Legends of Blood
The Vampire In History And Myth

Wayne Bartlett and Flavia Idriceanu
Praeger, Hardcover, $44.95

Of all the fictional monsters that have pierced society’s collective consciousness, none has been so persistent or seductive as the vampire. Tales of the undead preying upon the blood of the living have survived in one form or another for thousands of years and across cultures. Legends of Blood traces this history from the myths of Ancient Greece and Egypt through the Gothic literature of 19th century Europe and up to present day, emphasizing how the tales of this creature tap into humanity’s most basic and primal fears.

Drawing upon such sources as obscure and ancient myths, Romantic literature, and the novels of Anne Rice, Legends of Blood sheds new light on the pervasiveness of the vampire myth. Bartlett and Idriceanu illustrate the relationships that subsist between vampires and witchcraft, religion and sexuality, and show how the myth has adapted to the various intellectual trends of European history.

Wayne Bartlett has written Taming the Dragon, God Wills It! A History of the Crusades, An Ungodly War: The Sack of Constantinople and the Fourth Crusade, and Assassins: Medieval Islam’s Secret Sect. He’s a management consultant, currently working in Romania. Flavia Idriceanu is a philologist in Bucharest, Romania.

Legends of Blood fills in the rich and fascinating history of the vampire, with details, facts and insights that most readers will likely have never encountered before. Which makes this book an excellent resource for anyone interested in the vampire legend, including scholars and horror fiction writers.

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