Upcoming books 5

For the previous instalment, click here. This latest round-up pleases me greatly: it seems there's a shift toward academic vampire works. As there bloody well should be! If I was to pick a theme, I'd say they embody the vampire's formative process. Take a look-see.

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30 November 2012

The Twilight mind: Twilight saga psychology skills / Julie-Anne Sykley

Amazon says the book was already released on 16 November, but the publisher site gives the 30 November date. Take your pick. According the publisher site, 'The Twilight Saga is not just a vampire tale. It is a powerful psychological thriller about deep desire, self-discovery defying misery and achieving happiness against all odds.' I'll bet. I do wonder how many more Twilight tomes will be released in the wake of the series' final (?) film instalment, Breaking dawn–part 2. I'm guessing they'll start drying up.

Also, good to see this one's written by a fellow Australian. There are very few in the non-fiction vampire book stakes. Only Ken Gelder and David Keyworth spring to mind.

24 December 2012

Transnational and postcolonial vampires: dark blood / Tabish Khair & Johan Höglund (eds)

To all intents and purposes, an academic vampire work with an ethnic flavour. The book's description is a bit of a mouthful, though: 'Transnational and Postcolonial Vampires is a unique and timely collection that examines the past and present vampire narrative as a postcolonial and transnational phenomenon. Through a series of important contributions by well-known scholars in the field, it illustrates how vampires have mapped and continues to map the fear of the Other, the ravenous hunger of Empires and the transcultural rifts and intercultural common grounds that make up global society today.' Sure, ok. Nonetheless, it does sound intriguing.

8 January 2013

The modern vampire and human identity / Deborah Mutch (ed.)

Going by the book's description–'The essays offer readings of the modern vampire as a complex consideration of our modern human selves. Now that we no longer see the vampire as essentially evil, what does that say about us?'–it sounds Mutch has followed in the footsteps lead by Nina Auerbach's 1995 book, Our vampires, ourselves.

1 February 2013

The rise of the vampire / Erik Butler

Though not stated in its description, I can't help wondering if this book serves as a sequel to Metamorphoses of the vampire in literature and film: cultural transformations in Europe, 1732-1933 (2010). If it's anything like that one, get it. Butler knows his stuff when it comes to the undead.

It's published by Reaktion Books, the same guys behind Matthew Beresford's popular 2008 book, From demons to Dracula: the creation of the modern vampire myth.

4 April 2013

Who was Dracula?: Bram Stoker's trail of blood / Jim Steinmeyer

This book says it will be 'Hunting through archives and letters, literary and theatrical history, and the relationships and events that gave shape to Stoker’s life, Steinmeyer reveals the people and stories behind the Transylvanian legend . . . he shows how Stoker drew on material from the careers of literary contemporaries Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde; reviled personas such as Jack the Ripper and the infamous fifteenth-century prince Vlad Tepes'–which, as anyone who's familiar with Elizabeth Miller's work will know, sounds a helluva lot like literary guesswork. We'll see.

Upcoming books 4

Dr. Bob Curran

In the previous instalment, I mentioned a few details had to be sorted before publishing this follow-up. Essentially, there were two upcoming books I'd stumbled upon. They seemed 'familiar', so I double-checked whether or not they were reprints—by contacting their authors.

While that was going on, I also received two updates on upcoming works—one's only just been published. Therefore, this is the first edition of 'Upcoming books' to feature a 'Special mention' and 'Update'!

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25 September 2012

 

Fangs: everything the modern vampire needs to know / Amy Gray

Readers may be familiar with Gray's previous book, How to be a vampire: a fangs-on guide for the newly undead (2009). Is this a follow-up? I had my suspicions, as the subtitle indicates a very similar theme. So I contacted Gray by e-mail, asking whether it was an original or a reprint.¹ She said, 'Fangs is a reprint of the 2009 title. From what I understand, it's a rejacket so the only difference is the cover art', adding 'It's a little bit of a shame because there is so much more content I wanted to add about the history and archetype of vampires in cultures around the world.'² A shame, indeed. Including her extra material could've at least justified the book's retitling as a new or revised edition, but there you go.

30 September 2012

 

Dracula / Elizabeth Miller

I didn't realise this book in Parkstone Press' 'Temporis' series might be a reprint, until I saw its inclusion on Kyle Van Helsing's blog: 'So anyways, this book is a hardcover edition of a previous release.' That info isn't mentioned in the book's Amazon description. How did he know? Trawling through the Amazons, I did find references to a similar work published on 1 February 2001 and 15 June 2001; both hardcover. Miller's publications page lists, 'Dracula. 134 illustrations. New York: Parkstone Press, 2001. Also available in French and German editions.' Might this version be an update? On June 28, I posted a message on Miller's Facebook page, asking whether the book was a reprint. She said, 'It's a reprint - so is not as up-to-date as it could have been. Published initially by Parkstone Press (2001) in coffee-table book format in English, French & German.' Mystery solved.

1 October 2012

 

The rise and fall of the femme fatale: from gothic novel to vampire tale / Heather L. Braun

A femme fatale is 'is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations.' The vampire connection was established by the 'vamp', a figure made popular by Philip Burne-Jones' 1897 painting, The vampire and Theda Bara's movie stardom. I'm aware of at least two other books specifically devoted to this subject: Andrea Weiss' Vampires and violets: lesbians in film (1993) and Pam Keesey's Vamps: an illustrated history of the femme fatale (1997). However, Braun's subtitle suggests an emphasis on the vampiric aspect. Will it pan out? Wait and see.

22 October 2012

 

American vampires: their true bloody history from New York to California / Bob Curran

Readers may be familiar with Curran's other vampire works, namely, Bloody Irish: great Irish vampire stories (2002), Vampires: a field guide to the creatures that stalk the night (2005), Encyclopedia of the undead: a field guide to creatures that cannot rest in peace (2006), Vampires (2007) and Biblio vampiro: an essential guide to vampires and, more importantly, how to avoid them (2010). The book's Amazon description suggests it'll be in the 'field guide' vein tapped into by contemporaries like Jonathan Maberry and Theresa Bane: 'The vampires that lurk in the American darkness come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can produce some surprising results.' Will it be in the same league as Michael E. Bell's Food for the dead: on the trail of New England's vampires (2001), the works of Christopher Rondina or even Thomas D'Agostino's A history of vampires in New England (2010)? I'd be surprised if it actually did anything substantially new to the genre. We'll see.

23 October 2012

 

Medusa's gaze and vampire's bite: the science of monsters / Matt Kaplan

Though vampires feature prominently in the title, this work will cover a variety of monstrous wonders: 'What caused ancient Minoans to create the tale of the Minotaur that was imprisoned in a subterranean maze? Did dragons really exist? What inspired the creation of vampires and werewolves, and why have they endured as figures of horror?' I'd be surprised if the coverage given to the origin of the vampire myth will be very substantial, but the author's credentials as a 'noted science journalist and enthusiast of both the hard facts of science and the fantastic fictions of myth' are certainly intriguing.

23 November 2012

 

New vampire cinema / Ken Gelder

Gelder's best-known in vampire circles for Reading the vampire (1994), one of the more popular academic works on the undead. At first, I thought this might be a retitled reprint, till I read its Amazon.co.uk description: 'A study of around forty vampire films, from 1992 to 2010. This book looks at new vampire cinema as a genre, asking what is at stake when the cinematic vampire and the modern world encounter each other'. Should be good.

Special mention

Last year, I mentioned a book in the works by Andy M. Boylan, author of vampire movie review blog, Taliesin meets the vampires. On 29 June, he informed me of the publication of his book via Facebook: 'just to let you know the reference book is out. Only on Lulu at the mo but should be picked up through Amazon etc soon.'

He also said I'm 'referenced twice' in the book. Nice! Boylan's book was published on 28 June. It's called The media vampire: a study of vampires in fictional media. It's sure to be a worthy addition to your wish lists. In the meantime, here's some 'shameless self-promotion'.

Update

You may also recall my involvement in a Kickstarter project to help publish a book called The undead and theology. Here's the latest status on the book by its editor, John W. Morehead:

Among other things, working on manuscript for Theology and the Undead with Kim Paffenroth. Our editor at Wipf & Stock considers this a collection of quality pieces of academic work on a very interesting subject." A few questions to answer and then we move to first proofs to check.

Good to see it's coming along nicely.

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Boylan's tip-off highlights an issue I'd like to address. My primary source for upcoming non-fiction vampire books is Amazon. However, Amazon isn't the only online marketplace for books—but it is the most accessible, convenient and well-known. 

So, if you're an author whose upcoming non-fiction vampire book doesn't appear on Amazon, feel free to let me know. Reprints—retitled or otherwise—don't count, though. But revised editions do. My contact details are on my profile page.

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<sup>1. A Hogg, email, Thursday, 28 June 2012 3:46:02 PM.↩  

2. A Gray, email, Friday, 29 June 2012 9:21:02 AM.↩</sup>

Upcoming books 3

ABC-CLIO

You know the drill: I've scoured Amazon—the American and British versions—for upcoming books on vampires. For the previous instalment, click here. 

I'm flattered to see this segment's inspired another blogger—also a mate of mine. It's funny, because I first 'met' him on Amazon. It's come full circle, in a way.

Some of these finds may be considered peripheral to the subject, i.e. they touch on vampires rather than serve as full-length treatments. Being mindful of catchpenny titles, I've gauged their inclusion in this list by what I assume will be a reasonable and relatively unique take on vampires.

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July 2012

 

Monsters of the market: zombies, vampires, and global capitalism / David McNally

Though its publisher site lists 'July, 2012', Amazon says it'll be released on 11 September. Take your pick. If you like political allegories, then this is the book for you! 'Drawing on folklore, literature and popular culture, this book links tales of monstrosity from England to recent vampire- and zombie-fables from sub-Saharan Africa, and it connects these to Marx’s persistent use of monster-metaphors in his descriptions of capitalism.'

1 July 2012

 

The Dracula dilemma: tourism, identity and the state in Romania / Duncan Light

The best evidence of Dracula's success is reflected in its impact on Romanian tourism; even though Bram Stoker never visited the country. Once Westerners realised that Transylvania wasn't a mythic never-never land, the floodgates opened. So what's the dilemma? According to the book's Amazon description, 'On one hand, Dracula is Romania's unique selling point and has considerable potential to be exploited for economic gain. On the other hand, the whole notion of vampires and the supernatural is starkly at odds with Romania's self-image as a modern, developed, European state.'

30 July 2012

 

Vampires in the New World / Louis H. Palmer

As with the first entry, publication dates for this book are confusing: Amazon.co.uk says July, while Amazon lists 31 January 2013. I've used its publisher's date. The book's description makes it sound like it follows in the footsteps of Nina Auerbach's Our vampires, ourselves (1995), but with an American emphasis: 'surveys vampire films and literature from both national and historical perspectives since the publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula, providing an overview of the changing figure of the vampire in America. It focuses on such essential popular culture topics as pulp fiction, classic horror films, film noir, science fiction, horror fiction, blaxploitation, and the recent Twilight and True Blood series in order to demonstrate how cultural, scientific, and ideological trends are reflected and refracted through the figure of the vampire.'

7 August 2012

 

Haunted New Orleans: Southern spirits, Garden District ghosts, and vampire venues / Bonnye E. Stuart

One of two upcoming books emphasising vampires in association with American's Transylvania: New Orleans. The book's description doesn't indicate how much focus will be on 'vampire venues'— or vampirism, in general—so I'm only working with the title here. That said, New Orleans' considerable vampire 'heritage' should give Stuart a lotta meat to chew on.

11 September 2012

 

Spirits of New Orleans: voodoo curses, vampire legends, and cities of the dead / Kala Ambrose

The second book focusing on America's Transylvania. Must be something in the air. Again, the description doesn't indicate how much focus vampires are gonna get—but 'vampire legends' is certainly more expansive than 'venues.' Its author certainly gets around, though: 'A highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire, Kala writes for the Huffington Post, the Examiner, AOL, Yahoo and Fate Magazine and presents workshops nationally on the Mind/Body/Spirit connection including Auras and Energy Fields, Developing Business Intuition, Haunted History and Wisdom Teachings at the Omega Institute, John Edward Presents Infinite Quest, the Learning Annex, LilyDale Assembly, and Daily Om.'

16 September 2012

 

Undead in the West: vampires, zombies, mummies, and ghosts on the cinematic frontier / Cynthia J. Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper (eds.)

On first blush, the book—a collection of essays—seems to focus on the Weird West, a genre that combines 'the Western with another literary genre, usually horror, occult, or fantasy.' But its Amazon description indicates it'll also examine Western tropes in association with 'weird' combinations: 'The subjects explored here run the gamut from such B films as Curse of the Undead and Billy the Kid vs. Dracula to A-list features like From Dusk ‘til Dawn and Jonah Hex, as well as animated films (Rango) and television programs (The Walking Dead and Supernatural). Other films discussed include Sam Raimi’s Bubba Ho-Tep, John Carpenter’s Vampires, George Romero’s Land of the Dead, and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West.'

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I've actually uncovered a few more new books, but I'm 'holding' onto them till I confirm a few details first. So, stay tuned for the next instalment!

Underneath the radar

Hemlock Books

I 'discovered' this one while on one of my semi-regular Amazon trawls. Can't believe I missed it. Presenting: Bruce G Hallenbeck's British cult cinema: the Hammer vampire (left). It was published 5 May 2010.

Hammer was an English production company, best-known for its horror output during the late 1950s–early 1970s. At one point, the company was so popular, it earned a 'Queen's Award to Industry in recognition of their contribution to the British economy.'

Many horror fans—including me—have a soft spot for their films. Cheesy by today's standards, there's still a sense of class about 'em, despite their low budgets, due to the quality of their actors and (usually) Victorian settings. Christopher 'Count Dooku' Lee got his big break through them. Also, if you're into gory stuff, they basically mainstreamed it. Quite ahead of its time.

Hammer made fifteen vampire flicks. Sixteen if you include Countess Dracula (1971). Most were encased in 'series': Dracula (1958)—its eight sequels—and the Karnstein Trilogy. The remainder were stand-alones: Kiss of the vampire (1962), Vampire circus (1972) and Captain Kronos – vampire hunter (1974).

They also wanted to adapt Richard Matheson's seminal vampire novel, I am legend (1954), but censors nixed that idea.

As you can see, there's ample ground to give Hammer's vampires a whole lotta coverage, which I'm sure will warm the hearts of many fans. It's been getting some good reviews on Amazon.co.uk, too. Plus points.

Off the top of my head, there's only been two other books specifically devoted to Hammer's vampire output, namely, Robert Marrero's Vampires: Hammer style (1982) and John Jewel's Lips of blood: an illustrated guide to Hammer's Dracula movies starring Christopher Lee (2002). Going on page length, alone (I've read none of these books), looks like Hallenbeck's in the lead for most extensive coverage of the subject.

What the f—?

JackCentral

At first, I thought it was a misprint, but no, Amazon is actually selling a reprint of Bram Stoker's Dracula—with a bad case of Tourette's: 'The publishers, with the help of self styled authors have added the "F" word throughout the text, for a more enjoyable and modern read. Although altered, this book is suitable for book reports and other research.'

Something tells me that Stoker, who also wrote in favour of 'The censorship of fiction' (1908), wouldn't be too pleased with Matt R. Allen's revision of his work.

Nonetheless, the book's reviewers feel the repeated F-bombs help make the novel less 'dense',  with one noting, 'I had to read this for my lit class. I didn't want to, but it was for school, and I needed to. When I found this, it gave me a chuckle, but actually really helped me get through this book.'