Original sale price of this160 page book was 75 cents.... Winner of the Dracula Prize. Translated from Italian by Raymond Rudorff.

summary reads: "There is not a corner of the globe untouched by the vampire-in legend, literature, folklore or religion. But does the vampire really exist? Is he a creature apart from man... or closely connected to him?

Ornella Volta answers all questions about the vampire in this fully documented study. She discusses the mysterious link the vampire carries to life after death...she describes the litany of blood and its uses as a cure, as nourishment, and as an aphrodisiac... she speaks of necrolasty ("the knife as an erotic stimulant") and of the virtues of cannibalism... she draws a portrait of necrolatry ("the pleasures of the death chamber") and necrophelia ("the desire for the dead").

As a macabre and horrifying creature of legend, the vampire has been the subject of numerous novels and films. But never before has there been such a thoroughly researched book, filled with facts, of the creature that has terrified and fascinated mankind since the begining of time."