Dracula by Bram Stoker. Read by Anthony Valentine. abridged.
Dracula – Published in 1897, Dracula which the author thought meant “Devil”, invents and tells the story of the what would become the world’s most famous vampire through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It became famous worldwide after his death in thanks largely to the 1931 film Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. (Definitely worth seeing.) Nosferatu (1922) was the first film adaption (i.e., plagiarism) of Dracula, but Bram’s wife had not been asked, given permission, or compensated for the film. She won a lawsuit where she received compensation and all prints of Nosferatu were to be destroyed. However, one copy survived and it is considered a classic. You’ll notice the differences between the book and any film or TV adaptations you’ve seen. The book is deservedly a classic. Enjoy
Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847-1912) was born in Dublin, Ireland. He spent most of his career as a theater manager and critic. Mr. Stoker also authored 13 novels and numerous short stories. including Dracula. His other works have been largely forgotten though you can find most of them online at Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive.
Anthony Valentine (1939-2015) Born in Blackburn England first had a theater role as a tap dancer at age 9. His first screen role was in a 1949 movie titled No Way Back. He performed in theater, British TV, and movies as well as narrated several documentaries. He is best remembered as a villain appearing in 30 episodes the TV series Callan (which starred Edward Woodward who reads African Queen here on GBOT). He also played a ruthless WW2 German POW camp officer in the series Colditz. On a brighter note, Mr. Valentine leads as the gentleman thief in the TV series Raffles which is free on YouTube. Enjoy his performance!
