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tiedyedude's review
4.0
An interesting look at how vampires of fiction differ from vampires of traditional folklore, and the reality behind what inspired the folklore. Definitely an academic publication, but very readable. I skipped most of the last third because it was just an in-depth explanation of topics covered earlier. Still, a lot of good information is covered.
sirensaria's review
5.0
Now I understand why this book has been sited over and over. There is SOOOOO much information in this book that I have yet to read anywhere else. I can't even begin to go over the information that is in this book. And it's NOT because I haven't read many books. I own quite a few books regarding historical vampires, way more than I care to admit, and all of them I have read at least once. This is definitely on my top five favorite list. The best part is that it's not JUST about vampires, it's also about burial customs and there are even some bits of cultural information. I just finished the book and already I want to start reading it over!
gothmomlite's review
5.0
This is a well-written, very academic, text (despite the many anecdotal illustrations of "vampire phenomena," aka decomposition, it's still quite dry). It's repetitive in places, though the repetition did help me to fix certain ideas in my mind, so that's both critique and compliment. The author slips in the occasional quip, so deftly, so casually, that I found myself snorting unexpectedly and wishing he'd elaborate (for example, on why a particular corpse let out a cry on its "second death" because Barber "...almost never [had] occasion to decapitate a corpse with a shovel." *Almost never*? You tease, sir!) Worth a read if you're researching the subject, though do bear in mind that the book contains frank discussion of somewhat grotesque and gory matters (as you might expect from the title).
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
4.0
Barber presents a rather convincing and interesting theory in this book, arguing that vampire legends and folklore developed as a means to expalin decomposition. The book is worth a read not only for the theory but als because of the amount of translation and sources that Barber looks at. If you are a fan of sexy vampires, you should skip this book.
catriana's review against another edition
4.0
Somtimes it was very dry but overall it was really interesting.
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