"The Vampyre; a Tale" is a short Gothic fantasy from 1819 and an early vampire story in English prose. It follows young Aubrey and the enigmatic Lord Ruthven through European society, exploring fascination, secrecy and moral danger. Worth listening as a compact classic of Gothic fantasy.
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Cover illustration generated by AI.
Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.
Opening of the book
THE VAMPYRE; A Tale. By John William Polidori LONDON PRINTED FOR SHERWOOD, NEELY, AND JONES PATERNOSTER ROW 1819 [Entered at Stationers' Hall, March 27, 1819] Gillet, Printer, Crown Court, Fleet Street, London. EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM GENEVA. "I breathe freely in the neighbourhood of this lake; the ground upon which I tread has been subdued from the earliest ages; the principal objects which immediately strike my eye, bring to my recollection scenes, in which man acted the hero and was the chief object of interest. Not to look back to earlier times of battles and sieges, here is the bust of Rousseau—here is a house with an inscription denoting that the Genevan philosopher first
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