About the Author

Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was an Irish author, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned. Stoker was bedridden with an unknown illness until he started school at the age of seven, when he made a complete 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." Amy Sterling Casil is a 2002 Nebula Award nominee and recipient of other awards and recognition for her short science fiction and fantasy, which has appeared in publications ranging from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction to Zoetrope. She is the author of 28 nonfiction books, over a hundred short stories, three fiction and poetry collections, and three novels. Amy is a founding member and treasurer of Book View Café and former treasurer of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and teaches writing and composition at Saddleback College. She is the founder of Chameleon Publishing.

Reviews

Gr 6-9‘These visually appealing abridgments of classic titles make fairly difficult and complex novels accessible to a junior high audience. Virtually all kids are aware of Disney's not-so-ugly Quasimodo as the hunchbacked bell ringer of the Notre Dame Cathedral in 15th-century hang-'em-high Paris, and many will have seen some film version of Dracula. Massively trimmed, these retellings have brief, readable chapters; the violence is toned down and the eroticism erased. Competent illustrators bring visual unity to the presentations. Beginning with table-of-contents pages that feature portraits of the casts of characters, the books then devote a few pages to setting the place and mood of the tales. Two-page spreads of text and drawings are framed by related facts and illustrated with details from paintings, photographs, and even movie stills, all of which provide fascinating geographical, historical, and archaeological tidbits. These heavily illustrated books are guaranteed to give young people a leg up on high school and college English classes with their vivid re-creations of cruel, horrific, and romantic European worlds.‘John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX

The Dover volume collects 14 of Stoker's lesser-known horror stories such as "The Crystal Cup," "The Burial of the Rats," and "A Gipsey Prophecy." Though most of his other fiction has been overshadowed by Dracula, these offer some real chills and warrant reading. While editions of Dracula, which celebrated its centennial in 1997, are legion, Broadview's offers several extras, including a chronology of Stoker's life and appendixes on Transylvania, London, Mental Physiology, Reviews and Interviews, and more. That along with the full text make this one of the best editions available, especially at this remarkable price.

Klinger brings the same impressive breadth of knowledge that distinguished The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes to this definitive examination of one of the classic horror novels of all time. Adopting the conceit that Stoker's narrative is based on fact, Klinger elucidates the plot and historical context for both Stoker devotees and those more familiar with Count Dracula from countless popular culture versions. Because he had privileged access to the typescript Stoker delivered to his publisher, Klinger is able to note changes between it and the first edition and comment on the reasons for them. Through close reading, Klinger raises questions about such matters as the role of lead vampire-hunter Van Helsing and whether the villainous count is actually dispatched at book's end. An introduction by Neil Gaiman, numerous illustrations, essays on topics ranging from Dracula in the movies to the academic response, and much more enhance the package. 8-city author tour. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.