John William Polidori – författare

John William Polidori’s classic gothic horror tale, The Vampyre, recounts one of the first vampire stories in English literature.

Lord Ruthven is a mysterious newcomer among England’s social elite. A young gentleman named Aubrey is fascinated by the suave stranger and is intrigued by his often curious behaviour. While travelling in Europe amid rumours of vampire killings, the pair are attacked, leaving Ruthven on his death bed. As he draws his last breaths, he pleads with Aubrey to keep his death a secret for just over a year. When Ruthven reappears in London alive and well, Aubrey realises that his friend might be hiding dark and horrifying truths behind his seductive fabrication.

The Vampyre was written during the ‘Lost Summer of 1816’, when John William Polidori was among the group of friends who accompanied Lord Byron to the Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva. This short, stormy stay in the mansion led to a horror story writing competition in which famous tales such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein were first produced.

Decadent, sinister, and macabre The Vampyre started the enduring fascination with bloodsucking monsters that produced stories such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This chilling tale is not to be missed by lovers of fantasy and horror fiction.

John William Polidori’s classic gothic horror tale, The Vampyre, recounts one of the first vampire stories in English literature.

Lord Ruthven is a mysterious newcomer among England’s social elite. A young gentleman named Aubrey is fascinated by the suave stranger and is intrigued by his often curious behaviour. While travelling in Europe amid rumours of vampire killings, the pair are attacked, leaving Ruthven on his deathbed. As he draws his last breaths, he pleads with Aubrey to keep his death a secret for just over a year. When Ruthven reappears in London alive and well, Aubrey realises that his friend might be hiding dark and horrifying truths behind his seductive fabrication.

The Vampyre was written during the ‘Lost Summer of 1816’, when John William Polidori was among the group of friends who accompanied Lord Byron to the Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva. This short, stormy stay in the mansion led to a horror story writing competition in which famous tales such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein were first produced.

Decadent, sinister, and macabre, The Vampyre started the enduring fascination with bloodsucking monsters that produced stories such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This chilling tale is not to be missed by lovers of fantasy and horror fiction.

When Aubrey, a young Englishman, meets a mysterious man from London high society, Lord Ruthven, they become unlikely friends. Shortly after, Aubrey decides to accompany the noble on a trip to Rome. However, when a moral disagreement arises between the two, Aubrey decides to leave Ruthven in Rome, and goes off on his own. Arriving in Greece, Aubrey meets Ianthe, and the two share an immediate connection. After sharing stories and an evening together, Aubrey and Ianthe part ways for the night. However, after a devastating turn of events, Aubrey and Ruthven reunite, and Aubrey, ready to leave Greece behind, is happy to travel with the older man once again. But as they continue their travels, Aubrey slowly begins to notice Ruthven’s odd behavior. After even more consideration, Aubrey realizes a shocking pattern—nearly everyone that Ruthven comes in close contact to meets an untimely end. Afraid of his newly acquired knowledge, Aubrey attempts to distance himself from the suspicious man, though he is forced to reconsider his efforts when Ruthven expresses intent to marry Aubrey’s sister.

First published under Lord Byron’s name, The Vampyre rose to immediate commercial success. However, though he was inspired by a discarded piece of Lord Bryon’s work, both authors have since admitted that John William Polidori was the true writer of The Vampyre. Considered to be the first work of vampire fiction, The Vampyre had an immense role in shaping vampires as literary figures, influencing the canonical rules of vampires that many still follow today. First published in 1819, Polidori’s The Vampyre remains to be a thrilling and spooky read centuries later, and has since inspired both film and theater adaptations. With mystery and eerie suspense, Polidori’s work is an extraordinary example of 19th century gothic horror.

This edition of The Vampyre by John William Polidori features a striking new cover design and is printed in a font that is both modern and readable. With these accommodations, The Vampyre caters to a contemporary audience while preserving the original innovation of John William Polidori’s work.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

On a stormy summer in 1816, a group of pioneering writers gathered in a mansion on Lake Geneva and wrote some of English literature''s most influential horror and ghost stories. This is a collection of their work.

Featuring stories of mutilated monsters being brought to life and sinister vampires roaming among the circles of society’s elite, this collection of dark tales from the infamous Lost Summer of 1816 has had a profound influence on the world of horror writing. Written over 200 years ago when Lord Byron rented the Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva, these stories by n William Polidori, poet Percy Shelley, and Shelley’s 19-year-old mistress, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, are the result of a writing competition between friends. The most notable tale, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, would go on to become one of the most famous horror stories of all time.

This collection includes:

This volume of classic horror tales would make for a worthy addition to the shelves of fans of the horrifying and macabre, and also includes specially-commissioned biographies of each of the authors.