A great read about Vampiric lore, some factual and some fictional. It made for great reading and kept my interest. The illustrations were just divine! If you enjoy all things vampires, then this is the book for you. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A book both beautiful and informative that I took great pleasure in discovering. We see all the work that was done to paint as complete a portrait of the vampire as possible, and it was really interesting. I loved !

Thank you NetGalley for approving me on this title. A very good book that is well worth a read. Highly recommend

It’s ironic that 15th-century Vlad the Impaler became mixed up with the folklore of a bloodsucking vampire. Vlad III of Wallachia, son of Vlad II Dracul, was known for his military exploits. And while he did own a castle in Transylvania (present-day Romania), Prince Vlad wasn’t the intimate type who sucked the lifeblood of his victims. Instead, he preferred impaling his enemies on wooden stakes, watching them writhe in agony until death overtook them.

Bram Stoker may have used Vlad’s home, his title Dracula, and his age—centuries old—in the 1897 gothic horror novel, but not the man’s character. In the book, Count Dracula displayed aristocratic demeaner and charm, despite living in a crumbling castle. In Vampires: A Handbook of History & Lore of the Undead by Agnes Hollyhock, we learn the Count was a revenant, a reanimated corpse who haunted the living.

And while we may be accustomed to the stylings of Dracula through such characters as Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows, Lestat de Lioncourt from The Vampire Chronicles, or Edward Cullen from Twilight, different kinds of vampires show up in mythology, folklore, fiction, and even the Bible. Hollyhock covers vampires around the world and across the ages, their strengths and weaknesses, connections to certain diseases, and, most fascinating to me, why the idea of vampirism grew during the Medieval ages. Luckily, the author provides techniques for banishing the undead—you know, just in case. After all, there are rumors about Vlad the Impaler's demise, including his beheading, but no one knows for certain where his body is buried.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wellfleet Press for the ARC.

I would have loved to read this back in high school. It would have made my fixation on the supernatural so much worse. This was well researched but concise, giving a diverse history of vampire lore from all around the world in a really accessible way. It addresses the key traits and fears of a society that are reflected in their mythos. It even addressed the xenophobic views in some European vampire stories, which I only first learned about in a college course on gothic literature. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn more about vampires beyond Dracula and Carmilla.

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I admit I have a minor/major vampire obsession and try to consume as much media involving them as I possibly can. When I saw this for download on Netgalley I knew I absolutely had to read it. This is an exploration of vampires across folklore and different forms of media, including what makes a vampire a vampire, the different forms they take across cultures and media, their strengths and weaknesses, how to make one, and how to kill one.

I absolutely loved this book. There is such a deep wealth of information available for the curious reader. This is well researched and well written. You can tell the author has a reason for the subject. I admit I already knew a lot of the information presented but I did learn a lot from this. The info is put together in such an easy to read way that is accessible for readers with all levels of background knowledge.

Overall I think this book is great. Highly recommend for horror fans in general and vampire fans specifically.

This is one thorough book about vampires. There’s a lotta vampire lore out there. I really enjoyed reading about all of the various cultural beliefs and inspired media. There’s a lot of stuff to cover but this book does it well! I definitely learned a lot and would recommend it to anyone looking to know more about vampires.

The ebook interior was lovely, though it was a bit frustrating to read on a phone, formatted as it was. And I was unable to have it sent to my kindle to read on a larger screen.

That said, I enjoyed the way the information was presented; interesting rather than slow and dry.

It was a short read... only 89 pages long, with the introduction starting on page 7.
But it’s a nice overview of the history of vampire lore—It includes both well-known and lesser-known, as well as ancient and modern references.

I think this is a book I’d much prefer to have a physical copy of than an ebook version.

I was quite impressed with this book. It is the most indepth book I have read about vampire lore. It tells you about the different vampires in folk tales right the way to vampires in pop culture.
If you like vampires then this is definitely a book you should read.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an advance copy to review. All opinions are my own.

I have been obsessed with vampires for basically my entire life, and I know this little book is going straight to the top of my list of recommendations for anyone interested in the history and lore of these creatures. With several illustrations straight out of my most edgy, gothic daydreams and some slaying tips even I’d never heard of before, I was obsessed from page one.
The whole book is laid out super cleanly, with history and lore blending seamlessly and while I wouldn’t call the list at the back of the book of modern vampires comprehensive by any stretch of the imagination (that would be impossible), this book provides a compendium on the different kinds of vamps out there, which my data-loving brain couldn’t get enough of. Agnes even uses the phrase “depressive demonic nightmare boy” to refer to the modern broody, heroic type, which is so accurate it hurts.
I’m a bit ahead of my release schedule – this bad boy doesn’t come out until August – but trust me when I say this is well worth the wait. If you’re anything like me, this will be right at home on your shelf or on your kindle right next to Dracula, Vampire Academy, and Blue Bloods.

This was a fun exploration of known and lesser known folklore about the creatures that collectively haunt our imaginations. Well researched, with an addictive writing style this book was everything I was looking for and more. The illustrations are a perfect add-on, a cherry on top.

ARC REVIEW: Vampires: A Handbook of History and Lore of the Undead by Agnes Hollyhock

Genre: Nonfiction
Format: eBook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book # for 2024: #58

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS: Vampires explores the stories that led to the belief of vampires across many cultures and geographic regions.

MY THOUGHTS: Anyone that knows me well, knows I love a good vampire story. As a little kid, one of my favorite movies was The Little Vampire. After Twilight was released, I read every vampire book I could get my hands on and watched every movie or tv show I could find. (The Vampire Dairies is a favorite of mine.) Even though I’ve read a lot of books and watched a lot of movies/TV shows with vampires, I’ve never really looked into the historical context of how the belief of vampires came to be. This handbook is short, but covers a lot of material and is very informative. It is a great starting point for anyone who is interested in this topic. I very much enjoyed reading it.

“Delve bravely into the myth of the vampire-who takes many forms, lives eternally, and dines on that which we hold most dear”.

Really interesting reading/learning about vampire history.

My favourite chapter to read was historical figures and vampires.

Beware of spoilers of books/tv shows.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book.

This book is such a great study of vampires when it comes to folklore, history, and science. I really enjoyed how this was written and how the information was laid out. I found the examination of how pop culture influenced vampires was fun.

I would definitely recommend writers use this book as a reference to writing vampires that are bring brought back to folklore traditions.

Not only was the information great, but the book was also beautifully designed.

A good overview of vampire lore and history. While I do wish there were a bit more to dig into, this is still a solid jumping-off point for further research and an interesting look into some of the folklore that helped to shape one of the most iconic monsters in modern media.

As a long-term lover of cryptids, "Vampires: A Handbook of History and Lore of the Undead" by Agnes Hollyhock was an absolute delight to read. This book provides a fascinating deep dive into the rich history and lore surrounding vampires, blending historical events with the evolution of these enigmatic creatures.

Hollyhock's meticulous research shines through as she connects ancient vampire lore with historical occurrences, showcasing how societies have often turned to these mythic beings to explain the unknown. This connection between real historical events and the development of vampire myths was particularly intriguing and added a layer of depth to the book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The narrative is both entertaining and educational, making it accessible for both seasoned cryptid enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Hollyhock's writing style is engaging, ensuring that the wealth of information never feels overwhelming. Instead, it feels like a guided tour through centuries of vampire mythology, with plenty of interesting anecdotes and insights along the way.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a fascination for vampires or an interest in learning more about the history and lore of these legendary creatures. It's a compelling read that offers both entertainment and a substantial amount of knowledge.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it. "Vampires: A Handbook of History and Lore of the Undead" is a must-read for any cryptid aficionado.

This is the first book I read about vampire history and lore, and it was a very interesting read. I like the way everything about vampires is explained super well, from the different types of vampires, their folklore and mythology, to details like their weaknesses and powers.

My favorite section of the book is the one about historical figures, which focuses on people in history who were perceived as vampires for different reasons. That was very fun to read about!

Overall, this book is full of information and it's very easy to read and process. I also loved the format and the illustrations; it's a beautiful book. I will probably get a physical copy, I think it can be a nice addition to a collection of books about vampires.

A interesting, informative guide to all things Vampiric!

As a lover of vampires and the stories that surround them, I’ve read/seen media with various types of vampires with different abilities - this book gives a great explanation of the cultural and historical influences that created the different styles of vampiric folklore.

This book is great for stepping into learning about Vampire folklore as it introduces the different aspects in a friendly way. The chapters cover Vampire History, Abilities, Cultural basis of Vampire folklore and Vampires in Fiction. This book does a great job at discussing cross-cultural influences.
The illustrations throughout are beautiful, and the layout is great!

I very much enjoyed the many illustrations as well as the general layout of this book! The gritty vibes were definitely there! The contents might have been nothing new to vamp enthusiasts everywhere, yes, but I still found several annecdotes worth noting. Plus, this will no doubt make a pretty addition to anyone's collection, you can't say no to that.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wellfleet Press for the E-ARC!

A fanscinating book driving into the myth and legend of vampires - I think every type of blood sucker and undead is capture in this book. A gread read for anyone with a love of vampires and the history of their mythology.