews

[Tahera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires are my favourite mythical/ folkloric beings and I am always curious to read any work remotely related to them. (Yes I liked Twilight too and the sparkly version of vampires it depicted because........they are vampires, period 😛!)

Vampires of Lore is an interesting book which talks about all the tropes and cliches related to vampires by comparing old folklore origins with modern popular perceptions of this 'fanged' beast. The author cites various vampiric folklore accounts from different eastern European countries, China, India & Greece, and I was surprised to find out that one creature could have so many different avatars. Also, what's more interesting is that many of our popular notions about vampires do no completely match with the actual folklore accounts...it seems we have our early gothic writers to thank for that!

At 128 pages, it may not be a detailed book but it is fun, quick to read and does enough to pique ones interest to research further.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Schiffer Publishing Ltd. and the author A.P. Sylvia for giving me an e-Arc of the book.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
This was fascinating nonfiction book that examined the differences between the folklore of vampire myths and our modern pop culture paradigms. As someone who does not read a lot of nonfiction, I found this book to be very accessible and easy to read. The narrative was the right balance between being informative while still being entertaining. The book was not overly long, which I also appreciated. I felt like it offered enough information to provide a comprehensive overview of vampire mythology without exhausting the reader with too many details. The book was well researched with endnotes clearly displayed at the end of every chapter.

I did receive a copy from the publisher for review and I want to comment on the beauty of the physical book. This hardcover book presents the information in a beautiful layout, some pictures and classic fonts that really added to the reading experience. This book would make an excellent gift or coffee table book. 

I would absolutely recommend this book to any reader interested in the topic, including those that do not normally read nonfiction. I learned a lot of interesting facts about vampire folklore that I look forward to dropping into conversations whenever the opportunity arises.

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Schiffer Publishing and Netgalley. I am truly a sucker, "ha, ha" for vampire lore. I absolutely adore vampires. I can't help myself. It's a sickness. You could say that it's in my blood! Boo, hiss! That is a terrible pun! I think this would be a great book for those who are curious about this myth. It's loaded with information from various countries. For me, it was all stuff I already knew. That's not to say that this wasn't informative, because it was. But, if you're someone who has researched vampire myths and origins, then you already know this. Do not let this deter you though. It's a damned good book, and if I weren't such a nut for scary arsed vampires, then this would be new to me. All in all. It's well written.

[Rebecca Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. P. Sylvia’s Vampires of Lore is a well-researched and well-organized introduction to vampires and their associated folklore. This fascinating read explores how historical folklore from around the world affects modern interpretations of vampires. I really enjoyed this brief but informative and well-written read. I love the gorgeous and spooky layout but I wish there had been more pictures.

I am a huge vampire fan so I already knew a lot of the information in this book. However, there are great little-known facts and stories here. I really enjoyed reading about the folklore and accounts from all over the world. I especially like that Sylvia explores the relationships between history, folklore, and our modern incarnations of the vampire. His writing is simple and approachable with just the right touch of humour. He easily communicates historical and factual information without overwhelming the reader.

This book is divided into short and easy-to-read chapters exploring the various traits of vampires. These informative chapters cover topics like fangs, becoming a vampire, as well as the animals that vampires could transform into. Did you know that traditional vampire folklore does not feature fangs? Did you also know that many accounts reported that vampires ignored the neck in favour of biting other body parts? I also learned that you could become a vampire if you were a woman who practiced dark magic or if your mother did not eat salt during pregnancy or if a cat jumped over your corpse!

Although the book focuses heavily on Europe, I also learned about vampire-like creatures in places like India and Malaysia. I loved learning about so many different cultures! The book also includes information on other supernatural creatures like werewolves and witches which shows the overlap between folklores.

I love the book’s fun layout with the spooky old-fashioned text and imagery. The aged stained pages are an excellent touch. But, I am disappointed in the lack of pictures. There are only a handful of black-and-white images scattered throughout the book and I was hoping to see much more of them.

Vampires of Lore is a well-written and interesting book. This quick read is a great introduction for those who want to learn more about vampires or those who love folklore and history.

Thank you to NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing Ltd. for this book in exchange for an honest review.



🧛🧛🧛🧛 vampires out of 5!

[Tyler Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now have more vampiric knowledge, and then some. Want to know more about vampires, both in fiction and folkloric beliefs (mostly) from the past? How do they overlap, how do they differ? How do vampires overlap with werewolves and witches? I'd recommend starting with this beautiful book, that could certainly lead down rabbit holes if you choose to go down them.

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was everything I was hoping it would be. I'm not a rabid vampire superfan, but I definitely have a preference for them over werewolves or zombies (for example), and I have my fair share of knowledge for the lore.

This is a fairly short book, but it packs a punch. It presents a lot of information without reading like a textbook, it manages to stay humorous throughout ("I wanted to dig deep on this topic [six feet at least]"- and that's just the Preface!), and it incorporates a lot of pop culture, referencing series and franchises like Buffy that even noob-vampire fans are bound to be familiar with. It also includes some wonderful woodcut-like illustrations that I adored.

It gets a 4 and not a perfect 5/5 because are mostly for books that I want to read again and again. I may revisit this one in the future, but I think that most of its merit was this once.

**I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent explorative compendium of the origins of vampire lore and the many variants seen throughout history.

While the general topics of discussion will be familiar to anyone with even a bit of knowledge on the history of vampirism, the devil is both literally and figuratively in the details here, as Sylvia treats us to a fascinating array of source material relating to each vampiric tendency and tradition.

And while Sylvia’s research is thorough and well organized, the book really stands out from its peers because of its tone: Friendly and approachable without any dumbing down or pandering to the lowest common denominator.

Sylvia also manages to convey a wink-nudge sense of humor about the subject without ever coming off as disrespectful to those whose folklore and mythology he draws on for source material.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires of Lore is an engaging read. The book is nicely presented, with the discussion arranged by trait, making it easy to follow and allowing you to dip in and out of the book by topic, rather than reading straight through, if that's your preference. Is it groundbreaking? No. I've read other similar texts before, and anyone who's done any research into the folklore behind vampires isn't going to find anything new here. However, I do recommend it to fans of vampires in fiction who are unfamiliar with the folklore side of things, as it offers a compelling introduction to the field.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mina Lobo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the slimness of this volume fool you--it's chock-full of info regarding vampires of (largely) Eastern European folklore and how they compare to the vamps of modern fiction. The author confirmed some thoughts I'd formed from previous research and illuminated areas for which I needed more intel. He writes in a conversational style that engages the reader but is careful to cite his sources, both in-chapter and later in a complete bibliography. And the physical hardcover is very attractive and suitably Gothic--tastefully so. I enjoyed learning things I hadn't come across before or even stopped to consider (for example, that there are no fangs in folklore)--I'd have been interested in reading if Sylvia came across any commonalities in the folklore that aren't common in current fiction (well, apart from vampy arithmomania, but then we do have Count von Count, so...). This book proved helpful and informative, and I highly recommend it.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires of Lore was a short and fun book about vampires and the tropes surrounding them. The book may not be overly detailed as it's just under 130 pages, but it's still educational and well researched. If nothing else, it's a great introduction and a great starting point in further vampire reading.

[Munch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
This is a great book for vampires lovers. I really liked the way the author went through all the aspects of vampires as we know of them today and discussed if they have any historical/folklore origin. It was interesting to see how the lore about them has involved and how some of the things we think we've always known about vampires aren't always from original folklore and actually come from other sources. This has obviously been very well researched, I appreciated that all sources are cited and I can find more information if I want. The only thing is, I wish that they could have gone into more depth about some things.

[julianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a huge collection of non-fiction vampire books and this didn't tell me anything I didn't already know about the myths and legends.

A pleasurable read, but not one I'd add to my collection

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Roxanne Rhoads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I collect vampire books so when I was offered the option to review this one I jumped at the chance.

Vampires of Lore: Traits and Modern Misconceptions is a well researched book full of all the old folklore, myths and legends associated with vampires including all the traits that have been accredited to vampires in movies, television, and books.

Vampires of Lore discusses the differences and similarities between modern vampire tales and the original legends. Highly engrossing. It's fun to see where the tales originated and how they've evolved. Even I learned a few new things and I've been reading about vampires for decades.

If you're a vampire fan this one is a must read.

If you are an author that writes about vampires this is a good book to have in your reference section. It's getting a permanent spot on my vampire shelf.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Lizzi ☾ arsenic.and.old.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I'd learn so much about vampires in one sitting.

A perfect way to understand the general idea of where most vampire legends (and even misconceptions) come from, dating all the way back to myths and folklore. The book is laid out according to specific vampire traits, and traces its origins as far back as the myth goes, even as far as ancient times at some points. I was surprised at how many instances in actual history there were "cases" of vampires and real-life vampire hunts (of misconceived scientific origin or pure mystery).

The book also contains lots of references for further, more extensive reading; because trust me, you'll want to delve more into vampire cases and legends after reading this!

Absolutely a must-read for any vampire aficionado, or even budding vampire-enthusiasts.

[Joey Madia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legends of vampires have become so much a part of the fabric of who we are as human beings that we often give little thought to their origins, although those origins and how they manifest in popular culture are rather complex. There are true revenants—the stinking, almost mindless undead rising from the earth and their graves each night to satiate their bloodlust. There are the tuxedo’d, hypersexualized vampires that began with Bela Lugosi and culminated with Frank Langella on stage and screen in 1979. There are the teen and 20-something vampires best represented in Lost Boys and Twilight (the latter ushering in an age where the “monster” is analog for the human outsider and their bonding is their mutual salvation). Last, we must include the vampire/zombie hybrids that have derived from Matheson’s I Am Legend. In the age of COVID-19, we cannot overlook the virus as monster-maker, with too many films, TV series, and comic books produced in the past few decades to name.
A.P. Sylvia has written an indispensable guide for folklorists, horror writers, and vampire enthusiasts. He was initially driven to explore the roots of vampire lore after a visit to the Ripley’s Believe it or Not! in Times Square, where he saw a purported vampire-hunting kit from the nineteenth century (having seen this display, it reminds me of the kit used in the Fright Night films). Researching the provenance of the kit, Sylvia found more questions than answers.
Sylvia has organized Vampires of Lore: Traits and Modern Misconceptions for easy use by the three groups mentioned above. Starting with the general—What Is a Vampire?—this handbook covers all of the subjects you would expect to find in a work about the origins of vampires: blood drinking, ways to kill a vampire, fangs (one of the least logical to me of all the vampiric traits), how one becomes a vampire, mirrors, use of religious objects, coffins and graves, transforming into beasts of land and air, the Invitation in, superhuman abilities, aristocratic vampires, and the overlaps with witches and werewolves.
Having an extensive collection of classic books on vampires that I use for personal interest and my novels, I’m impressed by the resources Sylvia has uncovered. All of the standards are included in the Endnotes (presented at the end of each chapter) and there is an extensive bibliography. Montague Summers, perhaps the preeminent vampire researcher, is there, along with authors from antiquity, such as Philostratus, Ovid, and Pliny. There are works by Augustine Calumet, Helena Blavatsky, James Frazer, and Sabine Baring-Gould, none of whom wrote exclusively about vampires.
In terms of fiction, Sylvia includes all of the major foundational works: Stoker’s Dracula, Rymer’s Varney the Vampire, Burton’s Vikram and the Vampire, Polidori’s The Vampyre, and Le Fanu’s Carmilla. There is also discussion of some of the seminal films, such as Nosferatu. Sylvia’s tracking of how the folklore has been coopted by writers and filmmakers and how their works then fed back into the folklore is one of the highlights of the book.
If you are specifically interested in the rich lore of the Scottish Highlands, I discovered a gem in Sylvia’s bibliography by John Gregorson Campbell that I am currently reading called Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Written in 1901, it is a collection of oral histories with commentary by the author.
Books like Campbell’s (and Sylvia’s) are indispensable resources when looking for parallels and patterns between supernatural/paranormal occurrences and folklore. There are compelling connections I have found in my own research that Sylvia’s book helped to substantiate further. One instance is the efficacy of crowing roosters for stopping vampires, a remedy I have also found in my study of faeries. Roosters also figure in to Satanic rituals. There is definitely something going on with these proud dawn-bringers. Some believe that you can thwart both vampires and faeries by making them count something… rice, poppy or mustard seeds, and so on. The more quality researchers we have doing this detective work, the more parallels, patterns, and ultimately answers we will find.
Another overlap between vampires and another area of the supernatural/paranormal is in the requirement for an invitation for a vampire to enter a home—a curious caveat shared with the frightening entities known as black-eyed children.
Schiffer Publishing has produced a beautiful hardcover handbook, complete with Gothic typography, ample illustrations of all things vampiric, and an eye-catching and appropriately spooky graphic design that support the text in making this a welcome addition to the library of vampire enthusiasts, horror writers, and folklorists.

[Adsy Milanovic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yawn,
Another poorly researched piece that gives credit to the wrong country for the myth.

But the earliest known reference to Vampir was by the Serbian Emperor, Stefan Dusan who in 1349, outlawed vampirism and the exhuming of bodies in fear of vampires in his constitution.
Which means Vampir existed in Serbia before 1349 if he felt the need to outlaw them in his constitution.

Just to be clear that is:
-230 years before the first referenced strigoi was born.
-82 years before Vlad the impaler was born.
-470 years before John Polidori’s book.
-548 years before Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The reason the west even knows about the vampire myth was again because of Serbia. In 1724 Petar Blagojevic's death in Kisiljevo made international papers and is the first known reported case of vampirism in media.
1 year after Petar Blagojevic's death another Serbian account was published, that was the case of Arnuat Pavle.
There were spates of accounts but these two reached papers, Petar's went worldwide.

It was because of Petar's account that the word "Vampire" was added to the English dictionary in 1732.

I also heard you speaking on the "Conspiracy Unlimited" podcast where you credited John Polidori’s book with the "caped" vampire image, again, you're wrong.
The reason vampires are seen with capes was due to the Serbian tradition of being buried in death shrouds. It was believed at the time in Serbian folklore that a vampir's power was held within its death shroud, therefore vampir would carry them with them wherever they went. This includes them being tied around their neck.

Regarding staking a vampire, that originated by Serbians using stakes not to drive through the heart of vampires but to use as big nails to bind a vampire to their coffin while they were burned and decapitated.

It's a shame that my people's lore and mythology is being forgotten due to sloppy research, I guess that's to be expected when you only rely on English literature for a very Southern Slavic myth.
I'm a firm believer of the idea of representing accounts accurately when you're profiting off another country or culture's folklore, unfortunately you completely missed the mark.

If you're going to write about Vampires again and are not going to bother with having native sources translated, Dr. James Lyons would be the person to speak to. He has already done all the hard work for you and actually found the true origins of vampires.

[Kitty Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampires of Lore, Traits and Modern Misconceptions is a book I would have loved to have researched and written myself. Having not written it I'm glad A. P. Sylvia did! Gothic Horror has always been a favorite topic of mine. I love spooky things, I love Halloween, I love going on scary adventures and I love reading gothic horrors so when a book comes along that says lets read about the history of a titan of Gothic Horror, vampires, I was all in. Then the book said lets not just learn about the history but also, let us explore and learn about the Folklore from around the world that inspired these Gothic monsters, I got shivers. What takes this book to the next level is that Sylvia goes deep into history to find the true origins of this folklore and dispels misconceptions by using pre-twentieth-century sources that were available...and there is a large bibliography at the back! And what have I learned? I've learned that real vampires where bloated and “hideously flushed with color” and that sunlight only became lethal to them since 1920. There are many tales within the book and a personal favorite of mine is within the chapter about Stakes, where villagers simply put a stake into the ground above the grave so that if the occupant is a vampier it might save the villagers effort by staking itself when it attempts to arise. As with a lot of Folklore, vampires existed as a placebo because disease and death are easier to cope with if you have something to fight against. However, vampires are still believed to be around today, I liked how the book highlighted this up by using the 2004 Peter Toma case. Where in Marotinul de Sus, Romania, 6 villagers exhumed Toma's body believing him to be a vampire. I remember reading about this in the newspapers at the time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing Ltd for an Advanced Electronic Readers Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a highly interesting book, but I wish there was more to it. It’s only 128 pages long, and as I mentioned above, there is so much vampire lore out there that I think Sylvia could have bumped this up by at least a few hundred pages, easy. I mean, the information here is good, but there just wasn’t enough for me. I expected more. More information, and more in-depth explorations of the mythology.

For the $20 USD price tag, I want a hell of a lot more than 128 pages of information that is easy enough to find on the internet. I mean, I know you can find just about anything if you try hard enough, but I feel like I could have located the information contained within this book in under an hour. For the price of the book, I need it to feel like more of a challenge, you know? Like, maybe I either couldn’t have located all of this information easily on my own, or at least that I couldn’t make some of the connections the author made without a strong existing knowledge base.

Also, I don’t remember a single The Lost Boys call-out. I mean… wait… that isn’t a good reason to be mad. But it is what it is. Tell me how sweet mullets and shirtless dudes relate to the mythology, dammit! And what’s the Alex Winter connection?? (I kid) But really, the whole ‘sexy vampire’ bit is talked about, so… I guess in a roundabout way he did cover it.

This is A.P. Sylvia’s first book, so I do have high hopes that he’ll give us something with a little more “meat” in the future. You can keep up with him and what he’s got in the works on his blog.

Rating:

There’s good information here, but not a lot of it – because frankly, it’s too short. There aren’t enough pages to really cover even a fraction of the existing lore or modern media interpretations. I know you can’t cover everything on a topic as vast and ancient as vampires, but you could certainly work beyond 128 pages.

[Brandy {The Review Booth} · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you envision when you hear the word vampire? Vampires of Lore: Traits and Modern Misconceptions is an exploration into the folkloric history regarding vampires and how far off the mark our modern Edward Cullen's can be from what they started out as. In this book you can explore the origin stories of vampires as well as some cross over between witches and werewolves.

The differences between modern vampires and folklore are quite interesting, as most of what we accept in current movies and/or TV shows have only a slight basis within folklore. This is very much a pet project of the author for which he's done quite a bit of research regarding the topic of vampires in relation to their folklore origins vs. modern assumptions. The author's sources are well documented within the end notes of each chapter if you so wish to research further. At some points within the novel it feels like the author is carrying on a casual conversation with you - the reader. I do appreciate the humor of the author as well as the chapters organized by topic.

This was honestly just a fun little read - it didn't take me very long to finish it. The superstitions of the past are quite intriguing while being quite frightening and gruesome. Fear of the unknown makes people do some WEIRD and sometimes atrocious things. I would suggest this book to fans of the supernatural, vampires, witches, werewolves, folklore and this would make a good read prior to Halloween. Thank you NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing for this short sweet treat of a read.

[George1st · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a timely read this proved to be taking place just a few days prior to Halloween. When we think of the word Vampire an immediate image comes to mind of a figure much influenced by Bram Stokers Dracula and the 1930's Universal Studios films but what basis is there to be found in folklore and history. This is not a long book and I was easily able to finish it in one sitting so engrossed was I by the writing style and content.

If you want to learn about how the Vampire developed into the modern cultural phenomenon that it became then this is certainly the book to read and you will also learn about the origins and authenticity of the various accompaniments and traits associated with the vampire. It was interesting to read for instance that bats really do have little basis regarding vampires in the folklore and purportedly real stories (most emanating from Eastern Europe) but garlic to warn them off does. Topics like how you become and kill a vampire are covered along with their appearance in literature. A most interesting read and perfect for this time of year.

[Morgan Ditchburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the latest adaptation of Dracula by the BBC some may be interested in finding out where the history of the vampire all began.

If you want to know whether the myths around garlic, mirrors, staking, and blood drinking come from history, folklore, or fiction - then look no further!

The format of the book works well. Each chapter deals effectively with an aspect of vampire lore, using the historical record and folklore to make links between history and modern day perceptions, with heavy references to Bram Stoker's Dracula. It gives a good detail of information but without feeling bogged down in too much detail. Each sections has end notes to point readers in the direction of the source material, should they wish to peruse it further. I greatly appreciated the references throughout!

Overall this book was an quick, enjoyable read with a wealth of facts that gives excellent detail on the history of vampire lore.

[Jessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found the author very relatable, as i have read numerous vampire books both fictional and factual most stories in this book i already knew which i was pleased about as the author obviously do their homework, it was a nice easy read with plenty of information shown in a easy way to understand, alot of books when it is based on mythology and folklore i find they go all around the world for the nearest when explaining something as though they just want to make up the word count and was thankful this was not one of those. The chapters were a good length and i had read the book in just over an hour so it was a good distraction while on the bus. Will definitely be reading more from this author particularly if they do some on other folklore creatures.

[D L · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who enjoy horror, this is a well-researched book that uses pre 20th-century folklore from around the world to detail how the rules and traits of Vampires have been established.

A.P Sylvia avoids using Bram Stoker's Dracula and cinema as the main source of information for the book to establish how folklore has helped to establish popular culture's perception of the Vampire, from the various ways in which one is created to its aversion to sunlight and garlic as well as how to kill one. For example, a cat jumping over a corpse helps create a Vampire to a Russian soldier's story of sunlight 'killing' two vampires.

This is a quick read packed with a lot of information. Highly recommended.

This book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the unedited version of “ vampires of lore” it was a perfect read to get into the spooky, Halloween spirit.
Vampires have been popular in books and tv series for decades. It’s nice to be able to read about the real lore/myths behind them and find out what’s “ real” and what’s exaggerated for the sake of good tv.
If you read stuff like this before, there’s no real new information added. However, the authors research skills are completely on point. It’s clear and to the point . And the tables of content/chapters make it easy to jump around if you were using this book to conduct research of your own.
I definitely recommend reading this if you’re into vampires .

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC of this book through Netgalley.

Vampires of Lore is an effort to ground the vampire myth in reality, by collating different apocryphal tales of suspected vampirism from around the world. A.P. Sylvia strikes a good balance of the conversational and the educational, and overall it's a quick read. The book is divided into sections by the supposed powers that belong to a vampire which make it concise and focused, as the danger is that a book like this would become sprawling and unwieldy.

On the whole, it's a good book to read if you're interested in learning more about the real-world origin of the vampire myth.

[April Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires of Lore was a surprisingly good take on vampire folklore. What initially seemed like a cursory overview of the subject matter actually presented a more in-depth study than expected, along with some new folktales I'd never read before.

I liked how the author compared the origin of each trait associated with vampires to folklore and fiction (including books and movies). By doing this, A.P. Sylvia was able to showcase which of the vampire's many traits came from folklore versus which ones were invented by creative writers in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched collection of the history of the mythos of vampires. Each chapter is dedicated to a well-known (or not so well-known) feature of these infamous supernatural creatures. The author also throws in some of the witch and werewolf history to draw comparisons to the vampires. The scientist in me appreciated the attention to factual details, references to material from other chapters, and bibliography/references list. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn more about vampires and their origins beyond the Dracula mythos.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a huge fan of Fiction vampires... Thanks to books like The Twilight Series which got me into reading and t.v. Shows such as, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and The Originals I can’t get enough of vampires!

The information in this book is based on both fiction and folklore.

From start to finish it was completely engrossing and captivating. I was very surprised by some things I found out in this book.

This is perfect for anyone who is interested in learning about the history/myths of vampires.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always a sucker for a nonfiction analysis of vampire lore. The author did quite a bit of research and, by listing his bibliography at the end of each chapter, reminded me why I still enjoy reading about vampires as an adult. I even made a note to check out a couple resources I had never heard about before reading this book. Overall, I loved the level of research and passion the author put into the creation of this book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first-class piece of work separates folklore from modern vampire tropes with admirable clarity. Some of the rarer folkloric qualities of the vampire are explored and the origins of modern literary and filmic traits are studied in astonishingly brief detail. When I say "astonishingly brief", it's a compliment, as the author does not muddy the water with too much unwarranted speculation, but simply proceeds to the heart of matters. Well-written and impeccably researched. I will follow this author for future works with interest.