In December 1893, Sherlock Holmes-adoring Londoners eagerly opened their Strand magazines, anticipating the detective's next adventure, only to find the unthinkable: his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had killed their hero off. London spiraled into mourning -- crowds sported black armbands in grief -- and railed against Conan Doyle as his assassin. Then in 1901, just as abruptly as Conan Doyle had "murdered" Holmes in "The Final Problem," he resurrected...

"Henry Irving is Victorian London's most celebrated actor and theater impresario. He has introduced groundbreaking ideas to the theater, bringing to the stage performances that are spectacular, shocking, and always entertaining. When Irving decides to open his own London theater with the goal of making it the greatest playhouse on earth, he hires a young Dublin clerk harboring literary ambitions by the name of Bram Stoker to manage it. As Irving's...

"From appearances in films and animated features to interpretations as a Muppet and breakfast cereal mascot, Dracula has been the inspiration for many other fictional vampires and is now an established figure in pop culture. Created by Bram Stoker in his 1897 Gothic horror novel, Count Dracula is a nobleman who uses his powers as a vampire to dominate his victims. Even though Dracula didn't succeed in the novel, the fictional character has lived on...

"This Norton Critical Edition presents fully annotated the text of the 1897 First Edition. A rich selection of background and source materials is provided in three areas: Contexts includes probable inspirations for Dracula in the earlier works of James Malcolm Rymer and Emily Gerard. Also included are a discussion of Stoker's working notes for the novel and 'Dracula's Guest,' the original opening chapter to Dracula. Reviews and Reactions reprints...

An acclaimed historian sleuths out literature's most famous vampire, uncovering the source material -- from folklore and history, to personas including Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman -- behind Bram Stoker's bloody creation.

(A Christmas homecoming): Traveling up the Yorkshire coast with her husband and his acting troupe, Caroline, the mother of Charlotte Pitt, anticipates their arrival at the famed fishing village landing sight of Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's tale and develops an awareness about inviting and disallowing evil-- (A Christmas garland): In 1857 India, young Lieutenant Victor Narraway, with the help of two small children and a Christmas garland, defends...

A Transylvanian vampire travels to London, where he meets an implacable foe in Dr. Van Helsing.