Nigel Suckling is one of the UK's leading authorities on Vampires and the myth and legend which surrounds them. In this volume he uses Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' as the starting point, examines the folklore and legend that Stoker drew on and looks at the historical figures - Vlad the Impaler, Elizabeth Bathory, Bluebeard - and, finally, traces the significance of bloodlust in ancient and medieval times.