I usually love detailed books, but this one was so busy detailing every aspect of Bram's background, his ancestry, even figures who didn't play any role in his life, that I lost interest quickly. I think the proposal was great, but the execution, how all that backstory was handed, wasn't the best for me.

This books recounts the life and loves of Bram Stoker, it revels insight in to his life in a way others haven't due to the access of personal letters and diaries. It an interesting read and easy to get on with, I find some biographies can drag on but I felt compelled to read on.
I would recommend this to any Bram Stoker fans.

Thanks so much for this enjoyable biography with focus on one of my favourite horror writer.
I really enjoyed the pictures and learning more about this amazing author.
It felt like the author has done a really good job with the research.

Everything you wanted to know about Stoker and his time. A well researched, richly illustrated and informative biography of this author and his time
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

didn’t know anything about Bram Stoker other than he was the author of Dracula. This book took care of that. I appreciate books that are enjoyable to read and I learn from them. This covers his life as well as his descendants and gives us a picture of times. I was pleasantly surprised with the number of illustrations. It is nice to put a face with a name. I recommend this book.

Thank you to the author, Pen & Sword Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF DRACULA.

Everybody knows the giant of literature Bram Stoker, author of Dracula and father of the lore of the vampire.

But how well do you really know him?

Any depth of knowledge seems to pale in comparison to the one Neil R. Storey displays in the book Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula - An Illustrated Biography. The author's research is minutely conducted through letters, testimonies, records, and a vaste number of books (all listed at the end, for the ones curious about them).

I was sure surprised to see the book starting with a chapter that goes further back to Bram's birth, all the way to his descendants. It gave a comprehensive and broad outlook of the author, contextualizing him as a man of his century (and beyond), and not as a particle frozen in time. This is a perk that will be present throughout all the book.

This is why calling it a biography of Bram Stoker's life is a little reductive to me, considering that not only every aspect of his life, but also of his time is explored: society, arts and cultures, literary medium. It's not often that one can see a biographer mastering a topic, and being able to present it in the most readable way.

I have to admit that I found Storey's citations surprising at times: where other historians would have just gone on with the narration, the author gives a specific source for his claims. It's not something I would view negatively, though - they always ended up being relevant and enriching, other than reinforce the certainty that his research was excellent.

As much as Neil R. Storeys goes back to a time before Bram Stoker, he also jumps ahead into the immediate future from Bram's death, and into more modern times, talking about his legacy.

All this is viewed not through the clinical lens of a cold observer, but as a man that has a personal relationship with Bram's works and the man behind them - there are numerous retellings from people who knew Dracula's author, and they can only add to the affection you'll feel towards one of the "oddest narrator of the odd tales", how he would have probably appreciate being called.

Final Thoughts

Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula - An Illustrated Biography is a beautiful introduction to Dracula's author, as much as the time in which he lived. I can't even say that little is left behind: starting from the origins of the Stoker family, passing through his education in college and his time as a civil servant and then as acting manager at the Lyceum theater, touching his most intimate relationships and the inspirations for his books, untill beyond his mortal life, I can't see a topic that Neil R. Storey didn't touch in this exhaustive book.

Table of Contents

Chapter One - Origins
Chapter Two - Trinity
Chapter Three - The Chain of Destiny
Chapter Four - Acting Manager
Chapter Five - In His Element
Chapter Six - The Inner Sanctum
Chapter Seven - Dracula
Chapter Eight - Vampire Women, Clubs and Confessions
Chapter Nine - The Yellow Book
Chapter Ten - Final Curtain
Appendix I - The Published Works of Bram Stoker
Appendix II - Published Sources Listed by Bram Stoker in his Research Notes for Dracula
Appendix III - Mr. Bram Stoker: A Chat with the Author of Dracula
Appendix IV - "Dracula" and Dundee: Famous Author's Fireside Recital
Appendix V - Irving's Last Hours
Appendix VI - Bram Stoker's Last Public Speech

When one thinks of Bram Stoker, Dracula immediately comes to mind. However. Bram was more than simply an author, especially of Dracula. In this compelling, and richly illustrated biography, Neil Storey lays out the man behind a classic that sparked the imagination when it came to vampires. Using his skills as a historian, Storey painstakingly (no pun intended) unveils the man behind the classic tale. With the use of personal letters, and other documentation, Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula is revealed to be more than what his now infamous book is known for, but also a family man and friend to many whose love for the British Theater endeared him to many.
The use of photos and more throughout the book helps provide insight beyond simply an author, but an individual who was fascinated with the world around him. Surprisingly is his links with Oscar Wilde, which Storey captures in an entertaining biography. Well-researched, and laid out in a narrative style that keeps the reader turning the pages, Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula helps provide those who enjoy Dracula a better understanding of the man behind the story.

Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula
An Illustrated Biography
by Neil R Storey
Pub Date 30 Jul 2023 |

Pen & Sword, White Owl
Biographies & Memoirs | History | Nonfiction (Adult)


A review copy of Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula has been provided to me by Pen & Sword and Netgalley:


Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula is an affectionate and revealing portrait of the man who invented the vampire novel that defined the genre and led to a new era in Gothic horror literature.



Using decades of painstaking research in libraries, museums, and university archives as well as privileged access to private collections on both sides of the Atlantic, this book presents not only new information about Stoker's ancestry, his life, his loves, and friendships, but also reveals more about the places and people he was inspired by, as well as how he researched and wrote his books. There are numerous articles, short stories and poems that Bram has written for newspapers and magazines. He has published eleven novels and two collections of short stories during his lifetime, but he is best known for one of them: Dracula. Sadly, he did not live to see the success of his work.


As Acting Manager for Sir Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre in the West End of London, Bram was a well-known figure during the golden age of British theatre. With his large frame, ebullient nature, red hair and beard, he possessed a soft Irish brogue, was blessed with wit, and could tell a host of entertaining stories for any occasion. Described as having the paw of Hercules and the smile of Machiavelli, he knew what it meant to be a loyal friend above all else.


I give Bram Stoker: Author of Dracula five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This is a great example of a biography which entertains and informs. Well researched and well written, it reads as easily as a work of fiction while all the time giving the reader detailed insights into Stoker, his life and his work. I loved the information about his family of origin and his links to Oscar Wilde’s family. Truly insightful and enjoyable.