DRACULA by Bram Stoker

Welcome to Page 14 of I Read That Book! On each Page, I’ll tell you a little about a book I read, often in a fun and informal manner, with the hope that you also may become interested enough to read it – or perhaps read it again if you’ve already enjoyed it once. The books I’ll be featuring come from a variety of genres at differing stages of my life, so whether you prefer history, literature, science fiction, or horror, there’s a good chance you’ll get some interesting ideas for your personal “To Be Read” list. Thank you for joining me on this journey as we flip through the pages of some of my favorite books. But before you start reading below, I invite you to grab a cup of your favorite beverage (coffee for me!) and find a comfortable place to sit, then turn to Page 14.

DRACULA by Bram Stoker

Publication Date: May 26, 1897

Note: This was originally published October 1, 2021, on my Substack blog.

The air is cooler, the apples are crispier, and the leaves will soon be turning brown and crunchy. The dark, evening sky comes more quickly now, giving us less time to hang new strands of garlic around our doors and windows in preparation of the anticipated nightly visits. It’s October, and Dracula is waiting for you to finally take Bram Stoker’s 1897 classic off the shelf and start reading during this most appropriate time of year.

“Do you mean to tell me, friend John, that you have no suspicion as to what poor Lucy died of, not after all the hints given, not only by events, but by me?”

“Of nervous prostration following a great loss or waste of blood.”

“And how was the blood lost or wasted?” I shook my head.

He stepped over and sat down beside me, and went on, “You are a clever man, friend John. You reason well, and your wit is bold, but you are too prejudiced. You do not let your eyes see nor your ears hear, and that which is outside your daily life is not of account to you. Do you not think that there are things which you cannot understand, and yet which are, that some people see things that others cannot? But there are things old and new which must not be contemplated by men’s eyes, because they know, or think they know, some things which other men have told them. Ah, it is the fault of our science that it wants to explain all, and if it explain not, then it says there is nothing to explain.”

~ conversation between Dr. John Seward and Abraham Van Helsing

I put off reading DRACULA for decades, not really having much of an interest. Sure, like so many people, I’ve watched various movies featuring the blood-dependent Count, but the way the book is written didn’t appeal to me. It wasn’t the 19th Century style so much as the fact that the novel is constructed with diary entries, letters, and newspaper articles. Which isn’t necessarily the best formula for a page turner. Yet as a horror reader, I knew my education wouldn’t be complete until I read it.

As it turned out, the experience was better than I thought it would be, but I don’t think DRACULA is for everyone. It takes some patience, but if you stick with it, you may decide it was worth every moment. You’ll also see a number of differences from many of the movies out there. As an example, the original conception of Count Dracula by Bram Stoker allowed the vampire to walk in the day, while Hollywood decided sunlight would be a great way to combat his unearthly powers. However, I would hazard to say that most people will see Dracula on the screen before they even think about reading the book. And speaking of books, you can see from the pictures above that I have an old edition that came out shortly after the Universal classic starring Bela Lugosi.

While Lugosi is on my mind…and probably on his way to my neck…is it any surprise that I have the special Universal boxed set that contains five spooky Dracula movies? The first three items in the image above are all parts of that DVD collection, while the image to the far right is a DVD set containing four Dracula movies from Hammer Studios, starring Christopher Lee as the Count. Pictured below is the original box that contained the Universal DVDs, and as you can see, it also included two other sets of movies, along with neat busts of these monstrous heroes of horror films.

And since we’re still on the movies, I’ve included below one of the most famous scenes from the 1931 classic.

If Bram Stoker were alive today (and who’s to say he isn’t, considering what he wrote), he’d be a wealthy man. Not only have there been hundreds of movies featuring the king of the vampires, but Dracula’s image has also been used in cartoons, comic books, stage plays, and musicals. And toys, too! Below are a few I own.

There are plenty of fun things to watch and collect if you’re a Dracula fan, yet none of it would exist if not for the source material. As I admitted above, I put off reading DRACULA for a long time, but was glad when I finely explored this eerie tale and could experience it firsthand. While it’s not my favorite classic horror novel, I liked it enough to also listen to an Audible version a few years ago. And since it’s now October, perhaps you’ll want to read it, too.

And don’t forget to join us here again when I flip to the next Page!

Note: The first 32 pages of I Read This Book! originally appeared on Substack.

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