The Vampire, according to the editor of The Vampire Archive, Otto Penzler, has been a part of the myths and legends since the Biblical Lilith. Even Greek mythology has the blood sucking daughters of Hecate.
Yet, the vampire in literature didn't really make an appearance until Dr John Polidori's 'The Vampyre' in 1816. And this was written in response to a challenge by Lord Byron after reading the vampire poem 'Cristabel' by Coleridge to the Shelleys and Polidori. As is known Mary Shelley came up trumps with 'Frankenstein' and Poliori with his piece.
The Vampire Archive is the combination of two books that contain short stories that pre-date Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and continues into those stories that have been written since right up to those published recently. Authors like Mary Cholmondeley, Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, Ray Bradbury, Ed Gorman, Roger Zelazny, Richard Laymon - the list goes on.
1,214 pages of blood tingling suspense and stories not to be read alone at midnight.
Well, that's never applied to me. Though there is a mix here as the odd vampire poem is to be found here, too.
At the end of the book there is a bibliography, compiled by Daniel Seitler, of every vampire short story and novel that has been written. Included are four entries from the Razored Zen blogger Charles A. Gramlich, Marilyn Ross's 'Barnabus Collins' Dark Shadows stories and the vampire western 'The Dark Riders' by Howard Hopkins aka Black Horse Western writer Lance Howard.
Anyone who wants to escape the 'Twilight' world of 'True Blood' that just show that fangs ain't what they used t'be - then The Vampire Archive will do the trick.
