The Vampire in Europe Book Summary

In 'The Vampire in Europe', Montague Summers delves into the chilling folklore and historical accounts of vampirism across the continent. This captivating exploration unveils how the myth of the vampire has seeped into European culture, influencing literature and societal fears. Through intriguing anecdotes and detailed studies, Summers exposes the dark intersections of superstition and reality. Readers are taken on a sinister journey through the shadowy corners of European history where the undead still linger. Will you dare to uncover the mysteries that lie within the pages?

By Montague Summers

Published: 2014

""In the hushed shadows of ancient castles, where the echoes of the past linger, the true nature of the vampire reveals itself not just in the thirst for blood, but in the eternal longing for connection and the haunting fear of solitude.""

Book Review of The Vampire in Europe

THE VAMPIRE, His Kith and Kin examined the reasons for the old belief in Vampirism, its growth and dissemination in many lands, and its crystallization into a permanent and determinate legend. This new volume, The Vampire in Europe, uniform with the other, deals with the subject from a historical point of view and presents the evidence which gave rise to the theories. This evidence, drawn from little-known authors, musty chronicles, and the obscurer occultists, is in many cases derived from official sources, civil and ecclesiastical. The first chapter treats of Vampirism in ancient Greece and Rome. Accounts of the extraordinary outbreaks of Vampirism in England during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries have been gathered from Geoffrey of Monmouth and William of Newburgh. Particular attention is paid to the alleged irritation which gave rise to so much literature in the early eighteenth century, while the curious situation in modern Greece is fully discussed. Included in this critical edition are the authoritative text, rare contextual and source materials, illustrations, criticism, contemporary reviews, and Greek and Latin translations. A biographical note is also included.

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"In the hushed shadows of ancient castles, where the echoes of the past linger, the true nature of the vampire reveals itself not just in the thirst for blood, but in the eternal longing for connection and the haunting fear of solitude."

The Vampire in Europe

By Montague Summers