Stoker, Bram | First edition of Dracula, Stoker’s masterpiece

Stoker, Bram

Dracula. [London] Westminster: Archibald Constable and Company, 1897

8vo (192 x 125 mm). Half-title, without the publisher's catalogue, single "The Shoulder of Shasta" advertisement leaf at end; intermittent faint spotting. Publisher's yellow cloth lettered in red; some stains and soiling, split to the head of spine, some rubbing to lettering, minor spotting to top edge and fore-edge, text block a little shaken. Housed in a custom clamshell case.

First edition, later issue, of Bram Stoker’s Gothic magnum opus.

“I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul.” — Bram Stoker, Dracula 

Today, the popular conception of Dracula often differs significantly from Stoker’s original vision of the figure. For example, modern characterizations often depict him as vulnerable to sunlight, a detail entirely absent from the original novel. Another detail that may surprise current readers is the book’s relatively modest reception during Stoker’s lifetime. Stanley Stephanic notes: “Stoker was truly living in the shadow of the world of the arts ... until the lawsuit surrounding the copyright of Dracula and release of the film Nosferatu (1922) led to more focus falling upon the novel.” Nosferatu, coupled with countless stage adaptations, solidified Stoker’s lasting impact on popular culture, wherein “Dracula himself represents a side of humanity that remains unchanging, and which is constantly adapting to the times” (Stephanic). 

REFERENCES

Dalby 10(a); Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone; Stephanic, Stanley J., "125 Years of Dracula," University of Virginia | Engagement, accessed 31 May 2026: https://engagement.virginia.edu/learn/thoughts-from-the-lawn/dracula-at-125; Wolff 6581