Varney the Vampire (Vol.1-3) stands as a monumental anthology within the gothic literature panorama, bridging the realms of supernatural folklore and the burgeoning Victorian anxieties surrounding modernity and morality. This collection, encompassing an array of narratives from the macabre to the romantic, showcases the diversity of literary styles and the depth of thematic exploration characteristic of the period. The works within these volumes are pivotal in tracing the evolution of the vampire myth in Western literature, offering readers a comprehensive view of the social and cultural undercurrents that shaped such tales. The anthology draws from the prolific outputs of Thomas Peckett Prest and James Malcolm Rymer, whose collaborative efforts are often overshadowed by their contemporary, Bram Stoker, yet remain crucial in the groundwork of vampiric literature. Their backgrounds as writers for penny dreadfuls allowed them to capture the zeitgeist of Victorian society, blending sensationalism with acute observations of human nature and societal change. This collection, therefore, encompasses not only stories of the supernatural but also serves as a commentary on the fears and fascinations of the era it was born in. Varney the Vampire (Vol.1-3) is an indispensable resource for those interested in the origins and evolution of vampire mythology and its intersection with cultural, social, and historical discourses of the 19th century. Readers are invited to delve into this collection not only for its entertainment value but also for its ability to illuminate the complexities of human nature, morality, and the supernatural. Through its diverse range of narrative voices and styles, this anthology offers a unique opportunity to engage with the foundational texts that continue to influence gothic literature and horror genres today.

Varney the Vampire Or the Feast of Blood is a horror story by Thomas Peckett Prest. Structured in different episodes, these are classic tales of blood sucking horrors at midnights, for fans of the genre.

Wagner the werewolf represents the compiled exploits of one Fernand Wagner, a bitter old man visited on a stormy night by the legendary Dr. Faust. As in Faust's own tale, Wagner is made a tempting offer - renewed youth, intelligence and unlimited wealth. All he has to do is agree to accompany him for a time ... and to become a werewolf. When Wagner agrees, his youth is restored at a horrible price. on the last day of each month he becomes a mindless beast, part animal and part man. after realizing the error of his decision he begins a quest to find a cure. But Satan has a solution of his own for Wagner's condition ...

Vols. for 1871-76, 1913-14 include an extra number, The Christmas bookseller, separately paged and not included in the consecutive numbering of the regular series.

Discusses the life and Dracula writings of British horror writer Bram Stoker. Includes his influences and sources and the history of the work's publication.

When Viscount Castlereagh, leader of the House of Commons and architect of the Grand Alliance, committed suicide in 1822, the coroner's inquest could consider only two legal verdicts: insanity or self-murder. Public outrage greeted his burial in Westminster Abbey; the tradition lingered that a suicide's burial place be at a crossroads, with a stake through the heart to keep the lost soul from wandering. Probing a remarkable variety of sources and individual cases, Barbara Gates shows how attitudes toward suicide changed between Castlereagh's death and the end of the century. By 1900 the Victorians' moral censure of suicide and the accompanying denial that it was a widespread problem had been replaced by a more compassionate response--and also by an unfounded belief in a "suicide epidemic," which Thomas Hardy described as a "coming universal wish not to live.". Exposing a rich area of interaction between history and literature, and utilizing the methodology of the new historicism, Gates discusses topics ranging from the plot for Wuthering Heights to Victorian shilling shockers. Among other findings she includes evidence that Victorian middle-class men, particularly, tended to make suicide the province of other selves--of men belonging to other times or places, of "monsters," or of women. Originally published in 1988. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Sex and Death in Victorian Literature is a landmark collection of 13 previously unpublished essays on nineteenth-century British poetry, fiction and prose by the most important English and American scholars in the field. The volume observes the subject from an unusually wide variety of viewpoints, including historical, sociological, psychoanalytic, feminist and mythological. There are works central and peripheral to the traditional Victorian canon discussed in Sex and Death; as such the essays present an unprecedented perspective on the shifts and movements of nineteenth-century literature. By grouping the essays under the aegis of sexuality and morality, the volume allows the authors to explore the most important aspects of the works they discuss.