Description
The Ultimate Collection of Vampire Facts and Fiction From Vlad the Impaler to Barnabas Collins to Edward Cullen to Dracula and Bill Compton, renowned religion expert and fearless vampire authority J. Gordon Melton, PhD takes the reader on a vast, alphabetic tour of the psychosexual, macabre world of the blood-sucking undead. Digging deep into the lore, myths, pop culture, and reported realities of vampires and vampire legends from across the globe, The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead exposes everything about the blood thirsty predator.
Death and immortality, sexual prowess and surrender, intimacy and alienation, rebellion and temptation. The allure of the vampire is eternal, and The Vampire Book explores it all. The historical, literary, mythological, biographical, and popular aspects of one of the world's most mesmerizing paranormal subject. This vast reference is an alphabetical tour of the psychosexual, macabre world of the soul-sucking undead.
In the first fully revised and updated edition in a decade, Dr. J. Gordon Melton (president of the American chapter of the Transylvania Society of Dracula) bites even deeper into vampire lore, myths, reported realities, and legends that come from all around the world. From Transylvania to plague-infested Europe to Nostradamus and from modern literature to movies and TV series, this exhaustive guide furnishes more than 500 essays to quench your thirst for facts, biographies, definitions, and more.About the Author
J. Gordon Melton, a nationally known author, lecturer, and scholar, is the Distinguished Professor of American Religious History at Baylor University and serves as the director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion. Dr. Melton is best known for his work on religious cults, and he is considered America's senior scholar in the field of new and unconventional religions, having studied them for more than 40 years. Simultaneously, he has emerged as a leading scholar of vampire and Dracula studies and previously served a tenure as the American president of the Transylvanian Society of Dracula, an international association of vampire and Dracula scholars. He has authored multiple books in the field, two of which received the Lord Ruthven Award as the best nonfiction book in vampire studies. He currently resides in Waco, Texas, with his wife, Suzie.
Praise For…
"The third edition of this comprehensive encyclopedia of vampires and vampire lore is exhaustive. Readers who really want something to sink their teeth into will find this indispensable." Publishers Weekly (February 28, 2011)
"An excellent reference. This remarkable amalgam of the popular and the scholarly is highly recommended." Choice
"Written by religious scholar and fearless vampire authority Melton, this updated edition is a thorough guide for all things relating to vampires. Sure to be popular with readers whose interest in vampires has been sparked by the current trend." Booklist
"The best assembled and most complete compendium of all things vampire. Author J. Gordon Melton's impressive resumé lends credence to a tome of vampires that is both scholarly and exciting." FATE Magazine (December 1, 2010)
"A comprehensive survey of all things vampiric, this massive volume belongs on the shelf of every Goth you know, including fans of Bitten, Buffy, True Blood, Twilight, Ann Rice’s Lestat books, and Dracula himself." Toronto Globe and Mail
"A significant expansion of the second edition published in 1999, with updated information on vampires in books, movies, television, and popular culture." College & Research Libraries News
"This wide-ranging resource includes entries relating to [vampire] lore from around the globe. The book features more than 500 clear and succinct articles. Melton’s handy volume provides the most comprehensive coverage currently available." Library Journal (April 1, 2011)
"This impressive compendium is a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in researching vampires or vampirism." Journal of American Folklore