The History and Folklore of Vampires

The Stories and Legends Behind the Mythical Beings

De: Charles River Editors

Narrado por: Jack Chekijian

People have always been afraid of the dead. Since the dawn of humanity, people have both cared for those who are deceased yet also tried to keep them away. There are a myriad of legends and beliefs about the dead coming back, and one of the more persistent ones is of the vampire.

Everyone has heard of vampires, but few people are truly familiar with the history and folklore that have made the mythical beings so popular. Indeed, there are so many legends from so many cultures that it is difficult to come up with a hard definition. And folklore is by its very nature unscientific, but most people in the Western world think of vampires as those who come back from the grave to suck the blood or life essence from the living.

This common understanding of vampires actually obscures many European and most non-European traditions of bloodsucking monsters. For example, in China, Japan, and the Middle East, there are spirits that will drain the life force of an unwary person, but these magical beings were never mortal humans. In African and Native American traditions, there are monsters that do the same, but while they are supposed to be of this Earth, they, too, are not human beings.

Furthermore, folklore changes over time, so the vampires people are familiar with today (and the ones some people claim to actually meet) bear little resemblance to the vampires of early modern Europe. Stories change, fiction turns to fact and vice versa, and beliefs are constantly reinvented. Ideas are adopted, adapted, and presented as true. All the while the legend of the vampire remains.

The History and Folklore of Vampires chronicles how vampires became so popular.

©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors

Interesting Idea, Uninteresting Book

I really wanted to love this book, because I've been fascinated with vampires for decades. I'm particularly interested in the folklore and cultural aspects of the vampire legends, and while this book gave a taste it just wasn't as much as I wanted. the whole book felt like an introduction, or one chapter. The narration was ok, but the persons voice and manner of speech didn't really suit it.

Vampire Folklore for Dummies

Would you listen to The History and Folklore of Vampires again? Why?

I would. I learned a few things I didnt know, but like any good book reading/listening to it again you always pick things up that you missed the first time.

Have you listened to any of Jack Chekijian’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Ive listened to a few of Jack's books. He does well in all of the books.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Moved? No, but there were a few things items that I didn't know and a few things that set the record straight.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow, so informative!

I received this audio book as a gift in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.

Wow, this book is so informative! I recently started reading paranormal romances about vampires in the last year. Before that, I wouldn't read or watch anything about vampires because they scared me. I still won't watch any vampire movies. I never knew there was so much background info about vampires. I especially never knew it went back centuries. I always thought it was something made up in the last 100 years er so.

While this is a short read, it is packed with information on beliefs by different countries and throughout many, many centuries, how alleged vampires were handled. I was floored to hear how many times they dug up bodies and mutilated them because of illnesses.

The author, Charles River Editors did a great job in his research on this book. While it is non fiction, I really feel I learned a lot from it. The narrator, Jack Chekijian once again does a great job delivering this book flawlessly as always!

A lot of good stories and history. I loved it

the book talks about the different folklore of vampire in different cultures. I love history and folklore and I love learning about vampires LOVED IT

Vampires from Medieval times to the present

In less than an hour and a half we reap the benefits of someone else's hard work of digging through historical accounts and assembling into a comprehensible text. Information presented not only of the standard European fare, but of similar undead from around the globe. European depictions evolve from the oral folklore to 20th century movies, to a 2012 publicity venture.
JC has the voice quality, intonation, and fluidity to keep it entertaining as well as instructional. Much better in his narration than the scholarly thesis that it is.