Title Information
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead, 2nd Edition
"The most comprehensive collection of vampire lore, with entries on everything from African Vampires to Yama, the God of Death."
Chicago Tribune
"An excellent reference. This remarkable amalgam of the popular and the scholarly is highly recommended."
Choice
"Anything and everything you ever wanted or needed to know about vampires is found within this massive 900-page reference. The mere writing of such a massive undertaking as this book would be a seemingly impossible task, but the author pulls it off nicely ... I highly recommend this book."
Horror Classics Book Review
"This impressive compendium is a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in researching vampires or vampirism."
Journal of American Folklore
Perhaps the vampire myth inspires continual fascination because it serves as a powerful allegory for the darker parts of the human condition, touching on death, immortality, forbidden sexuality, sexual power and surrender, intimacy, alienation, rebellion, violence, and a fascination with the mysterious. Whatever. Renowned religion expert and fearless vampire authority J. Gordon Melton takes the reader on a vast, alphabetic tour of the psychosexual, macabre world of the blood-sucking undead. From Vlad the Impaler to Barnabas Collins to Dracula and Lestat, The Vampire Book supplies nearly 500 exhaustive essays illustrated with more than 250 photos. Just when you thought it was once again safe to frolic unabashed in the night. In this completely revised and greatly enlarged second edition (of a very popular first edition), vampires are certainly given their day in the sun, a calamity for many. At nearly 1,000 pages, we can promise a very thorough unearthing of the vampire through the ages as well as a solid ab builder. Relying on a lifetime of study and his personal collection of 2,000 titles on vampires and all the comic books money can buy, Dr. Melton digs deeper into the lore, the myths, and the reported realities of vampires and vampire legends from around the world. He uncovers historical, literary, mythological, biographical, and popular aspects of one of the world's most mesmerizing subjects. Endorsed by all the vampire associations that really matter, The Vampire Book is the ultimate collection for readers of vampire literature, vampire movie buffs, Buffy fans, friends of Dracula, individuals with gothic tendencies, young women of all ages, and others interested in conflicted night creatures with a thirst for blood, time on their hands, and unresolved sexual issues. It includes a 60-page section on vampire resources plus a vampire chronology for the historically inclined.
About J. Gordon Melton
Author J. Gordon Melton is a nationally known author, lecturer and scholar, best known for his work on religious cults. He is considered America¯s senior scholar in the field of new and unconventional religions, having studied them for more than 25 years. He is a director of the Institute for the Study of American Religions and a research specialist with the Department of Religious Studies at University College, Santa Barbara. He has written a number of books on new and unconventional religions and maintains a foot firmly planted in the paranormal.
