Calmet on eBay: update

On 23 January, I mentioned that a copy of Augustin Calmet's Traité sur les apparitions des esprits, et sur les vampires, ou les revenants de Hongrie, de Moravie, & c. (2 vols., 1751) was available on eBay. At the time, it had 5 bids at £34.33.

It wound up attracting 26 bids and sold for £511.50 (+ £13.65 Royal Mail Airmail) on 27 January.

Click to embiggen

I've got no idea if any of my readers caught the listing - or, better yet, actually bid on it - but if you did, let me know in the comments section. Congrats to the winner, all the same.

Calmet on eBay

Dom Calmet Augustin's Dissertations sur les apparitions, des anges, des démons et des esprits, et sur les revenants et vampires de Hongrie, de Boheme, de Moravie et de Silésie (1746) is one of the all-time most influential works on vampirism. It was a best-seller in its time. A second and third edition were released in 1749 and 1751.

A copy of the latter edition—Traité sur les apparitions des esprits, et sur les vampires, ou les revenants de Hongrie, de Moravie, & c.—is available on eBay. 

Current bid for both volumes? £34.33. There are currently 10 bids on it and five days left to go. Better get cracking!

The eBay experience

I don't use eBay much these days–why bother, when I can bulk buy on Amazon or use free shipping sites?–nonetheless, I do browse it from time to time.

eBay

Ebay's primary virtue, to me, is the rarity of the items it sometimes hosts. Case-in-point: Dracula: truth and terror (left), a 1996 CD-ROM featuring the late Raymond T. McNally. Many will recognise him as the co-author of In search of Dracula (1972; 1994). 

I first heard about the CD-ROM in Elizabeth Miller's Dracula: sense & nonsense (2000). She critiqued the accuracy of a statement made in it. So, it's not an essential work–hell, I'm wondering how I'm even going to view it on my computer–but a curio. 

According to Entertainment Weekly's review, the CD-ROM 'features an annotated, searchable version of Bram Stoker's Dracula; several ''real'' vampire biographies, like that of medieval Transylvania's Vlad the Impaler; and an interactive map of vampire myths and happenings.' 

It adds, 'But because these elements aren't interwoven, the CD-ROM remains little more than a coffee-table book, albeit a fascinating one.' Awesome.

Anyway, I purchased the item on 6 December for US $25 (AU $23.71) plus US $1.99 (AU $1.89) shipping. It arrived yesterday. The CD-ROM was safely enclosed in several layers of tight packaging. However, it didn't have a cover. I doublechecked the listing and noticed something I missed toward the end:

We strive to cut costs to be able to offer you the best deal on your discs. We found that we can offer .99 shipping if we ship the disc to you without the original packaging. So we remove the disc from the original case and put it in a protective window sleeve, we then ship it to you in a thick DVD mailer for supreme protection. This auction is for the original disc only. There will be no case included.

Always scrutinise the listing, folks! Nonetheless, I wanted to see if I could still get the cover. I contacted the item's seller–starcds_com–to see if that was possible (18-Dec-12 00:20:52 AEDST):

Good morning,

I got the disc today - and it's fine. I didn't realise till after re-reading your description that I wouldn't be getting the cover with it. But that's my oversight. All good. But can I ask - what happens to its original packaging? Do you still have it or has it been thrown away?

It's always a risk sending follow-up messages like that. You never know how they'll respond. I was ready to report them if they responded with something rude. Instead, I got this (18-Dec-12 01:08):

Hello, there is no telling what happened to the cover but we sure don't still have it. We get so many DVDs in from all places. Some come with covers, some don't, some come in as collections disc only in cases and others have damaged cases. We toss out the bad cases at the time of listing and sell the good cases in "empty DVD case" lots ass all our DVDs are "Disc Only No Case". Thank you for your understanding. I do offer full refunds if you are unhappy with your purchase, simply send it back. You are a great person :) If there is anything else I can do for you please let me know.

Sincerely,
Myles

That was a pleasant surprise, to say the least. I'm love great customer service This guy had it in spades. I was so chuffed, I wrote back with a request (18-Dec-12 04:53:44 AEDST):

That's extremely kind of you! But there'll be no need for a refund. I was just curious. Ok, to be honest - I was hoping on getting it. :P

But that's ok, I understand. You'll get top marks from me. I'm so pleased by your response, do you mind if I share it on my blog?

The response (18-Dec-12 07:43):

Hello, no I don't mind at all. I'm glad you are happy :)

So, I didn't get the cover–but I got a great eBay experience as a trade-off. I'm happy with that! Major props to Myles of StarCDs.com for handling the situation brilliantly. Five stars!

Heart in a box

I've dealt with the duplicity of 'antique' vampire killing kits and the ridiculousness of 'Vampire Cage' and its imitators, now let's take a look at another unusual collectible.

Life is really beautiful

A box containing the suspiciously well-preserved heart of Auguste Delagrange—and the stake which impaled it—sold on eBay late last year for US $320.10 after 20 bids. Unlike many other vampire 'antiques', the seller courteously labelled the item a 'Prop/Gaff'.

I've traced the heart's origins to Propnomicon, which 'focuses on horror and fantasy props of interest to fans of H. P. Lovecraft and players of the "Call of Cthulhu" role playing game.' Its creator states, 'All this week [May 2010] I've been working on producing a realistic mummified vampire heart as part of a larger project. After a few failed attempts I finally have something I'm happy with.'

Clearly impressed with his work, he lovingly describes 'The large hole in the left auricle is where the ashen stake that de-animated this particular vampire entered the heart. Along the top you can see the stubs of the major vessels (pulmonary artery, aorta, superior and inferior vena cava) from when the heart was cut from the creature's chest.' Tasty.

The heart's saga is continued here and here.

Vampire journal purchases

While researching my my post on vampire journals, I sought out pricing for some available on the 'net. I found a couple of 'em on eBay and snapped 'em both up for US$9 each on September 28, after getting the seller to knock 'em down from 12 bucks a pop. They arrived in the post, yesterday.

They were both issues of Vampire Information Exchange's Vampire Information Exchange Newsletter; issues 75 (July 1996) and 77 (February 1997), respectively. I'm not sure if the newsletter's still published, but I do know it started in 1979.

That duration's an impressive feat, in itself, for a vampire periodical. In contrast, Martin V. Riccardo's Journal of Vampirism—official publication of his Vampire Studies Society—folded after two years (1977–79).

The issue numbers, however, are pretty daunting from a collecting perspective. Not only is the newsletter comparatively rare, but I only have a few others. The idea of collecting all of them, is a bit of a nightmare. 

Issue 75 (above) focuses on 'Female vampires in literature'. The primary articles in this category are Louise Ann Stephens' 'Madeline Montalia matures' (pp. 16–17), Karen Porter's 'Ancient sources for the literary female vampire' (pp. 17–18) and Feleccia Rea's 'The nature of the beast: the female vampire' (pp. 18–24).

Issue 77 (left) tackled psychic vampirism, and to that extent, there was a brief 'Glossary of terms' (p. 13), a discussion of 'The Old Hag theory' (pp. 14–15), presumably by Eric Held,  and two familiar 'faces' returned. Karen S. Porter wrote about 'Psychic aspects in traditional vampirism' (pp. 16–17), while Louise Ann Stephens took 'A not-so-brief look at psychic vampirism' (pp. 17–22). 

I'm not aware of any vampire books written by Porter and Stephens, so I hopped on Google to track 'em down. I couldn't find anything solid on Stephens, but I did find out that Porter's a poet. At the time (1997), she was 'engaged in the unromantic job of helping to run her family's liquor store.'

Cage's coven

It's not too surprising that the Nicolas Cage, vampire meme has spawned a few cash-ins—oops, I mean imitators.

Another eBay seller's selling a pic, claiming John Travolta's either a time traveller or reincarnation. Admittedly, the pic's more 'convincing', this time around. If you're gullible and have a lotta money lying around, this one'll set you back $50,000. Or, you could PayPal it to me.

eBay

Then you've got sellers who're really scraping the bottom of the barrel. One seller's listed an 'Original 1860s Tintype Kurt Russell Reincarnation Not a Vampire' for US$1,000 (left). Looks more like Jeff Bridges to me. 

I've also noticed that the more these cash-ins follow, the less the bother with 'evidence'. The descriptions become more vague. 'Now that the world has discovered that there is a group (coven?) of celebrity time travelers, or vampires, or something similar, (not) consisting of at least Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, a young Kurt Russell can be added to the list,' wrote akersfam1. 'This tintype dates from the 1860s or 1870s and is approximately 2.5" by 3.5", which probably makes it a sixth plate. This photo is original and has not been altered in any way.'

Diminishing price is another characteristic. I don't know if the Nicolas Cage pic sold for its US$1,000,000—I really hope it didn't—but it seems these guys know they'll never top the success of Cage's 'vampire' pic. So why bother?

eBay

That's why you get sad entries like 'Vintage Photo Unusual Baby Light Eyes Vampire Twilight' (left). You can score this one—although, why would you want to?—for US$14.99. Its seller, theperfectgift, dispenses with 'evidence' all together: it has no accompanying description apart from photo size and payment details. Apparently, the baby's 'glowing' eyes are 'proof' enough.

Is this really what the tintype trade's come to? Are they that desperate to unladen old photos, that they're investing them with 'strange' or 'supernatural' backstories? 

Sure, you could say that it's all fun and games, but let's not forget: these photographs depict real people. Real people who had lives, who had history. What happens to their memory if it's 'erased' by childish stories, by meme cash-ins? Don't they deserve respect? A fair (and real) representation of who they were? Their history is already being 'overwritten' by these opportunists. Should it continue? How many more cash-ins will this one-trick joke inspire?

In the meantime, the guys from The Thanatos archive—which you'll recall as the 'source' of the 'Nic Cage vampire' pic—are still yucking it up, with one remarking that 'The news about John and Nicolas images were featured in one of the most important tv news in my country, Chile'. Wow.

Can't keep a good vamp down

News.com.au

 The Nicolas Cage vampire madness continues, as the pic—which was removed from eBay for undisclosed reasons—is back, but still sporting a US$1,000,000 price tag. Thankfully, the seller's willing to waive the US$3.95 shipping fee.

eBay

I wonder if the seller removed the item due to the lack of credit he was given for his 'work': the photo on the eBay listing is now embossed with 'Jack Mord / Thanatos.net' (right). As Jack Mord—aka diabolus—mentioned on his forum, 'A lot of people aren't crediting me though, I've noticed. It was on PerezHilton and he cropped out my watermark and put his on the image.'

It's good to see news sources are starting to chase the source (like The Stir and AllMediaNY), although, one may have jumped the gun in identifying him: 'Lieutenant G.B. Smith, a Confederate prisoner that was taken in 1864 at Johnson's Island prison camp in Ohio.'

I'm not sure where the author derived that information from, as the man's identity is not revealed in the eBay listing. After all, the seller claims (with tongue firmly in cheek) that it's Nicolas Cage. 

He appears to be confusing the a name which appears, upside down, on the back of the photo: Prof. G.B. Smith, Gallery of Fine Arts, Bristol, Tenn. (below), who the seller cites as the photographer, not the man in the portrait. The confusion's not helped by the dates in Mord's listing. Despite saying it's an 'Original c.1870 carte de visite', he also says 'It's an original photo taken in Bristol, TN sometime around the Civil War.' The American Civil War ended in 1865.

eBay

The question is, where's the evidence that Cage is a vampire? Why's that the first conclusion derived from the photograph? It's not mentioned in conjunction with him drinking blood. Where's the fangs? The widow's peak? What if he's another kind of revenant? Did anyone think of that?

Maybe he's not undead, at all: he could simply be Immortal. But there might be a simpler explanation for why an 1870s photograph kinda looks like him: time travel. 

Mord believes Cage 'reinvents himself once every 75 years or so.  150 years from now, he might be a politician, the leader of a cult, or a  talk show host.' You know what other being's capable of regeneration, 'immortality' and time travel? These guys. 

All you'd need to determine is whether Cage has two hearts and an internal temperature of 59 degrees Fahrenheit. An x-ray and thermometer should do the trick.

However, if that's not feasible, there's always considering the possibility that it's a photograph of a guy—long dead—who bears passing resemblance to a famous American actor. Such phenomenon is not unheard of.

In all seriousness, it's clear Mord's having a laugh with the thing, though I doubt 'some rich asshole' will actually buy Mord's refuge in audacity. But wouldn't it be awesome if Cage, himself, bought it? Unlikely, as he's kinda broke at the moment.

Nic Cage, vampire?

AMC

An eBay seller recently offered photographic proof that American actor, Nicolas Cage, is actually a vampire: 'Original c.1870 carte de visite showing a man who looks exactly like Nick Cage. Personally, I believe it's him and that he is some sort of walking undead / vampire, et cetera, who quickens / reinvents himself once every 75 years or so.'

The 'proof' went on sale for US$1,000,000. 

It's been a popular news item, and even featured on Perez Hilton's blog. Where do I start?

Firstly, Cage—birth name, Nicolas Kim Coppola—was born on 7 January 1964 to August Coppola, a professor of literature, and Joy Vogelsang, a dancer and choreographer. Cage's first film role was 'Nicolas' in 1981 TV movie, Best of times. As is common in the entertainment industry, Cage adopted a stage name. Not as a sinister ruse, but to avoid nepotist associations with his famous uncle: Francis Ford Coppola.

Cage's family tree should be convincing evidence of his (human) age and genealogical descent, though, admittedly, the Coppola family does have some 'bats in the belfry'. Christopher Coppola, Cage's older brother, directed Dracula's widow (1988), while Francis Ford Coppola—best known for The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse now—directed Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Cage, himself, starred in Robert Bierman's Vampire's kiss (1989) as Peter Loew, a man who thinks he's a vampire.

Interestingly, the eBay pic has been 'debunked' as being out of step with vampire lore: 'Unfortunately, there’s one small problem with this bold claim. Vampire experts have been buzzing since the news about Mr. Vampire Cage broke — because a vampire cannot be photographed!' This 'lore', however, is quite modern; being a riff on the vampire's lack of reflection in mirrors. 

Both these traits originated with Bram Stoker, the first person to 'note' [devise] the vampire's lack of reflection, as well as the inability to capture its likeness on film: 'Could not codak [photograph] him – come out black or like skeleton corpse'.¹ However, this latter trait did not feature in the finished novel, Dracula (1897).

The online photographer

It's strange that a lot of the news coverage relating to the picture overlooks the wording embossed on the picture. 'THE THANATOS ARCHIVE' is pretty hard to miss.

It took a couple of seconds to source The Thanatos archive through Google. It's based in Seattle, Washington, and 'houses an extensive collection of early post-mortem and memorial / mourning photography dating back to the 1840s.'

From there, I found its discussion forum and checked to see if the picture had been discussed there. Sure enough, I came across a thread called 'Nicolas Cage is a vampire'.

The first post, by the forum's site admin—diabolus—is quite telling: 'I think I've posted this before, but my Nic Cage is a Vampire" eBay listing has really taken off. It's been on several major sites that I'm aware of including AOL, The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post and The Huffington Post. Pretty hilarious.'

The thread's contributors praised diabolus for cracking the 'big time' due to the item's extensive news coverage. He later added, 'It's supposed to be on "The View" today. And this morning I saw it on the Today show. Why isn't some rich asshole contacting me to buy it for a million? I'm sure they've spent a million on much more ridiculous things than this!'

Another member suggested he reveal himself as the source after its appearance on a popular blog. He replied, 'Hey, that's one I hadn't seen yet! A lot of people aren't crediting me though, I've noticed. It was on PerezHilton and he cropped out my watermark and put his on the image. Ah well. All that really matters is that I made it to the front page of Epic WIN!'

While the news coverage has been tongue-in-cheek—and the listing, itself, inherently ridiculous—I can't help wondering whether it'll kick off its own Birther movement,² especially as so few news agencies have bothered acknowledging the pic's source. After all, there are people who think the FVZA is an actual thing, even though its 'founder' admits it's a sham. Time will tell.

As it stands, it's a classic demonstration of the importance of paper trails.

---

^{1. B Stoker, Bram Stoker's notes for Dracula: a facsimile edition, annotated and transcribed by R Eighteen-Bisang & E Miller, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, N.C., 2008, p. 20–1.↩}

^{2. A movement brilliantly parodied by The Onion, 'Afterbirthers demand to see Obama's placenta'.↩}

Bourre's other book

eBay

I recently mentioned that I'd ordered two books by Jean-Paul Bourre from eBay. The other one was Le culte du vampire aujourd'hui (Nice: Editions Alain Fefeuvre, 1978), which I scored for EUR 4.99.

I wasn't actually looking for this book, I was looking for the other one because of its relevance to the Highgate vampire case. But when I saw the seller had a copy of this, too, I thought 'Why not?'.

I'm not expecting much out of this one. Rob Brautigam, creator of Shroudeater, has this to say about Bourre's books on vampirism: 'Ok, so maybe I don't consider Jean Paul Bourre to be "vampire researcher number one", but I have to hand it to him that his books (and often pretty wild stories) are practically always fascinating and entertaining.' We'll see.