DRACULA

This classic of English literature tells the story of Count Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and of the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing. The tale begins with Jonathan Harker, a newly qualified English solicitor, visiting Count Dracula in the Carpathian Mountains on the border of Transylvania, to provide legal support for a real estate transaction. At first enticed by Dracula's gracious manners, Harker soon realizes that he is a prisoner in Dracula's castle. After the preparations are made, Dracula leaves Transylvania for England and abandons Harker to three female vampires, called the sisters. Harker barely escapes from the castle with his life, and after returning to England, he and his fiancée Mina join the campaign against Dracula.

Bram Stoker (1847-1912) was an Irish author, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula. Stoker spent several years researching European folklore and mythological stories of vampires. His Dracula became a part of popular culture and it established many conventions of subsequent vampire fantasy.