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Vampires
Dangerous yet seductive, the vampire plays with our heart as he preys with our soul, commanding respect and inspiring complete devotion.
For anyone touched by the vampire's flight through recent movies, TV shows and novels, here is a feast of vampire stories and lore. Charting the development of the vampire from prince of pure evil to poignant anti-hero, the VAMPIRE HANDBOOK, is a comprehensive guide to the vampire's nocturnal realm, exploring the dark mysteries of his eternal allure, irresistible charm and vulnerability.
For anyone touched by the vampire's flight through recent movies, TV shows and novels, here is a feast of vampire stories and lore. Charting the development of the vampire from prince of pure evil to poignant anti-hero, the VAMPIRE HANDBOOK, is a comprehensive guide to the vampire's nocturnal realm, exploring the dark mysteries of his eternal allure, irresistible charm and vulnerability.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
6 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 2, 2026
Heel vermakelijk en geschreven als een soort encyclopedie met ‘common knowledge’ over allerlei soorten vampieren. Grappige (soms wel echte foute) foto’s en door dit boek in elk geval weer wat nieuwe kijktips qua vampier films! 🦇
May 22, 2010
Although there has certainly been a surge in popularity for vampires and the paranormal genre, thanks to stuff like the Twilight juggernaut and the popularity of True Blood and the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, vampires have made frequent appearances in the world of pop culture for decades at this point. Vampires is simultaneously a sort of history of that cultural presence, a narrative of the myths and legends that surround vampires, and a visual presentation of the various appearances vampires have made in print, on TV and in film.
Easily my favorite parts of this book were the beautiful illustrations and the references to books and movies. The layout of the pages is very well done and complements the text very nicely. The historical content was interesting but brief; I would have appreciated more information on those subjects but that may be because I have a personal interest in that area.
There's also a very interesting section on vampire myths from around the world, and it was neat to see how some elements of the myth we know today actually originated in other cultures. I would have been interested in hearing more about that as well; the for further reading section at the end may very well have resources for that.
I also appreciated that the author didn't wax too academic in the writing of this book. Although writing about a real subject, the author had an almost wry writing style that kept the subject matter from getting too, for lack of a better word, boring. I was reminded of a conversation I had awhile ago with a friend who was perpetually annoyed by the Twilight phenomenon:
Friend: I remember when vampires were scary and murderous!
Me: I remember when vampires were...made up!
This book would make a nice gift someone who was new to the paranormal genre or for someone who already had an appreciation for the genre but was interested in finding new books or moviews on the same subject. Although I was already familiar with a lot of the lore the book contained, reading it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Overall Grade: B+
Read other reviews at What Book is That?
Easily my favorite parts of this book were the beautiful illustrations and the references to books and movies. The layout of the pages is very well done and complements the text very nicely. The historical content was interesting but brief; I would have appreciated more information on those subjects but that may be because I have a personal interest in that area.
There's also a very interesting section on vampire myths from around the world, and it was neat to see how some elements of the myth we know today actually originated in other cultures. I would have been interested in hearing more about that as well; the for further reading section at the end may very well have resources for that.
I also appreciated that the author didn't wax too academic in the writing of this book. Although writing about a real subject, the author had an almost wry writing style that kept the subject matter from getting too, for lack of a better word, boring. I was reminded of a conversation I had awhile ago with a friend who was perpetually annoyed by the Twilight phenomenon:
Friend: I remember when vampires were scary and murderous!
Me: I remember when vampires were...made up!
This book would make a nice gift someone who was new to the paranormal genre or for someone who already had an appreciation for the genre but was interested in finding new books or moviews on the same subject. Although I was already familiar with a lot of the lore the book contained, reading it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Overall Grade: B+
Read other reviews at What Book is That?
January 10, 2020
Do you know what a Dhampir is? In the book “Vampires” by Joules Taylor, we learn about Dhampirs, a rare creature. It’s a fascinating creature because it is a hybrid between a human and a vampire. Vampires are not able to reproduce as humans can, so when a dhampir is somehow created, it’s a fascinating subject. We also learn about vampires and how they look, live, and could possibly control humans. Vampires are harder to spot than others. The book is written in chapters. The chapters include “Body and Soul”, “The Origins of Vampires”, “The Evolution of Vampires”, and “Vampires and Popular Culture”. The most interesting chapter, in my opinion, was “The Origin of Vampires” because I never truly knew how vampires originated.
This book is about the myth of the vampire. It also traces the history of vampires as Taylor states that the first vampire was discussed in 500 C.E. (Common Era). Vampires differ in every country. In Mayan mythology, vampires were referred to as “a giant bat.” In Europe, vampires hype was the highest in the 17th-18th centuries.
What I absolutely loved about this book was how Taylor used movie references to make the book relatable to the readers. Someone may not like this book because of its dark history of vampires, including blood and slow, agonizing deaths. However, anyone who knows even a little about vampires knows about how that is how they feed and survive.
I would recommend this book for a variety of reasons. The pictures, drawings, and short paragraphs make the book easy to understand. Most of the paragraphs have a short title to show what it’s about. The people, I feel, would enjoy this book are people who like reading and learning about the paranormal and supernatural. Seventh grade and up, I think, would enjoy this book.
This book is about the myth of the vampire. It also traces the history of vampires as Taylor states that the first vampire was discussed in 500 C.E. (Common Era). Vampires differ in every country. In Mayan mythology, vampires were referred to as “a giant bat.” In Europe, vampires hype was the highest in the 17th-18th centuries.
What I absolutely loved about this book was how Taylor used movie references to make the book relatable to the readers. Someone may not like this book because of its dark history of vampires, including blood and slow, agonizing deaths. However, anyone who knows even a little about vampires knows about how that is how they feed and survive.
I would recommend this book for a variety of reasons. The pictures, drawings, and short paragraphs make the book easy to understand. Most of the paragraphs have a short title to show what it’s about. The people, I feel, would enjoy this book are people who like reading and learning about the paranormal and supernatural. Seventh grade and up, I think, would enjoy this book.
March 11, 2023
This book was very fun to read. Especially if you love this sort of stuff
February 7, 2016
Given to me as a gift, I always make a point of reading any books given to me. While this book is well researched when it comes to Vampires throughout history and cinema/television it's also clearly aimed at teenagers/early twenties. A lot of focus on appearance, fashion etc of being a vampire. There was enough history to keep me interested and the glossary of movies, TV, comic and literary vampires was brilliant.
October 21, 2009
Great book for vampire lovers. There's so much information in here beyond what is known. It goes into the actual history of vamps and some of the reasons why people could believe they really existed. Very interesting.
September 22, 2015
Has good information for a general know-all about vampires but did not have enough details to the stories to grant more than 3 stars. Also too much personal opinion among the research done on the myths and legends. Recommend if you know nothing about vampire lore.
Want to read
November 26, 2009So Much to read.
April 4, 2017
3 stars
Cute, great photos, not terribly informative. More of a coffee table book than anything.
Cute, great photos, not terribly informative. More of a coffee table book than anything.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews