Gothic Auntie

Did you know that a good deal of the classic gothic novels and short stories are now available for free on various parts of the internet? This is perfectly legal, they’re out of copyright now, and extremely convenient when you’re trying to get at the rarer ones. Back in my daaaaay in the oughts you had to order them from print on demand companies for stupid prices and sometimes wouldn’t be able to get hold of them even then. So if you’re looking to read your way through the canon without spending a whole lot of money I have you covered. Here I’ve collected together some of the early, genre defining vampire novels from the 19th century. If there’s anything you’d add to this list please feel free to tell me so I can update it.

Dracula

Obviously there’s the brilliant Dracula Daily, where they email you the chunk of the novel set on that date but if you want access to the whole novel at once Project Gutenberg have it available in various formats here; Dracula by Bram Stoker | Project Gutenberg

Carmilla

Project Gutenberg have you covered here too; https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10007/10007-h/10007-h.htm

Polidori’s “The Vampyre”

The short story that started it all can be read here, in multiple different formats; https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6087

“Wake not the Dead” by Johan Ludwick Tien

An early vampire tale that inspired Byron in his unfinished vampire story (that Polidori then adapted into a scathing critique of the man himself); https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0606821h.html

Varney the Vampire

Published in Penny Dreadful form, of uncertain authorship; https://gutenberg.org/files/14833/14833-h/14833-h.htm