Dracula on this Day in History

This day in history: Dracula was published on this day in 1897. The novel did not make much money for the author, Bram Stoker, who eventually went broke just before he died. The movies are what really made Dracula a star. He has appeared in more films than any other horror character—over 200 and counting—and that number doesn't even include comedies and cartoons.

Bram Stoker started writing Dracula right after the Jack the Ripper killings, but it may also have been influenced by a Romanian prince named Vlad Dracula, or Vlad the Impaler, who was known for skewering his enemies. The working title of the novel was The Dead Undead, which was later shortened to The Undead. Right before the book was published, Stoker changed the title to Dracula.

Watch Nosferatu

The 1922 German classic film Nosferatu was almost destroyed because of the Dracula copyright. Today, Dracula is now in the public domain.

Christopher Lee Reads Dracula

See also History of the Terror Tale by Edith Birkhead 1921

For more go to 70 Penny Dreadfuls, Gothic Novels and Dime Novels on DVDrom 

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