Contains the complete original text of Stoker’s classic Dracula, including the original first, “Dracula’s Guest”, The Essential Dracula enhances your reading pleasure with a wealth of fascinating facts and legends about Dracula, Transylvania, vampires and more. Adding to the fun is the introductory essay by Leonard Wolfe, which provides background on Stoker’s life and work, examines the cultural history of the Dracula myth and traces the literary history of the vampire novel from John Polidori’s The Vampire (1919) to Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. You’ll also find illuminating commentary by leading contemporary writers, including Harlan Ellison, Robert Block, Marion Zimmer Bradley and others; a selected filmography of major vampire films, from F. W. Murnau’s silent classic Nosferatu (1922) to Francis Ford Coppola’s blockbuster Bram Stoker's Dracula(1992); and dozens of illustrations, including stunning artwork by Christopher Bing. The definitive guide to the Dracula tale, this is one book no vampire fan should be without!