| This is a list of some of the books I've collected or plan to collect for my vampire library. They are listed in no particular order of preference, and separated for convenience into various broad categories. The pictures link to my favorite place to buy new books, Amazon.com, if the text is available. In the series section, the picture links to the first book in the series only.
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| Single Books
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The classic tale of horror and brutality. If you have not read this before, please be informed that while the Francis Ford Coppola movie more or less followed the script, there is no romance in this book. Count Dracula is truly based on the merciless Vlad the Impaler.
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One of the most terrifying and disturbing vampire novels I've ever read. The protagonist is one of the last humans in a world overrun by people infected by a vampire virus.
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The novel on which the movie by John Carpenter was loosely based. The movie was brutal, at least most of it, and the book pulls less punches than the movie. The vampires in this book are evil and animalistic, and those that hunt them are not entirely good guys, though they do get the job done.
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|  Out of Print.
Despite the rather corny cover art, this book is a rather good study of a woman's initiation into the world of the undead. It has fantastic descriptions of the physical and psychological changes wrought by vampirism, including a seldom seen depiction of a vampire dog.
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| Series
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A friend turned me onto these last year, and I tore through the whole series in a little over two months. Anita Blake is known in the vampire community as "The Executioner", but she also does some necromancy on the side. The only problem is, in this world vampires are legal citizens, and you have to have a permit or reasonable cause to kill them. Often called in to aid the police, Anita's powers and knowledge grow throughout the series. |
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A private eye turned vampire must find out who killed him in the first book. As a fan of mysteries as well as vampires, this series is one of my favorites.
Also by this author is another series set in less modern times. A young man who becomes a vampire must learn to deal with his new abilities, hovering between his mortal life and his new life, and the decisions he must make. These titles include: | |||||||||||||||||
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|  This cover is from the graphic novel based on this book.
An incredibly great series about a vampire/vampire hunter struggling to control her beast. The series contains a crossover with the World of Darkness set up by White Wolf. Sonja Blue is an amazing character. The first book stands alone, and if you read any vampire book, let it be Sunglasses After Dark.
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Other books include:
|  Out of Print.
St. Germain is a prime example of the genteel, civilized vampire. Chronicled in these books are St. Germain's various lives and loves throughout his years, with delicious descriptions and excellent writing.
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Romantic, passionate and deadly, Anne Rice's vampires have captured the imaginations of thousands of readers, and with the movie adaptation of her first book, thousands upon thousands more. Her characters Lestat, Louis and Armand, among others, are beautifully scripted, and interact with a depth of emotion many mortals never attain. Apart from the books in the series, there are a number of companion books. I also highly recommend "The Mummy".
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I haven't read this series yet, because I haven't yet gotten ahold of the first book, and I hate to start in the middle. It seems a promising read, however.
| Anthologies |
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A group of fantastic detective stories in which vampires play a key part. My personal favorite is The Count's Mailbox by William Sanders.
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A fantastic collection of classic vampire tales, including The Girl With The Hungry Eyes by Fritz Leibur, and Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.
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A collection of 27 vampire and horror stories which combines the two books edited by this author The Dracula Book of Vampire Stories and The Dracula Book of Horror Stories. The horror section includes such greats as The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs, and The Festival by H. P. Lovecraft, and the vampire section includes The Tomb of Sarah by F. G. Loring, and For the Blood is the Life by F. Marion Crawford.
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Two compilations of original tales of vampiric horror and erotica. Not for the squeamish or innocent reader. As in most Anthologies, there is a variation of writing and fiction styles, so not all stories will appeal to all readers.
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| Informative Books About Vampires
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|  Available only in the UK.
Covering movies and television shows from silent films to 1993, they use a 1 to 5 bat rating system. The author saw fit to include all movies and television shows that held hints of vampirism, and I don't always agree with his sometimes tough rating system (The Lost Boys received only 2 bats). This book was published in Britain, however, and this movie was very 80's American, so such ratings can be understood.
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Vampires in all works of fiction are covered in these two books, from plays to books to movies. In addition, these books contain a great assortment of black and white photos and pictures, as well as a flip-book style flying bat on each page.
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Everything you ever wanted to know about vampires in one handy book, this book combines both fact and folklore to bring you a wealth of information on how to meet, identify, and dispose of a vampire.
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True to it's title, this book is perfect for those who don't know much about the undead, but always wondered. Using sources from literature, movies, mythology and history, Ms. Moorey paints a well rounded picture of the vampire. Even those that know a lot about vampires already are certain to find a few useful bits of information in this book.
| Junior & Romance Books |
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|  Out of Print.
This series is at times sappy, with the typical melodramatic, brooding male vampire, but is actually a fairly good read. If you're in the mood for a depiction of a handsome, romantic male vampire lead and his search for peace and eternal love, this is the way to go.
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Your typical romance novel with a vampiric twist. He rescued her as a child from abandonment and death, and watched her blossom into a beautiful woman. He wars with the darkness of his desire for her, and with the temptation to destroy the purity he sees in her.
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Filled with all the drama of any teenage series, this group of stories deals with a pair of brothers possessed of a dark secret. When one falls for a sweet high school girl, the other is soon to take notice of her, and she is soon drawn into their deadly rivalry.
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| An extremely cute junior reading series about a vampire bunny, who sucks the juice out of fruits and vegetables. In the first book, the family cat and dog must solve the mystery of the dry, white veggies and their creepy new family member, Bunnicula. | |||||||||||||||||