Dracula (Penguin Classics)
Bram Stoker's peerless tale of desperate battle against a powerful, ancient vampire
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: a ship runs aground on the shores of Whitby, its crew vanished; beautiful Lucy Westenra slowly succumbs to a mysterious, wasting illness, her blood drained away; and the lunatic Renfield raves about the imminent arrival of his 'master'. In the ensuing battle of wills between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries - led by the intrepid vampire hunter Abraham van Helsing - Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.
For this completely updated edition, Maurice Hindle has revised his introduction, list of further reading and notes, and added two appendices: Stoker's essay on censorship and his interview with Winston Churchill, both published in 1908. Christopher Frayling's preface discusses the significance and the influences that contributed to his creation of the Dracula myth.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: a ship runs aground on the shores of Whitby, its crew vanished; beautiful Lucy Westenra slowly succumbs to a mysterious, wasting illness, her blood drained away; and the lunatic Renfield raves about the imminent arrival of his 'master'. In the ensuing battle of wills between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries - led by the intrepid vampire hunter Abraham van Helsing - Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.
For this completely updated edition, Maurice Hindle has revised his introduction, list of further reading and notes, and added two appendices: Stoker's essay on censorship and his interview with Winston Churchill, both published in 1908. Christopher Frayling's preface discusses the significance and the influences that contributed to his creation of the Dracula myth.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
BUY THE BOOK
Join a book club that is reading Dracula (Penguin Classics)!
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *Dracula* remains a quintessential gothic classic, praised for its unique epistolary style that heightens suspense and immerses readers in...
Today is the last day of Dracula Daily! I can't believe I really did it! Through the Dracula Daily newsletter, I was able to read the entire book of Dracula on the date of each event throughout the year from May to November! Genuinely, I wish I could read every book this way. It was such a delight to keep up with the crew and their journey. It also made me sincerely enjoy spooky season 10 times more than normal. This year has certainly been my biggest exploration into gothic literature, and I found Dracula to be very different from my expectations, similar to Frankenstein.
This book was shockingly heartfelt. I expected Dracula to be much more about vampirism than it was about how much the characters in this book loved and respected women... Which I guess I'm not complaining about at all? Every character was so valiant, charming, and kind in a way that was reinvigorating despite the unreality of the whole story. Also the insane love triangle that ultimately went nowhere? There was just so much going on in this book that seemed very unrelated but made it more fun, especially since I was reading about it over a very long period of time and talking about it with so many friends. It was like watching an episode of a soap opera as it came out, or something. For some reason the ending being kind of anticlimactic was completely fine with me for once, because I sustained so much intrigue more for the characters and their interpersonal relationships than the resolution of the conflict?? Whattttt?
In other words, this book was really good, and I only liked it more because I read it daily! If anyone is still thinking about reading Dracula, I highly recommend you start Dracula Daily when May comes around.
This book was shockingly heartfelt. I expected Dracula to be much more about vampirism than it was about how much the characters in this book loved and respected women... Which I guess I'm not complaining about at all? Every character was so valiant, charming, and kind in a way that was reinvigorating despite the unreality of the whole story. Also the insane love triangle that ultimately went nowhere? There was just so much going on in this book that seemed very unrelated but made it more fun, especially since I was reading about it over a very long period of time and talking about it with so many friends. It was like watching an episode of a soap opera as it came out, or something. For some reason the ending being kind of anticlimactic was completely fine with me for once, because I sustained so much intrigue more for the characters and their interpersonal relationships than the resolution of the conflict?? Whattttt?
In other words, this book was really good, and I only liked it more because I read it daily! If anyone is still thinking about reading Dracula, I highly recommend you start Dracula Daily when May comes around.
Honestly, This is one of the most biased reviews I will write this year. Dracula has always held a special place in my heart for Victorian Horror and it's endless ability to be looked at and dissected through different lenses. Forever, this book will be a 5 star rating in my heart and in my eyes.
In reality this book is probably a 3.5 - 4.0.
In reality this book is probably a 3.5 - 4.0.
I first read this when living in Dublin, after my MPhil studies. I carried around the copy for almost a decade prior; my high school boyfriend gifted it to me for Valentine's one year. Sadly, I left that copy in Dublin for another boyfriend, who lost it before we broke up (yes I'm still salty about it). I bought the Norton Critical edition to reread, and later joined the Dracula Daily group on Substack. It's become an annual tradition for me.
Bram Stoker's genius lies not so much in inventing the vampire legend, but in codifying and structuring it into a perfectly organic novel. Starting from meticulous historical and folkloric research, and drawing inspiration from the figure of Vlad III, Stoker created the definitive archetype. The book's fascination for those who already know the films lies precisely in seeing each rule being born: the repulsion for the crucifix and garlic, the necessity of the native soil, the transformation into a bat. It's like holding in your hands the original document from which every director has since deviated or drawn upon.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.