"Dover does their usual wonderful — and visually rich — job in this edition of the penny dreadful vampire tales. Of interest to fans of vampire fiction but also those interested in Victoriana, penny dreadfuls, and trends in popular fiction generally. The woodcuts and other visual embellishments help capture the mood and feel of the original publications." — Society Nineteen
Before there was Dracula, there was Varney the Vampyre, the most famous of the sensational penny dreadfuls issued by Victorian-era publishers. Printed anonymously in serial form in 1847, these gripping tales recount the exploits of a deathless creature with an insatiable appetite for blood. A succession of exciting episodes chronicle the horrible fates of Varney's victims as well as the terrifying experiences of the band of comrades sworn to destroy the vampire.
Varney the Vampyre not only thrilled countless eager readers but also established many of the conventions and ideas associated with vampirism. Scarcely any copies of the original edition survive, yet this legendary "feast of blood" continues to captivate readers with its inexplicable deaths, impossible escapes, revivifications, and graveyard rituals. This volume, the first of a two-book set, features an Introduction by noted science-fiction/fantasy editor E. F. Bleiler. Both editions are enriched by many atmospheric woodcut illustrations.