Abraham “Bram” Stoker
Born 8th November 1847, Dublin, Ireland.
Died 20th April 1912, London, England.
Bram Stoker Photograph
Bram Stoker was an Irish author, best known today for his Gothic adventure novel Dracula (1897), spawning the infamous Count Dracula vampire legend from Transylvania.
During his lifetime, Stoker was better known as the personal assistant to the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London (owned by Henry Irving).
In 1890 Stoker visited the English coastal town of Whitby, and that visit is said to be part of the inspiration for Dracula. He began writing novels while manager for Henry Irving and secretary and director of London’s Lyceum Theatre, beginning with The Snake’s Pass in 1890 and Dracula in 1897.
During this period, Stoker was part of the literary staff of the The Daily Telegraph in London, and he wrote other fiction, including the horror novels The Lady of the Shroud (1909) and The Lair of the White Worm (1911).
He published his Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving in 1906, after Irving’s death, which proved successful, and managed productions at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Before writing Dracula, Stoker met Ármin Vámbéry, a Hungarian writer and traveller. Dracula likely emerged from Vámbéry’s dark stories of the Carpathian mountains. Stoker then spent several years researching European folklore and mythological stories of vampires.
Dracula is an epistolary novel, written as a collection of realistic but completely fictional diary entries, telegrams, letters, ship’s logs, and newspaper clippings, all of which added a level of detailed realism to the story, a skill which Stoker had developed as a newspaper writer. At the time of its publication, Dracula was considered a “straight forward horror novel” based on imaginary creations of supernatural life. “It gave form to a universal fantasy . . . and became a part of popular culture.”
Bram Stoker Novels
The Snake’s Pass – 1890
The Gombeen Man : Chapter III of The Snake’s Pass
First published 1904 : Irish Literature Vol. VIII., John D. Morris & Company, Philadelphia
The Night of the Shifting Bog : Chapter XVII “The Catastrophe” of The Snake’s Pass
First published January 1891 : Current Literature – A Magazine of Record and Review Vol. VI, No. 1, The Current Literature Publishing Co., New York
Seven Golden Buttons – 1891
The Watter’s Mou’ – 1895
At the Watter’s Mou’ – Between Duty and Love : Chapter II of The Watter’s Mou’
First published November 1895 : Current Literature – A Magazine of Contemporary Record and Review Vol. XVIII, No. 5, The Current Literature Publishing Co., New York
The Shoulder of Shasta – 1895
Dracula – 1897
Miss Betty – 1898
The Mystery of the Sea – 1902
The Seer : Chapters I and II of The Mystery of the Sea
First published November 1901 : The London Magazine, The Amalgamated Press Ltd., London
The Jewel of Seven Stars – 1903
The Bridal of Death : Alternate ending to The Jewel of Seven Stars
First published 1912 : The Jewel of Seven Stars Abridged UK Version
The Man (or The Gates of Life) – 1905
Lady Athlyne (1908)
The Lady of the Shroud – 1909
The Lair of the White Worm (AKA The Garden of Evil) – 1911
Bram Stoker Short Story Collections
Under the Sunset and Other Stories (1881)
Comprising eight fairy tales for children.
Under the Sunset
First published 1881 : Under the Sunset and Other Stories
The Rose Prince
First published 1881 : Under the Sunset and Other Stories
The Invisible Giant
First published 1881 : Under the Sunset and Other Stories
The Shadow Builder
First published 1881 : Under the Sunset and Other Stories
How 7 Went Mad
First published 1881 : Under the Sunset and Other Stories
Lies and Lilies
First published 1881 : Under the Sunset and Other Stories
The Castle of the King
First published 1881 : Under the Sunset and Other Stories
The Wondrous Child
First published 1881 : Under the Sunset and Other Stories
Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party (1908)
The Occasion
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
A Lesson in Pets
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
Coggins’s Property
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
The Slim Syrens
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
A New Departure in Art
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
Mick the Devil
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
In Fear of Death
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
A different version of this story was also published under the title “What They Confessed – A Low Comedian’s Story” December 27th 1908 : Special Sunday Edition of Lloyd’s Weekly News, London
At Last
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
Chin Music
First published in the 19th February 1899 issue of Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, London : title “A Baby Passenger”. Also published in the 19th February 1899 issue of the Boston Herald, Boston : title “Chin Music”.
A Deputy Waiter
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
Work’us
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
A Corner in Dwarfs
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
A Criminal Star
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
A Star Trap
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
A Moon-Light Effect
First published 1908 : Snowbound – The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party
Dracula’s Guest and Other Weird Stories (1914)
Dracula’s Guest
First published 1914 : Dracula’s Guest And Other Weird Stories
The Judge’s House
First published December 5th 1891 : Holly Leaves the Christmas Number of The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News
The Squaw
First published December 2nd 1893 : Holly Leaves the Christmas Number of The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News
The Secret of the Growing Gold
First published January 23rd 1892 : Black and White: A Weekly Illustrated Record and Review
The Gipsy Prophecy
First published 1914 : Dracula’s Guest And Other Weird Stories
The Coming of Abel Behenna
First published 1914 : Dracula’s Guest And Other Weird Stories
The Burial of the Rats
First published 1914 : Dracula’s Guest And Other Weird Stories
A Dream of Red Hands
First published July 11th 1894 : The Sketch: A Journal of Art and Actuality
Crooken Sands
First published December 1894 : Holly Leaves the Christmas Number of The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News
Bram Stoker Uncollected Stories
The Crystal Cup
First published September 1872 : London Society, An Illustrated Magazine of Light and Amusing Literature for Hours of Relaxation, W. Clowes and Sons, London
Buried Treasures
First published in two instalments March 13th 1875 and March 20th 1875 : The Shamrock, Irish National Newspaper and Publishing Co., Dublin
The Chain of Destiny
First published in four instalments between May 1st 1875 and May 22nd 1875 : The Shamrock, Irish National Newspaper and Publishing Co., Dublin
Our New House
First published November 23rd 1885 : 1886 edition of The Theatre Annual, Carson & Comerford, London
“The Dualitists or The Death Doom of the Double Born”
First published November 1886 : 1887 edition of The Theatre Annual, Carson & Comerford, London
The Fate of Fenella Chapter X : Lord Castleton Explains
First published January 30th 1892 : The Gentlewoman: The Illustrated Weekly Journal for Gentlewomen (London)
Old Hoggen: A Mystery
First published January 15th 1893 : The Boston Herald, Boston
The Man from Shorrox’
First published February 1894 : Pall Mall Magazine, George Routledge & Sons, Limited, London
The Red Stockade
First published September 1894 : The Cosmopolitan – An Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine Company, New York
When the Sky Rains Gold
First published August 5th 1894 and August 12th 1894 : Boston Herald, Boston
Bengal Roses
First published July 17th 1898 and July 24th 1898 : Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, London and Boston Herald, Boston
A Young Widow
First published March 26th 1899 : Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, London and Boston Herald, Boston
A Yellow Duster
First published May 7th 1899 : Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, London and Boston Herald, Boston
Lucky Escapes of Sir Henry Irving
First published May 1st 1900 : The St. Paul Globe, St. Paul, MN
In the Valley of the Shadow
First published June 1907 : The Grand Magazine, London. In the Valley of the Shadow was published anonymously, but has been attributed to Bram Stoker
The Way of Peace
First published December 1909 : Everybody’s Story Magazine, London
The ‘Eroes of the Thames
First published October 1908 : The Royal Magazine, London
Greater Love
First published October 1914 : The London Magazine, The Amalgamated Press Ltd., London
Bram Stoker Non-fiction Works
The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland – 1879
A Glimpse of America – 1886
Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving – 1906
Famous Impostors – 1910
Bram Stoker Articles
“The Question of a National Theatre” The Nineteenth Century and After, Vol. LXIII, January/June 1908
“Mr. De Morgan’s Habits of Work” The World’s Work, Vol. XVI, May/October 1908
“The Censorship of Fiction” The Nineteenth Century and After, Vol. LXIV, July/December 1908
“The Censorship of Stage Plays” The Nineteenth Century and After, Vol. LXVI, July/December 1909
“Irving and Stage Lightning” The Nineteenth Century and After, Vol. LXIX, January/June 1911
