THE VAMPYRE - A TALE

A young English gentleman of means, Aubrey is immediately intrigued by Lord Ruthven, the mysterious newcomer among societys elite. His unknown origin and curious behavior tantalizes Aubreys imagination. But the young man soon discovers a sinister character hidden behind his new friends glamorous facade.

When the two are set upon by bandits while traveling together in Europe, Ruthven is fatally injured. Before drawing his last breath, he makes the odd request that Aubrey keep his death and crimes secret for a year and a day. But when Ruthven resurfaces in London—making overtures toward Aubreys sister—Aubrey realizes this immortal fiend is a vampyre.

John William Polidoris The Vampyre is both a classic tale of gothic horror and the progenitor of the modern romantic vampire myth that has been fodder for artists ranging from Anne Rice to Alan Ball to Francis Ford Coppola. Originally published in 1819, many decades before Bram Stokers Dracula, and misattributed to Polidoris friend Lord Byron, The Vampyre has kept readers up at night for nearly two hundred years.