Upcoming Books 6

For the previous instalment, click here. Time for another round-up of upcoming non-fiction vampire books! Note: publication dates and titles are sometimes subject to change.

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1 August 2013

Amazon.co.uk

Vampire Culture / Maria Mellins

The Vampire Community is notoriously prickly when it comes to coverage of their culture—Joseph Laycock's Vampires Today (2009) remains relatively unscathed. Will this "ethnographic study" pass muster? We'll see.

But if anyone wants a taste of her previous work on this subject, I recommend tracking down her 2008 article for the International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, "The Female Vampire Community and Online Social Networks: Virtual Celebrity and Mini Communities: Initial Thoughts."

15 August 2013

Fanged Fan Fiction: Variations on Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries / Maria Lindgren Leavenworth and Malin Isaksson

The release dates are a bit hazy on this one. Amazon.com lists 30 September; the publisher's website lists "Spring/Summer 2013." I'm using the Amazon.co.uk date.

This is certainly a niche field—vampire fan fic. The book includes examples, apparently. Whether that'll make you want it more depends on your taste. Nonetheless, it's interesting to see a full-length work devoted to that genre.

1 September 2013

Images of the Modern Vampire: The Hip and the Atavistic / edited by Barbara Brodman and James E. Doan

It's rare you'll see a sequel to a non-fiction vampire anthology—and this is it. It follows on from The Universal Vampire: Origins and Evolution of a Legend (2013) by the same editors. According to this H-Net Discussion Network conversation by its co-editor, it

will be an eclectic mélange of essays, including a discussion of evolution and atavism in the vampire film, The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998); critical pieces that examine the modern Asian vampire, on stage, in graphic novels and in film; images of the Vampire in contemporary Japan (where, according to its author, vampires should be “beautiful”); an analysis of the vampire in popular Russian culture; and the obligatory studies of vampires in The Twilight Saga and the True Blood series.

You had me at "obligatory"! In all seriousness, though, I'm liking the breadth of vampire scholarship Brodman and Doan have added to the genre. Quite eclectic.

11 November 2013

The Vampire in Contemporary Popular Literature / Lorna Piatti-Farnell

Amazon.co.uk lists 23 December 2013 for this one. I'm guessing it'll cover the usual Twilight, Vampire Diaries, Southern Vampire Mysteries stuff. Still, it's good to have up-to-date writings in this field.

20 December 2013

Sexuality in Bram Stoker's Dracula

Amazon.co.uk presently credits to "Greenhaven Press Editor", so I'm guessing it'll be another anthology. I tell you what, though, I'm really getting into non-fiction vampire anthologies. They're easier to digest.

It'll be interesting to see what they can squeeze out of a book Maurice Richardson once famously described as a "kind of incestuous, necrophilious, oral-anal-sadistic all-in-all wrestling match."

31 December 2013

Open Graves, Open Minds: Representations of Vampires and the Undead from the Enlightenment to the Present Day / edited by Sam George and Bill Hughes

Its publisher, Manchester University Press, lists "December  2013" as the publication date. "Open Graves, Open Minds" was briefly mentioned in my previous blog. It also made a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance—as a poster for a conference held on 16–17 April 2010. Yep, the conference's papers are finally being published. Going by its contents, though, there's precious little in the way of the vampire's evolution from the Enlightenment era. The concentration's on the literary aspect from the 19th century onward. As most vampire books tend to be.

1 July 2014

Written in Blood: A Cultural History of the British Vampire / Paul Adams

This book is so far along the line, that not even its publisher, The History Press, has a listing for it. However, I was able to dig up the book's description via JS Campus:

Vampires, chilling supernatural creatures of the night - do they really exist? The British Isles has a remarkable association with the realms of the undead, from the nineteenth-century world of Croglin Grange, Varney the Vampire and Stoker's Dracula, through to Hammer Films and the modern phenomenon of the Highgate Vampire. In this new and thought-provoking book, illustrated with many never before seen photographs and drawing on extensive original research, is a detailed and fascinating exploration of the history of British vampirism in both fact and fiction; a modern guide where every page is truly written in blood ...

It sounds pretty generic, but the promise of it being a "thought-provoking book, illustrated with many never before seen photographs and drawing on extensive original research" has got me on the hook. Here's hoping it lives up to its promise.

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!

Upcoming books 2 & update

For the previous instalment, click here. I periodically trawl through Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk—the latter has a greater span—for new works on vampires. 

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Previously, occult-based and cinematic coverage were the dominant themes. This time, it looks like vampire hunters are making a resurgence. 

Going on its title, Valerie Estelle Frankel's Buffy and the Heroine's Journey: vampire slayer as feminine Chosen One is a feminist slant on the Hero's Journey—or monomyth—espoused by Joseph Campbell. This is basically confirmed by its publisher's listing: 'Television’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer represents a different kind of epic--the heroine’s journey, not the hero’s. This provocative study explores how Buffy blends 1990s girl power and the path of the warrior woman with the oldest of mythic traditions.' According Amazon.co.uk, it'll be available on April 1st.

April 26th will see the release of The vampire hunter's guide by Otto De'Ath (groan). This one's for junior Van Helsings. It's also part of Franklin Watts' 'EDGE - Monster Tracker' series. Here's other titles.

Roger Ma's The vampire combat manual: a guide to fighting the bloodthirsty undead will be released on October 2nd. His previous work—The zombie combat manual: a guide to fighting the living dead (2010)—will likely serve as a good barometer to this one. In the meantime, here's an interview with the author discussing that work.

From vampire hunters to their close cousin, the vampire expert—September 18th will see the release of István Pivárcsi's Just a bite: a Transylvania vampire expert's short history of the undead. First time I've heard of him. The Amazon.co.uk description reads: 'Mustering his extensive experience on the scene of the world's richest source of vampire lore, Transylvania, historian and author István Pivárcsi seeks to peel away the effects of popular culture and set the record straight, addressing essential questions in dozens of bite-size chapters'. I must admit, the 'bite-size chapters' bit makes me a lil suss. 

Tundra Books

Don't worry, though, there's still some sympathy for the Devil with Victoria Nelson's Gothicka: vampire heroes, human gods, and the new supernatural on April 13th: 'The Gothic, Romanticism's gritty older sibling, has flourished in myriad permutations since the eighteenth century. In "Gothicka", Victoria Nelson identifies the revolutionary turn it has taken in the twenty-first century. Today's Gothic has fashioned its monsters into heroes and its devils into angels.' Indeed. In fact, now they're practically pin-up, as attested by works like Dark angels revealed by Angela Grace (2011).

Lastly, another work for the kiddies—a compendium, from the looks of it—Denise Despeyroux's The big book of vampires. Stay tuned August 14th for that one.

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And now, the update. On February 14th, I received the other belated Christmas present from Jo, ordered through Amazon.co.uk—Anja Lauper's Die ›phantastische Seuche‹: Episoden des Vampirismus im 18. Jahrhundert (2011). To find out what the other was, click here.

On the feast front

I recently mentioned an upcoming book called Bram Stoker’s Dracula: the critical feast, an annotated reference of reviews and reactions, 1897-1920, which is compiled and edited by John Edgar Browning. John saw my post and shared further information, 'hot off the press', on the 18th via Facebook:

BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA: THE CRITICAL FEAST
An Annotated Reference of Early Reviews and Reactions, 1897-1913


Compiled and Annotated, with an Introduction, by
John Edgar Browning

Bibliographical Afterword by
J. Gordon Melton

PRAISE
“Both scholars and devoted fans will rejoice in Bram Stoker’s Dracula: The Critical Feast. This exhaustive compilation fulfills a long-standing need in the realm of Dracula studies and provides a valuable fresh perspective on the early popular and critical reception of Stoker’s masterpiece.”
—Dr. Margaret L. Carter, The Vampire in Literature: A Critical Bibliography and Different Blood: The Vampire as Alien

“This meticulously researched book puts to rest misconceptions long held by many Dracula scholars (myself included) about the reception of Stoker's novel. A superb achievement and a scholar’s delight!”
—Dr. Elizabeth Miller, Bram Stoker’s Dracula: A Documentary Journey into Vampire Country and the Dracula Phenomenon and Bram Stoker’s Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition

“Dryden said of The Canterbury Tales that “here is God’s plenty,” and one might say the same thing about Bram Stoker’s Dracula: The Critical Feast. Browning has assembled an exhaustive collection of contemporary reviews of Dracula, reviews that put Stoker’s novel into context and demonstrate its almost instantaneous popularity. In addition, The Critical Feast includes copies of early covers and photographs of Stoker. This is a book that every student of Dracula will be proud to own…and pore over, a feast for the eyes and for the mind.”
—Dr. Carol A. Senf, Bram Stoker (Gothic Authors: Critical Revisions) and The Critical Response to Bram Stoker

SYNOPSIS
There is a common misconception that the early critical reception of Bram Stoker’s famed vampire novel, Dracula (1897), was “mixed.” This reference book sets out to dispel this myth en force by offering the most exhaustive collection of early critical responses to Stoker’s novel ever assembled, including some 91 reviews and reactions as well as 36 different press notices, many of which have not been seen in print since they appeared over 100 years ago. What these early critical responses reveal about Dracula’s writing is that it was predominantly seen by early reviewers and responders to parallel, even supersede the Gothic horror works of such canonical writers as Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Accompanying the critical responses are annotations and an introduction by the editor, a bibliographical afterword by J. Gordon Melton, 32 illustrations, and a bibliography.

Sounds good! Personally speaking, I find it interesting to read contemporary views on the novel, long before it morphed into the Gothic legend it's become. Back when it was more 'grounded'. Anyhoo, John also kindly sent me the book's cover, today. Here tis:

Nifty, ain't it? He also let me know that 'with any luck, I'll be contracting my 9th and 10th book in the next 30 days'! Considering the first book he edited appeared in 2009—Draculas, vampires, and other undead forms: essays on gender, race, and culture—that's a hell of an achievement. Let's not forget his 'critical edition' to Montague Summers' The vampire in Europe (1929) is also due sometime this year.

In this capacity, John reminds me of Peter Haining (1940–2007), another prolific guy with a knack for turning up obscure goodies.

Dracunews

Wikipedia

As Niels points out, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of Bram Stoker's passing. His death was largely overlooked at the time, due to the aftermath of a certain event. Bad timing, Bram!

Niels' post also reveals that Constable & Robinson—the modern incarnation of Dracula's original publisher, Archibald Constable and Company—will be releasing a facsimile edition of the 1897 novel. The pre-release prices for the hardback edition are, how should I put this—exorbitant. However, paperback copies will be far cheaper.

I'm sure the book will be invaluable to Dracula scholars, as an original text, rather than various abridged versions published over the years. But did you know Stoker's work was republished with edits made by the author, himself? That's the 1901 edition. Transylvania Press reprinted it in 1994. Unfortunately, it was a limited to a press run of 500 copies—all sold out.

Barring the original works, themselves—which sell for thousands—the upcoming facsimile and the 1901 abridged edition reprint would be perfect companions to Bram Stoker's notes for Dracula: a facsimile edition (2008).

Speaking of companions, John Edgar Browning has complied and annotated Bram Stoker’s Dracula: the critical feast, an annotated reference of reviews and reactions, 1897-1920 which will be published by The Apocryphile Press. So, stay tuned for that.

He's previously co-edited Draculas, vampires, and other undead forms: essays on gender, race, and culture (2009), edited The vampire, his kith and kin: a critical edition (2011) and co-wrote Dracula in visual media: film, television, comic book and electronic game appearances, 1921-2010 (2010). He even made contributions to S.T. Joshi's Encyclopedia of the vampire: the living dead in myth, legend, and popular culture (2010).

The guy's a machine. He's been involved in consistently good works, too, so if you see his name attached to something, chances are, it'll be a recommended purchase.

All up, 2012 looks like it'll be a great year for Dracula scholars. Let's not forget upcoming conferences like the University of Hull's Bram Stoker and Gothic Transformations on 12-14 April and Bram Stoker: life and writing, which will be held on 5-6 July at Stoker's old stomping ground, Trinity College, Dublin. You can read about other commemorative events via Stoker's estate website.

Upcoming books

It's been a while since I've taken a look at 'Upcoming books on vampires', so let's see what we're dealing with in the coming months. If you're a vampire fiction aficionado, note that my coverage of 'Upcoming books' concerns non-fiction works. Publication dates are also subject to change.

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If I was to summarise the general themes of non-fiction vampire works coming in the new year, I'd say occult and film.

We start with Leo Ruickbie's A brief guide to the supernatural: ghosts, vampires and the paranormal (16 February 2012). Ruickbie 'is an historian and sociologist of magic, witchcraft and Wicca.'

Red Wheel/Weiser

For something explicitly magical, we have Father Sebastiaan's Vampire magick: the grimoire of the Living Vampire (1 March 2012), a 'companion volume' to Vampyre Sanguinomicon: the lexicon of the Living Vampire (2010).

For those not-in-the-know, a grimoire 'is a textbook of magic. Such books typically include instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination and also how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, and demons.'

The pseudo-archaic tone is enhanced with 'magick', 'an Early Modern English spelling for magic'—but was also used by infamous occultist, Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), to 'differentiate the occult from stage magic'—and vampyre, for that matter, which is (spoiler alert!) merely an archaic rendering of vampire.

As to film, Columbia University Press will be publishing Jeffrey Weinstock's The vampire film: undead cinema in April 2012; while I.B. Tauris will release Screening the undead: vampires and zombies in film and television by Leon Hunt, Sharon Lockyer and Milly Williamson on 1 December 2012.

Williamson may be familiar to some readers through her 2005 book, The lure of the vampire: gender, fiction and fandom from Bram Stoker to Buffy.