The Vampire Gallery: A Who’s Who of the Undead
by J. Gordon Melton
Visible Ink Press
One of the coolest gifts I got for my birthday (besides the two-headed dragon incense burner and the purple velvet bra that I simply cannot stop looking at myself in) is a book called The Vampire Gallery: A Who’s Who of the Undead, by J. Gordon Melton (Visible Ink Press, $19.95). I was so excited to receive this book, I couldn’t stop shrieking and bouncing on the bed for a few hours after opening the box. The only thing I love more than vampires is… well… I just don’t know. While I’d never do anything as cheesy as wearing fake fangs or changing my name to Morticia Nightshade or something, this Big Book of the Undead is yanking my chain big time. I love the undead! Woo hoo!
The Vampire Gallery is, in fact, the consummate reference manual of Blood Drinkers, Hellraisers, and things that go bump in the night. Written by the same genius who gave us The Vampire Book: Encyclopedia of the Undead , which featured a comprehensive detailing of vampire facts such as terms, places, organizations, and other topical Vampire-related wisdom, The Vampire Gallery is just crammed with spellbinding biographies of Vampires, all of them – from the obscure to the legendary – it’s amazing! Barnabus Collins, resident fanged-one of the gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows : He’s in here. Miriam Blaylock, goddess of the undead featured in the greatest Vampire movie ever made, The Hunger : In here. Martin, geeky teenage Nosferatu of George Romero’s film of the same name: see page 275-277. Even the most played-out vampires (Lestat and Louis from Ann Rice’s novels) get their glory day on the pages of Melton’s exciting and ultimately thoroughgoing Bible of neck biters. Melton even explores the hypothesis that Batman, one of the most famous comic book characters of all time, is based on vampire legend. If you’re somebody who never gets tired of reading about Dracula, I’ll tell you right now, this book is to die for.
Visible Ink Press, 835 Penobscot Bldg., 645 Griswold St., Detroit, MI 48226
