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Last edited by mheiman

January 5, 2026 | History

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John William Polidori

Dr. Polidori was Lord Byron's personal physician. Upon accompanying Byron on holiday to Switzerland, he participated in a "ghost story" writing exercise.
His own story was met with scorn, but, inspired by the fragment that Byron wrote, Polidori used this base to write was would become the first modern vampire story in the English language.
His character, Lord Ruthven, an aristocratic bloodsucker based on Byron, would be used in English, French and German novels, operas and plays until the character was eclipsed by Stoker's Count Dracula.
Polidori became depressed and indebted due to gambling. His death at the age of 25 was officially classed as natural causes, but it was likely that Polidori committed suicide. There is strong evidence indicating poisoning with cyanide.
Through his sister, Polidori was the uncle to Dante Gabriel Rossetti, co-founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Photo of John William Polidori

English writer and physician (1795–1821)

Born	7 September 1795
Died	24 August 1821

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The Vampire

by John William Polidori
First published in 1819 — 149 editions

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Vampyre

by John William Polidori First published in 1819 — 32 editions

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Vampyre, a Tale

by John William Polidori First published in 2014 — 25 editions

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The diary of Dr. John William Polidori, 1816, relating to Byron, Shelley, etc.

by John William Polidori and William Michael Rossetti
First published in 1911 — 17 editions
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Ernestus Berchtold, or, The modern Œdipus: a tale

by John William Polidori First published in 1819 — 7 editions

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Ximenes, the wreath, and other poems

by John William Polidori First published in 1819 — 7 editions
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The Vampyre and Ernestus Berchtold;: or, The Modern OEdipus

by John William Polidori, D. L. Macdonald, and Kathleen Scherf First published in 1994 — 6 editions

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The Evil Image: two centuries of Gothic short fiction and poetry

by Patricia L. Skarda, Nora Jaffe, Daniel Defoe, John Aikin, Ann Radcliffe, Mary Alcock, Matthew Gregory Lewis, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, and 25 others First published in 1981 — 3 editions
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Vampire: (originally Printed As 'the Vampyre'

by John William Polidori and Timothy Baril First published in 2013 — 3 editions

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The Vampyre: And Other Tales of the Macabre (Oxford World's Classics)

by John William Polidori
First published in 2001 — 2 editions
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A Dark and Stormy Night

by Mary Shelley, John William Polidori, and Lord Byron First published in 2013 — 2 editions

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O Vampiro

by jaime torres and John William Polidori First published in 2021 — 2 editions

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Ghostly Tales from the Lost Summer of 1816 - Frankenstein, the Vampyre & Other Stories from the Villa Diodati

by Mary Shelley, John William Polidori, and Byron First published in 2019 — 2 editions

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The vampyre, the werewolf and other gothic tales of horror

by John William Polidori First published in 2009 — 2 editions

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Dissertatio medica inauguralis, quaedam de morbo, oneirodynia dicto, complectens

by John William Polidori First published in 1815 — 2 editions
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VAMPIRIC Tales

by John William Polidori, E. F. Benson, and Sheridan Le Fanu First published in 2018 — 2 editions

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Best Vampire Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Vampire Anthology

by Sheridan Le Fanu, John William Polidori, and Andrew Barger First published in 2012 — 2 editions

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Vampire

by John William Polidori and Henri Faber First published in 2016 — 2 editions

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Adventures on the Go #2

by Darryle Purcell, Michael Brian, John William Polidori, Francis Stevens, and Barrage First published in 2021 — 2 editions

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Vampyr: Die Erste Vampirerzählung der Weltliteratur in der Deutschen Erstübersetzung Von 1819

by John William Polidori and ngiyaw Books First published in 2012 — 2 editions

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Photo of John William Polidori

English writer and physician (1795–1821)

Born	7 September 1795
Died	24 August 1821

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ID Numbers

OLID: OL617722A
GoodReads: 26932
ISNI: 0000000110237843
Integrated Authority File (GND): 118920774
Library of Congress Names: n50020458
LibriVox: 1400
MusicBrainz: 1bf9c51e-c1ac-459f-a501-78e3dc681d48
Project Gutenberg: 1943
VIAF: 32079702
Wikidata: Q364264
Inventaire.io: wd:Q364264

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Alternative names

Dr. John William Polidori
John Polidori
Polidori John
John W. Polidori
: John Polidori
William Michael Rossetti John William Polidori
J. Polidori

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