Cause for international celebration--the most important and complete edition of "Dracula" in decades. In his first work since his best-selling "The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes," Leslie S. Klinger returns with this spectacular, lavishly illustrated homage to Bram Stoker's "Dracula," With a daring conceit, Klinger accepts Stoker's contention that the Dracula tale is based on historical fact.

Traveling through two hundred years of popular culture and myth as well as graveyards and the wilds of Transylvania, Klinger's notes illuminate every aspect of this haunting narrative (including a detailed examination of the original typescript of "Dracula," with its shockingly different ending, previously unavailable to scholars). Klinger investigates the many subtexts of the original narrative--from masochistic, necrophilic, homoerotic, "dentophilic," and even heterosexual implications of the story to its political, economic, feminist, psychological, and historical threads. Employing the superb literary detective skills for which he has become famous, Klinger mines this 1897 classic for nuggets that will surprise even the most die-hard Dracula fans and introduce the vampire-prince to a new generation of readers.Two-color throughout; 35 color and 400 black-and-white illustrations.

Critical Reviews:

"Klinger brings the same impressive breadth of knowledge that distinguished The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes to this definitive examination of one of the classic horror novels of all time. Adopting the conceit that Stoker's narrative is based on fact, Klinger elucidates the plot and historical context for both Stoker devotees and those more familiar with Count Dracula from countless popular culture versions. Because he had privileged access to the typescript Stoker delivered to his publisher, Klinger is able to note changes between it and the first edition and comment on the reasons for them. Through close reading, Klinger raises questions about such matters as the role of lead vampire-hunter Van Helsing and whether the villainous count is actually dispatched at book's end. An introduction by Neil Gaiman, numerous illustrations, essays on topics ranging from Dracula in the movies to the academic response, and much more enhance the package." Publishers Weekly