What I love about this edition is that it looks genuinly vintage. The blood red cover draws you in and Dracula holds your attention with his deadly glare. With his crazy, wild hair seemingly coming out of the book, who are you to resist the thrall of the first vampire. He is the original undead, before the new-found Edward Cullen’s came to be and the book is unadulterated horror. ‘Dracula’ really is a fantastic gothic book and the subject for much literary debate. Whilst Stoker didn’t ‘invent’ the vampire, his work is considered the turning point for gothic horror stories about the undead and should be read by all children if they are to appreciate the wealth of vampire fiction available to them today.
This edition has of course been adapted for younger readers but it still maintains its epistolary format through letters and journal entries. It is a most frightening book in its original form but the content has been tempered down, whilst the historical reference remain. The illustrations, by Anne Yvonne Gilbert are impressive and take on the format of etchings in a journal, using scratchy black ink on a white background. They are very emphatic of the story and paint the picture of an eery mountain landscape in Transylvania. A fantastic book, a gift for keeps.
Published by Templar ISBN: 9781840115161 Recommended 9-12
Templar also has a new edition out in July with similar illustrations. I can’t recommend Templar publishing enough as they maintain the integrity of the original story through their emphatic illustrations. Looks great, now you have a choice. In fact, you have a huge choice in Dracula editions, these are just two of my favourites.
Published by Templar ISBN: 9780763647933 Recommended 9-12
You’re right about the artwork. Stunning!