The Lady of the Shroud (1909)
Bram Stoker, Edited by Sarah E. Maier
Old Roger Melton has died, leaving behind one of the greatest fortunes in Europe. His arrogant relative Ernest Melton expects to be the heir, but much to the family's surprise Roger leaves his vast estate to his obscure young nephew, Rupert Sent Leger. But Rupert's newfound wealth comes with strange conditions attached, one of which is that he must inhabit the old castle of Vissarion in the remote Balkan nation known as the Land of the Blue Mountains.
Rupert, an intrepid adventurer, agrees and travels to Vissarion with his Aunt Janet, who possesses the occult power of Second Sight. But all is not as it seems at Vissarion. Rupert finds himself visited by a ghostly woman clothed in a burial shroud who sleeps in a tomb. Haunted by her strange beauty, Rupert wonders whether she is a phantom, a vampire, or something else entirely. He is determined to solve this mystery, but the solution is even more dangerous than he could possibly imagine!
First published in a now scarce edition in 1909, The Lady of the Shroud is one of Stoker's most popular supernatural novels and a worthy successor to Dracula (1897). Often reprinted in severely abridged editions, The Lady of the Shroud returns to print in this new edition, containing the original unabridged text, together with a new introduction by Sarah E. Maier, annotations, the text of contemporary reviews, a chronology of Bram Stoker's life and works, a bibliography, and Stoker's important 1908 article "The Censorship of Fiction."
Bram Stoker, Edited by Sarah E. Maier
Old Roger Melton has died, leaving behind one of the greatest fortunes in Europe. His arrogant relative Ernest Melton expects to be the heir, but much to the family's surprise Roger leaves his vast estate to his obscure young nephew, Rupert Sent Leger. But Rupert's newfound wealth comes with strange conditions attached, one of which is that he must inhabit the old castle of Vissarion in the remote Balkan nation known as the Land of the Blue Mountains.
Rupert, an intrepid adventurer, agrees and travels to Vissarion with his Aunt Janet, who possesses the occult power of Second Sight. But all is not as it seems at Vissarion. Rupert finds himself visited by a ghostly woman clothed in a burial shroud who sleeps in a tomb. Haunted by her strange beauty, Rupert wonders whether she is a phantom, a vampire, or something else entirely. He is determined to solve this mystery, but the solution is even more dangerous than he could possibly imagine!
First published in a now scarce edition in 1909, The Lady of the Shroud is one of Stoker's most popular supernatural novels and a worthy successor to Dracula (1897). Often reprinted in severely abridged editions, The Lady of the Shroud returns to print in this new edition, containing the original unabridged text, together with a new introduction by Sarah E. Maier, annotations, the text of contemporary reviews, a chronology of Bram Stoker's life and works, a bibliography, and Stoker's important 1908 article "The Censorship of Fiction."
|
BOOK DETAILS
Trade paper ISBN-13: 978-1934555781 List Price: $22.99 U.S. Pages: 358 Published: 2012 |
|
ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH ONLINE RETAILERS
|
EBOOK
Kindle US Kindle UK |
MORE TITLES BY THIS AUTHOR
|
|
|
|
SEE THE COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES HERE
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Bram Stoker (1847-1912). Abraham “Bram” Stoker was born in Dublin, the third of seven children in a middle-class Protestant family. His father, Abraham Stoker, was a civil servant, and his mother, Charlotte Stoker, was a social activist. He was bedridden as a child but later went on to enroll at Trinity College, Dublin, where he studied mathematics and was known for his skills as a debater and athlete. After graduating from Trinity in 1870, he followed his father into civil service, working as a clerk at Dublin Castle. The next year, Stoker began working in his spare time as an unpaid theater critic for the Daily Mail, a position which brought him into contact with a number of writers and actors, including Henry Irving. His glowing reviews of Irving’s performances planted a seed of friendship between the two men, and in 1878, Stoker became Irving’s business manager, a position he held for twenty-seven years. In the same year, Stoker married Florence Balcombe, and the two welcomed a son, Noel, in 1879.
Assuming the position as Irving’s business manager required that Stoker move from his native Dublin to London, where he was responsible for running Irving’s Lyceum Theatre. During the next few years, the two men, along with partner Ellen Terry, developed the theater into one of the most popular and esteemed West End venues. Stoker oversaw a number of international tours as well as the daily operations of the theater. The Lyceum came to be seen primarily as a vehicle for Irving’s and Terry’s work, especially their acclaimed performances of Shakespeare. In part due to Stoker’s devoted management, Irving achieved the pinnacle of fame when he received the knighthood in 1895.
In 1872, Stoker published his first work of short fiction, “The Crystal Cup,” in London Society magazine, and in the 1880s and ’90s, he published a number of books, including a collection of fairy tales titled Under the Sunset (1882) and an adventure novel titled The Snake’s Pass (1890). However, it wasn’t until the publication of Dracula in 1897 that Stoker became a literary celebrity. Stoker went on to write ten more novels, including The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903) and The Lair of the White Worm (1911), but these works did not significantly advance his literary reputation. Indeed, by the early twentieth century, he was perhaps best known as the author of a celebrity memoir, Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving (1906).
- Contributed by Alexis Easley & Shannon Scott
Assuming the position as Irving’s business manager required that Stoker move from his native Dublin to London, where he was responsible for running Irving’s Lyceum Theatre. During the next few years, the two men, along with partner Ellen Terry, developed the theater into one of the most popular and esteemed West End venues. Stoker oversaw a number of international tours as well as the daily operations of the theater. The Lyceum came to be seen primarily as a vehicle for Irving’s and Terry’s work, especially their acclaimed performances of Shakespeare. In part due to Stoker’s devoted management, Irving achieved the pinnacle of fame when he received the knighthood in 1895.
In 1872, Stoker published his first work of short fiction, “The Crystal Cup,” in London Society magazine, and in the 1880s and ’90s, he published a number of books, including a collection of fairy tales titled Under the Sunset (1882) and an adventure novel titled The Snake’s Pass (1890). However, it wasn’t until the publication of Dracula in 1897 that Stoker became a literary celebrity. Stoker went on to write ten more novels, including The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903) and The Lair of the White Worm (1911), but these works did not significantly advance his literary reputation. Indeed, by the early twentieth century, he was perhaps best known as the author of a celebrity memoir, Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving (1906).
- Contributed by Alexis Easley & Shannon Scott