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Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula
Bram Stoker's initial notes and outlines for his landmark horror novel Dracula were auctioned at Sotheby's in London in 1913 and eventually made their way to the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia, where they are housed today. Until now, few of the 124 pages have been transcribed or analyzed. This comprehensive work reproduces the handwritten notes both in facsimile and in annotated transcription. It also includes Stoker's typewritten research notes and thoroughly analyzes all of the materials, which range from Stoker's thoughts on the novel's characters and settings to a nine-page calendar of events that includes most of the now-familiar story. The coauthors draw on their extensive knowledge of Dracula and vampires to guide readers through the construction of the novel, and the changes that were made to its structure, plot, setting and characters. Nine appendices provide insight into Stoker's personal life, his other works and his early literary influences.
331 pages, Hardcover
First published May 30, 2008
9 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Bram Stoker
2,641 books5,866 followersIrish-born Abraham Stoker, known as Bram, of Britain wrote the gothic horror novel
Dracula
(1897).
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 2, 2012
After 25 years of reading and collecting vampire books, I have a pretty narrow definition of what I consider 'essential' in a collection. "Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition" is one of these essential books.
Over the past few decades there have been numerous books that analyze, discuss and annotate "Dracula," but none come this close to giving you true insight into Bram Stoker's thought process as he developed the novel. Eighteen-Bisang and Miller decipher Stoker's messy and often cryptic handwriting from his original research and plot notes, presenting it alongside facsimiles of the actual notes held in a collection at the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia.
To anyone studying the novel, or simply reading it for pleasure, "Notes for Dracula" is a must-have companion piece. Although the handwritten notes play a big part in this book, it also includes Stoker's typewritten notes, background information on the author, and much, much more. What I found of particular interest are the sections "The Novel vs. the Notes" and "The Novel We Could Have Read."
I can't think of any other creature that has so deeply ingrained itself into world-wide culture. Dracula is the most famous vampire there is...and for the first time, we get a real glimpse into the creative process that brought him to life.
Over the past few decades there have been numerous books that analyze, discuss and annotate "Dracula," but none come this close to giving you true insight into Bram Stoker's thought process as he developed the novel. Eighteen-Bisang and Miller decipher Stoker's messy and often cryptic handwriting from his original research and plot notes, presenting it alongside facsimiles of the actual notes held in a collection at the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia.
To anyone studying the novel, or simply reading it for pleasure, "Notes for Dracula" is a must-have companion piece. Although the handwritten notes play a big part in this book, it also includes Stoker's typewritten notes, background information on the author, and much, much more. What I found of particular interest are the sections "The Novel vs. the Notes" and "The Novel We Could Have Read."
I can't think of any other creature that has so deeply ingrained itself into world-wide culture. Dracula is the most famous vampire there is...and for the first time, we get a real glimpse into the creative process that brought him to life.
Want to read
October 5, 2013YESSSS IT IS MINE AND IT IS _FABULOUS_
April 12, 2020
This, like the Histories of Middle-earth, reminds me of law and sausages. Which is disappointing, as I'm a huge fan of Dracula and wanted to find out more, but there's a lot of repetition here and some of the critical stuff just isn't put together very well.
Basically, the idea of the book is that some of Stoker's notes were discovered, notes he made while researching and writing Dracula, and they've been transcribed and collated here, with some attempt at editorial footnotes - some of these are more helpful than others. And the whole should be interesting, but honestly... is anyone really that interested in train timetables jotted down on scrap paper? Or the permutations of name that Peter Hawkins went through before Stoker finally decided? I know that I am not. Still, if my own academic focus were on the development of the book rather than the final story I might get some mild use out of it, so no real problems there.
As I said, the way the book's put together is a bigger problem. There's a huge amount of repetition, and a number of quotes from various critics/academics turn up more than once. (If I did this in my papers, peer-review would shred me.) The text also appears to have the odd mistake. It claims, for instance, that Stoker's grandson was Noel Dobbs, and that he was named for his father (Stoker's only child was a son called Noel). Granted I do not know the family tree, but a son named for his father should share the same last name, right? So I looked it up, and there's a number of sources saying Dobbs is the great-grandson of Stoker, and therefore named for his grandfather Noel. Which, if true, seems petty and picky to bring up, but also raises questions in me, at least, as to the accuracy of the rest of the information. Especially as parts of the book disagree with each other. The first appendix, for instance, gives a timeline which states that in 1897 Whitworth Jones becomes the first actor to play the Count (i.e. Dracula), but earlier the book describes an 1897 production - which occurred before Jones came to work at the playhouse involved, in which said Count was played, the editors suppose, by T. Arthur Jones. Similarly, the book argues more than once that Stoker was the first author to show a vampire transforming into a bat, while that same appendix-timeline refers to Burton's Vikram and the Vampire (1870) and Georges Méliès Le Manoir du Diable (1896 - aka The Haunted Castle), both of which came out before Stoker's masterpiece in 1897, and both of which had a bat-link in them, as I understand it. Now you could cavil that both Burton and Méliès were not referring to vampires as we understand them today, but that seems rather a circular argument, as vampires-as-we-understand-them-today are heavily influenced by Stoker... and it also takes away from the fact that B&M have been understood and/or interpreted as vampire narratives by other sources. The Kevin Dodd paper, "Blood Suckers Most Cruel: The Vampire and the Bat In and Before Dracula" might be helpful here. It led me to the 1863 short story by William Kingston, which has vampire-women transforming into bats - Kingston is not referenced in Drafts of Dracula, but his story was collected by one of the editors in one of his other books, Vintage Vampire Stories, published in 2011 (eight years before Drafts of Dracula) so he should have been aware of that particular precedent.
One to skim over, unless you're rabid in your fandom, I think.
Basically, the idea of the book is that some of Stoker's notes were discovered, notes he made while researching and writing Dracula, and they've been transcribed and collated here, with some attempt at editorial footnotes - some of these are more helpful than others. And the whole should be interesting, but honestly... is anyone really that interested in train timetables jotted down on scrap paper? Or the permutations of name that Peter Hawkins went through before Stoker finally decided? I know that I am not. Still, if my own academic focus were on the development of the book rather than the final story I might get some mild use out of it, so no real problems there.
As I said, the way the book's put together is a bigger problem. There's a huge amount of repetition, and a number of quotes from various critics/academics turn up more than once. (If I did this in my papers, peer-review would shred me.) The text also appears to have the odd mistake. It claims, for instance, that Stoker's grandson was Noel Dobbs, and that he was named for his father (Stoker's only child was a son called Noel). Granted I do not know the family tree, but a son named for his father should share the same last name, right? So I looked it up, and there's a number of sources saying Dobbs is the great-grandson of Stoker, and therefore named for his grandfather Noel. Which, if true, seems petty and picky to bring up, but also raises questions in me, at least, as to the accuracy of the rest of the information. Especially as parts of the book disagree with each other. The first appendix, for instance, gives a timeline which states that in 1897 Whitworth Jones becomes the first actor to play the Count (i.e. Dracula), but earlier the book describes an 1897 production - which occurred before Jones came to work at the playhouse involved, in which said Count was played, the editors suppose, by T. Arthur Jones. Similarly, the book argues more than once that Stoker was the first author to show a vampire transforming into a bat, while that same appendix-timeline refers to Burton's Vikram and the Vampire (1870) and Georges Méliès Le Manoir du Diable (1896 - aka The Haunted Castle), both of which came out before Stoker's masterpiece in 1897, and both of which had a bat-link in them, as I understand it. Now you could cavil that both Burton and Méliès were not referring to vampires as we understand them today, but that seems rather a circular argument, as vampires-as-we-understand-them-today are heavily influenced by Stoker... and it also takes away from the fact that B&M have been understood and/or interpreted as vampire narratives by other sources. The Kevin Dodd paper, "Blood Suckers Most Cruel: The Vampire and the Bat In and Before Dracula" might be helpful here. It led me to the 1863 short story by William Kingston, which has vampire-women transforming into bats - Kingston is not referenced in Drafts of Dracula, but his story was collected by one of the editors in one of his other books, Vintage Vampire Stories, published in 2011 (eight years before Drafts of Dracula) so he should have been aware of that particular precedent.
One to skim over, unless you're rabid in your fandom, I think.
June 16, 2024
There will always be some more information on the legendary count you didn't know. This book is extremely well done. You'll find inside the hand written notes on the plot, Whitby, the Stoker family, the castle, the Lyceum Theater (incl. a picture of the Beefsteak Room), Irving, handwritten research notes, a superb illustration to Stoker's story The Invisible Giant, a whole chapter on the method of narration, time, plot, characters, the count and his castle, Whitby, a single chapter on the myth of Dracula, Stoker's non fiction sources, possible literary influences, his library, a suggestion on the novel we would have read. Must read for every Dracula fan or those who can't get enough of the count. Extremely well researched and compiled. Highly recommended!
June 22, 2021
Dear struggling writer, listen to the children of the night while you despair over your feeble manuscript. Let not the echoes of doubt and erased pages crush your will to write. Embrace the darkness in your writing space and succumb to the lure of inspiration...
Now, back to the bright day. This is a wonderful read for Dracula fans. The insight and the human part of Bram Stoker in his messy, quick notes all over the place bring the readers much closer to the novel and the writer.
But this collection is an even greater and incredibely useful read for new writers who have just tipped their toes in the wild and swirling waters of the writing craft.
Why and how can this blood-dripping book form with wolf fur and garlic smell remains inspire and teach? Because the notes show the book's prenatal development and the possible different routes for the plot and the characters. It shows the new writers it is needed to plan ahead, look for information resources, scribble down anything interesting on the way... And build the book.
Now, back to the bright day. This is a wonderful read for Dracula fans. The insight and the human part of Bram Stoker in his messy, quick notes all over the place bring the readers much closer to the novel and the writer.
But this collection is an even greater and incredibely useful read for new writers who have just tipped their toes in the wild and swirling waters of the writing craft.
Why and how can this blood-dripping book form with wolf fur and garlic smell remains inspire and teach? Because the notes show the book's prenatal development and the possible different routes for the plot and the characters. It shows the new writers it is needed to plan ahead, look for information resources, scribble down anything interesting on the way... And build the book.
January 26, 2022
Fabulous and key to understanding Bram Stoker's work and thoughts. A great and thoroughly researched work, perfection as always by Elizabeth Miller and a must for all Vampire scholars
Read
January 24, 2019Interesting ... a behind-the-scenes look at the research of one of the most famous books in horror, or any kind of literature.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews