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Dracula by Bram Stoker

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An exact replica of the very first edition and first issue of Bram Stoker's Dracula novel published by Archibald Constable and Company in London on 16 May of 1897. All of the original text has been preserved in the same way it was written by Stoker.

368 pages, Capa comum

Published August 18, 2019

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223 people want to read

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Charles Harrison House

15 books1 follower

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5 stars
123 (39%)
4 stars
113 (35%)
3 stars
62 (19%)
2 stars
17 (5%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
Profile Image for Aliyah.
160 reviews2 followers
August 8, 2023
There is a reason that the character and story of Dracula continues into the modern world. The suspense and horror in this book had me jumping at shadows in my house and due to the formatting of the book (a collection of letters and diary entries), the reader is able to get both a personal and impersonal POV on the tale of Dracula.

Minus one star for a pretty anti-climatic ending to what was an amazingly tense build up. Also for the overwhelming amount of “oh I’m just a frightened woman among such excellent men” kinda vibes from the main female character even though she kinda rocked (like she was legitimately very smart and brave).
Profile Image for Evan Smith.
22 reviews2 followers
October 14, 2023
This book undoubtedly has some good elements - especially the beginning in the castle and some of the character development (especially Van Helsing). However, the vast majority of the book is a drag. Some parts were hard to get through, just because of the verbose fluffy language that seemed to move the plot very little. Also, several of the characters have poor development, and feel weird that they’re included (Morris, Arthur / Lord Godalming), compared to the super well developed other characters. The beginning and end are good, but 90% of the book in the middle was straight up “meh”.
Profile Image for Timothy Juhl.
408 reviews15 followers
October 15, 2023
This was my second Halloween go at reading this classic. The first time I found the style (the epistle/diary entries) distracting and difficult to follow the various characters and I never got more than 50 pages into it. This time, I opted for the audiobook.

As an audiobook, the style was not a problem, however the language of the period was still overly flowery, typical. But I sallied forth and actually enjoyed the book.

What I really focused on was the idea that this is a seminal work, the very foundation of our vampire mythology that plays out in books and films and television. What I delighted in was the origins of characters and how we've morphed them into modern cinema (Van Helsing as a buff Hugh Jackman, or a nun in one Netflix series, which is quite good). And my favorite character in the book or any film adaptation will always be Renfield. So disturbing in Stoker's book.

This is also one of the best of the gothic style of storytelling, full of atmosphere and moody weather and Stoker pulls out all the stops and I found those passages wonderfully written. I'm not a fan of the gothic style (and of course, I had to start another contemporary gothic ghost story right after, not by choice).

I did get weary of Mina's character, the very period-correct portrayal of the frail woman (although she does have strong opinions and her own will). I know Stoker was simply writing of the time and how society viewed women as something that must be sheltered and protected. Even his portrayal of Lucy, who typically in revisions to the story, is more wonton and lively and for this, Stoker makes it easier for her to be killed by her paramour.

Stoker also gave us most of the modern mythology surrounding vampires: garlic, God and the cross, beheading them to assure their death, the dissolving to dust upon death. However, I'm curious as to how the wooden stake through the heart became part of this mythology, as Dracula himself is killed with a bowie knife through the heart.

My advice to would-be readers: check out the audiobook.
Profile Image for Anashy.
18 reviews1 follower
Read
February 28, 2025
Comencé a leer este libro como parte de un reto de lectura en el que participaba. No creo que lo hubiese elegido por mi cuenta, así que, aunque ya no formo parte de ese reto, me alegra haber continuado con la lectura.

Es el primer libro que leo en mi Kindle y también es el más largo que he leído en general.

Me resulta muy difícil calificarlo, pero no porque no me haya gustado o porque lo haya amado intensamente, sino porque siento que, a lo largo de sus páginas, viví tres vidas y atravesé diez mil procesos, tanto dentro como fuera de la lectura.

Hubo momentos en los que me sentí desconectada de la historia, mientras que en otros estaba completamente sumergida y con ganas de más.

La introducción de algunos personajes me pareció anti climática. Fue un desafío para mi mantenerme interesada en esos capítulos, ya que, por alguna razón, esperaba que todo el libro tuviese el mismo tono y se centrara únicamente en el personaje de las primeras páginas. Es decir, mi mente había imaginado una historia en la que solo estarían el conde y Jonathan. No esperaba la presencia del resto, pero, a medida que avanzaba, fui acostumbrándome.

Es algo extraño, pero me pareció que hay pocos capítulos realmente buenos y con escenas memorables. Sin embargo, esos momentos son tan excepcionales que hacen que te olvides de lo que no es tan bueno.

Ya llegando al final, se siente más como una novela sobre la valentía, la amistad, la devoción, etc… No lo digo de forma negativa, pero definitivamente me sorprendió. Creo que tenía una idea diferente de cómo se darían las cosas. No sé si es que estoy desensibilizada o simplemente no tiene tanto terror.


PS: No pude evitar reírme (sarcásticamente) cuando leí: "Tiene el cerebro de un hombre, de uno muy bien dotado, y el corazón de una mujer." Mi reacción fue, literalmente: "¿¿¿¿????".
Profile Image for Violette.
43 reviews
November 12, 2025
It’s a comfort read.
Is it the best written book ever? No.

I first read it when I was about 12. It gets better with age.
Profile Image for Jenna.
135 reviews26 followers
September 16, 2025
I love it for the modern vampire myths I've come to love. But the style of storytelling in the original through journals has never been a favorite of mine. And van helsing talks too much lol
Profile Image for fallenruby.
39 reviews
April 11, 2023
The joy that flipping through the pages of this book has brought me. The characters' personalities are so dramatic and depict perfectly the values of the time in which they were put down on paper. Loyalty, fidelity, chivalry (the latter carrying some good old-fashioned sexism that made my blood boil from time to time but that i am willing to overlook now). Faith also plays a very important role in the story. Being able to look at the representation and importance of religion in the UK as well as in Southeastern European folklore during those times was very interesting. The author's attempts to capture the "rural" speech of the characters that lived in less industrialized areas was difficult to read and pretty annoying. However, the descriptions of landscapes, people, thoughts and emotions are written in such a way that rendered me incapable of putting the book down.
Profile Image for juls.
22 reviews1 follower
May 28, 2024
Historię Hrabiego Draculi poznałam dzięki książce w formie adaptacji - była ona skupiona na prostym przekazaniu fabuły, co nie zachęciło mnie do tej tematyki - w tamtej książce opisów praktycznie nie było, a sama powieść opierała się na epistolarności(?). Dopiero "Frankenstein" od Mary Shelley oraz American Bookstore w Mediolanie doprowadziły mnie znów do historii, którą sam Artur Conan Doyle określił jako jedną z najlepszych powieści grozy.

Książkę czytałam dosyć długo - jak na fakt, że miała ona jedynie 403 strony, to ponad miesiąc czasu był długim okresem jak na mnie. Oprócz tego, że myślałam o tej pozycji gdy jej nie czytałam, czy to dlatego, że chciałam się zagłębić w tę historię, czy dlatego, że męczyło mnie to ile siedzi mi na półce niedokończona, to ilość czasu jaki poświęciłam - w różnych dniach - był potrzebny. Gdyby była to dla mnie książka na "jedno posiedzenie", to wydaje mi się, że nie odebrałabym jej równie pozytywnie. Ten czas czytania wymusił na mnie skupienie się na rozdziałach, wracanie o kilka stron do tyłu, gdy gubiłam się w fabule, a z kolei to skupienie pozwoliło mi na przeżycie realnych emocji, których nie przeżywam przy byle książkach. Pozytywnym zaskoczeniem dla mnie było to, jak wczułam się w tę opowieść - do tego stopnia, że i mnie samej czasami wydawało się, jakby Dracula stał za mną i obserwował moje zmagania z książką. I życiem dookoła, bo znalazłam tę powieść w momencie wielu zmian w moim życiu.

Niesamowicie podobała mi się postać Miny Harker - Lucy została przeze mnie uznana za lekko irytującą, ale jednocześnie współczułam jej wydarzeń, jakie ją dotknęły. Ale Mina była kobietą inteligentną, czułą, troskliwą i odważną, mającą swoje priorytety ustalone. Pokochałam jej postać przez to, że w pewien sposób odnalazłam w niej wzór do naśladowania - i chociaż moim zdaniem widać, że kobiety w tej powieści zostały wykreowane przez męskie oko, to w wielu sytuacjach dziwiłam się ilości romantyzmu i zrozumienia, jakie tchnął w Minę i Lucy Bram Stoker.

Kreacja bohaterów niesamowicie mi się spodobała, tak samo jak język i forma (pamiętniki). Nie spodobało mi się jednak takie przeciąganie, jakie miałam wrażenie, że następowało podczas ich podróży - brakowało mi większej ilości elementów w Transylwanii, chociażby z pomieszczeniami, trumnami i pięknymi kuszącymi kobietami. Uważam, że ten wątek nie został odpowiednio wyczerpany w stosunku do reszty książki.

Chociaż uczucia mam zdecydowanie pozytywne, to o wiele bardziej zachwycił mnie "Frankenstein", dlatego książka zyskała 4.5/5 gwiazdki - tam podobało mi się wszystko, a tu mam pare "ale". Ale jest też opcja, że gdy przeczytam Frankensteina po angielsku to zmienię zdanie.

Nie wiem czy cokolwiek co napisałam ma sens, ale jest druga w nocy i fantastycznie mi się to pisało.
Profile Image for Bernie4444.
2,464 reviews12 followers
December 10, 2022
"For the dead travel fast"

Surprisingly "Denn die Toten reiten schnell" or "For the dead travel fast" is more than an opening line to this tale of love in the dangerous moonlight. After watching several Drac movies and a few Nosferatu's, I pretty much thought I had a handle on the genera. Little did I know what a wonderful world of mystery and suspense Bram Stoker opened up for me.

The story is told mostly by a third party through the papers, diaries, and phonograph recordings (on wax cylinders) of those people involve in a tale so bizarre that it almost defies belief. The general storyline is that of a Count that plans to move to a more urban setting (from Borgo Pass to London) where there is a richer diet. There he finds succulent women; something he can sink his teeth in. Unfortunately for him, a gang of ruffians (including a real-estate agent, an asylum director, a Texas cowboy, and an Old Dutch abnormal psychologist) is out to detour his nocturnal munching. They think they have Drac on the run but with a wing and a prayer he is always one step ahead.

Of more value to the reader is the rich prose chosen by Stoker as he describes the morals and technology of the time. We have to come to grips with or decide if we can perform the rituals that are required to eliminate vampires versus the impropriety of opening graves and staking loved ones.

The vamp powers in the book differ from the movie versions in that they are more of persuasion and capabilities to manipulate the local weather. At one point the Dutch Dr. Van Helsing is so overwhelmed by a beautiful vampire laying in the grave that he almost forgets why he is there and may become “vamp chow.”

All in all, the story is more about the cunning chase. The question is as to will they succeed in dispatching Drac, or will Dracula triumph. Remember, "For the dead travel fast."
Profile Image for Mag.
48 reviews
January 23, 2025
Terminar de leer este libro fue el verdadero WAR IS OVERRRRR
Lo que me TARDE fue increíble, me dió como 15 bloqueos lectores juntos pero puedo quejarme? No, porqué sigue siendo un 5 estrellas.
Me encariñé un montón con los personajes pero mal, mi favorito fue definitivamente Mina la amo, fue genial su actitud en todo el libro y era muy tierno ver cómo interactuaba con los demás, pero en general todos los personajes me gustaron y cuando todos se unieron fue lo mejor, ame al grupete.
Sí sentí que al final la trama estaba dando muuuchas vueltas like todo el lío del barco y así era como SUFICIENTE pero bueno, me puso muy feliz que Mina sobreviviese porque con todo lo que la pobre paso se lo merecía.
No fue un final shockeante ni menos de mis favoritos pero estuvo bien, no fue malo.
Me gusta como se va contando el relato todo a través de sus escritos, me hizo a acordar a Boquitas pintadas de Manuel Puig el cuál es similar en la forma del relato y pienso que tal vez se puede haber inspirado de Drácula(? (0% chequeado solo mi opinión)
En fin, muy buen libro, si bien SUFRÍ para terminarlo lo disfruté un montooon siempre que leía, la historia me atrapó, me gustó dentro de todo el curso que llevo y pude querer a los personajes. Muy bien clásico
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Wania Cris.
428 reviews6 followers
October 25, 2022
Das inconsistências da vida: tenho três edições desse livro, a primeira adquirida em 2004, e nunca tinha lido. Ainda bem, pois acho que eu ainda não estava pronta pra esse hino!

Conhecendo Drácula apenas de ouvir falar, seja por filmes ou referências, mergulhei com mais curiosidade que expectativa na leitura e desde do início fiquei encantada.

Apesar de antigo (1897)o livro tem uma escrita atual, bastante ágil, com cada página relatando acontecimentos inquietantes. Mesmo a linguagem da época vitoriana não fica cansativa diante de tanta agitação. E quando eu achava que o cara do livro seria o drácula, eis que surge meu novo Mozão, Abraham Van Helsing! Que personagem maravilhoso!!! Um que de Poirot, um tico de Sherlock, um distinto cavalheiro com uma mente privilegiada, ele é encantador!!

Há que se render vários elogios à primorosa tradução de Fábio Boniggo que facilitou bastante a leitura e compreensão. Comparando minhas três edições, a dele foi a mais acessível.

Gostaria de um dia reler a obra, mas ela já está no pódio do meu coração.
Profile Image for Vitória.
14 reviews
June 27, 2025
Não li essa edição.
Edição lida: ISBN 9789899135598
Livraria Lello

A Mina não morre! Era o que eu mais queria saber desde que vi a versão nova do filme Nosferatu com a Lilly Rose Depp.
Nem morre, nem tem essa conexão especial com o Dracula que tem em todo filme. Preciso pesquisar para entender melhor o porquê dessas adaptações.

Mas no geral, bem gostosa a leitura.
Um pouco irritante as vezes, muito moralismo, principalmente quanto ao papel da mulher na sociedade da época.

Final bem brochante, se formos pensar nos filmes. Mas acho que não é justo, fui com muita expectativa para esse livro, não sei…

Acho que esse foi o primeiro grande livro que li em inglês. Havia lido The Catcher in the Rye que roubei da Dulce, mas esse é bem curtinho (inclusive muito chato, dizem que eu precisaria ler de novo pra captar a essência desse).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Júlia Cavalcanti.
8 reviews
April 23, 2024
Confesso que depois de abandonar duas vezes este livro, achei que essa seria mais uma pra conta (e a última), mas consegui terminar graças ao audiobook. Sem ele, de fato eu teria abandonado mesmo. Fui mesclando entre ouvir e pegar o livro para ler algumas partes também e consegui assim absorver muito da história e achar ela boa. Me decepcionei com o livro pelo fato de que pensava que era uma narrativa sobre o Drácula em si e não relatos de experiências com o Drácula, como se fosse uma grande fofoca kkkkk, mas o livro em si ele é muito bom, porém é cansativo e em alguns momentos muito lento e arrastado, mas deu pra terminar e aproveitar a leitura também.
Profile Image for Ryan McDermott.
1 review
April 16, 2025
An absolute must for any horror fan Dracula really puts you in the frame of Victorian gothic horror. The story is told through diary entries, letters, and newspaper clippings, which at first I thought might be confusing, but it actually made things more intense.

Dracula himself is super eerie, quiet and calculated. It does take a while for him to pop up in the book but he does make his presence known when that point arrives.

The writing is a bit old school I mean it was written in 1897 but once you get into the rhythm, it is pretty atmospheric.

Totally worth a read grab the yellow cover hardback version if you can for that old school classic feel.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
Author 12 books9 followers
May 11, 2025
I read "Dracula" every now and then again because it's the classic that spawned the vampire craze. I like the fact that it's told from letters and journals because it makes it feel more authentic. The most chilling part was when the main character's story just suddenly ends, and next we're reading it from his sweetheart's point of view.
Despite being written back in the 1800s, it gave me the chills. It's pretty bad when you're in your forties and thinking you need to turn all the lights in the house on just to move from one room to the next at night. I may have to check out more from Bram Stoker.
Profile Image for Laura.
11 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2025
Nunca creí que diría esto de un libro, pero... me gustó más la película.
300 páginas para que cuatro hombres mayorcitos se den cuenta de que no deben dejar sola por la noche a una mujer que pierde sangre como un aspersor. Literalmente tienes a un tipo deletreándote que tiene un amo vampiro que vive de la sangre y está de veraneo en la casa de al lado.
Van Helsing un señor al que le encanta oírse hablar para no decir nada.
Y sin la historia de amor y Gary Oldman diciendo eso de los océanos de tiempo, esto no es lo mismo.
Le doy un tres por eso de contener elementos innovadores y ser un clásico universal.
Profile Image for Micheila Hideki.
390 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2025
⭐️3.89
Assolutamente un classico ma anche un po' snervante, insomma Van Helsing alle volte pare lo faccia apposta di andarsene per far sì che accada il patatrack.
Comunque la grande storia d'amore che ha travalicato il tempo ce lo ha inculcato Coppola. O alle brutte le trasposizioni che sono giunte a noi negli anni, perché tutto è Dracula tranne ché un qualcosa di romantico. Mi è parso più ci fosse una forte critica alla sessualità, che questa sia eterosessuale od omosessuale. Quasi come se queste sensazioni t'intontissero, trascendessero la logica.
Van Helsing non è Poirot, signore, ma buongiorno!
Molto carino da leggere in questo periodo, nonostante tutto lo consiglio.
Profile Image for Aileen.
20 reviews
January 11, 2024
This isn't the first time I've read this book, I wanted to re-read it to count for my Read shelf here. Somehow I forgot how so much of this book is written as diary logs or letters to other characters, it's definitely a different writing style that actually didn't detract from the reading experience.

Perhaps it's because I've read this before but I still love all the different characters. Dracula makes for a long read but it's entertaining and the prose is beautiful.
Profile Image for Francesco Merli.
Author 11 books77 followers
April 14, 2024
Che dire.... uno dei libri che mi ha spinto ad intraprendere la carriera da scrittore.
Un fascino e uno stile ad oggi inarrivabili, un tuffo nel passato e nei terrori viscerali dell'uomo, un viaggio attraverso misticismo, credenze e scenari suggestivi.
C'è poco da dire: i classici sono i Classici e la scrittura, a mio avviso, dovrebbe tornare indietro e ai fasti di un passato oramai (ahimè) non più raggiungibile.
1 review
January 3, 2023
so, one the of the first English novel i have ever read is Darcula by Abraham stoker. And i would deffinetely say this was so hard to digest because of all the British dialects and sudden plot twists but it worth a time. I am always interested in mystery and triller novels whether it is in English or my first native language Urdu. The way darcula is travelling all around the great Britain.
Profile Image for Summer Nelson.
393 reviews
September 12, 2023
I'm a huge fan of Dracula; I always watch the 1979 & 1992 movie adaptions every year in October! This is the book adaption introduced by Holly Black, which is the reason why I wanted to read it; I really enjoyed her "Cruel Prince" series! Her interpretation was pretty good; it was pretty accurate to the movies with a few slow moments.
Profile Image for Venenos Del Sueño.
6 reviews
April 12, 2024
Le pondría las 5 si no tuviera ese final tan malo. Osea, me vienes construyendo a un personaje tan poderoso para matarlo de una forma que ni siquiera entran en lo establecido por Van Hellsing, osea entiendo que en teoría se cumplen las reglas para matarlo, pero solo en teoría. Me hubiese gustado un final menos apresurado sinceramente.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Vanessa.
19 reviews3 followers
October 30, 2020
Si te gustan los vampiros tenes que leer este libro para conocer a fondo la onda del vampirismo. Drácula es el padre de los vampiros,un clàsico. Además es la base escrita de muchas adaptaciones de libros, películas, series, etc.
Profile Image for Victoria Doyle.
181 reviews2 followers
November 9, 2023
I honestly didn't think I'd like it as much as I did . I felt totally emersed in the time period and loved the layout of the book . It was rather unique reading through letters and journal entries . A perfect read for Halloween which then took me on a weekend jaunt to Whitby . Perfect
Profile Image for Caitlin.
7 reviews
November 21, 2023
I was determined to finish this because it's a classic. The story is slow going, and I was surprised it has far less Dracula in it than I anticipated. About 5 chapters in, I resorted to listening to an audio book version; I wouldn't have gotten through it any other way.
Profile Image for Simone.
75 reviews5 followers
April 20, 2024
La storia la conoscevo, come tutti...ma non l'avevo mai letto. Ed è un libro sorprendente: un mosaico che poco a poco stringe il cerchio intorno al protagonista, preda, antieroe, vittima, in un crescendo di tensione che tiene lì, pagina dopo pagina.
Profile Image for Mari.
8 reviews
March 6, 2025
Es un libro interesante, aunque hay momentos donde se vuelve tedioso.
Lo leí por el chisme literario de Bram Stokee y Oscar Wilde, pero solo contemple alrededor de 2 cosas en el libro que hacía alusión
Profile Image for Carlie Bickel.
63 reviews1 follower
October 6, 2025
I greatly enjoyed all the POV's from journal entries throughout this book. Suspense and thrill throughout each chapter until the end. The conclusion seemed to be lacking for me... but perhaps that's just the theatrical versions of this story ruining it for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews

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