Who is it?

Abraham (Bram) Stoker was born November 8, 1847 in Dublin, Ireland. His father was a civil servant and his mother was a charity worker and writer. Stoker was a sickly child and spent a lot of time in bed. Growing up his mother told him a lot of horror stories which may have influenced his later writings. In 1864 Stoker entered Trinity College Dublin. While attending college he began working as an Irish civil servant. He also worked part time as a free lance journalist and drama critic. In 1876 he met Henry Irving, a famous actor, and they soon became friends. Not long after that, Stoker met and fell in love with an aspiring actress named Florence Balcombe. In 1978 Stoker accepted a job working in London as Irving’s personal secretary. Stoker and Balcombe were married on December 4, 1878 and on December 9, they moved to England to join Irving. His first book “The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland” though written while he was still in Dublin, was published in 1879. On December 30, 1879 Stoker and his wife had their only child, a son Noel. While in England Stoker also wrote several novels and short stories. His first book of fiction, “Under the Sunset,” was published in 1881. Although best known for the gothic novel “Dracula“, Stoker wrote eighteen books before his death in 1912. He died of exhaustion at the age of 64.

Bibliography:

Novels:

1875 The Primrose Path : The Primrose Path was Bram Stoker’s first novel. It was first published in 1875 as a serial novel in The Shamrock an Irish weekly magazine that specialized in serial fiction. The novel appeared in five issues of The Shamrock with the first installation appearing on February 6, 1875 and the last on March 6, 1875. The novel was accompanied by five unsigned illustration which depicted scenes from the story. The Primrose Path was not reprinted again until it published, along with the short story “Buried Treasures”, as a 128 page hardcover published by Desert Island Books of Essex in 1999.

1890 The Snake’s Pass : The Snake’s Pass was Bram Stoker’s second novel. However, since his first novel The Primrose Pass was originally published as a serial novel in an Irish magazine this was his first book published as a novel. The Snake’s Pass was published in November 1890 by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, Limited of London. The book itself was a 365 page hardcover with a red cloth cover stamped with the title, author’s name and a picture in gold. Chapter III of The Snake’s Pass has also been republished as a short story under the name “The Gombeen Man”

1895 The Watter’s Mou’ : The Watter’s Mou’ was Bram Stoker’s third novel. The title is “the water’s mouth” in a Scottish dialect and it refers to a river emptying into the ocean. The Watter’s Mou’ was first published in 1895 by A. Constable and Company of Westminster as a part of their “Acme Library” series. The book itself was a 164 page hardcover with a blue cloth cover stamped with the title, the author’s name and decorations in gold

1895 The Shoulder of Shasta : The Shoulder of Shasta was Bram Stoker’s fourth novel. The novel was originally published in October 1895 by Archibald Constable and Company of Westminster. The book itself was a 235 page hardcover with a red cloth cover stamped with the title, the author’s name and decorations in gold.

1897 Dracula: Dracula was Bram Stoker’s fifth and by far his most famous novel. It was originally published in 1897 by Archibald Constable and Company of Westminster. The book itself was a relatively low quality 392 page hardcover with a yellow cloth cover printed with the title and author’s name in red lettering. Over the years various excerpts from Dracula have been published as short stories. These include: “Three Young Ladies”, “The Destruction of Castle Dracula!”, “Jonathan Harker’s Journal” and “The Way of the Vampire by Professor Abraham Van Helsing”.

1898 Miss Betty: Miss Betty was Bram Stoker’s sixth novel. It was published in 1898 by C. Arthur Pearson, Limited of London. The book itself was a 202 page hardcover with a plain blue cloth cover. The title and author’s name were stamped on the spine in gold.

1902 The Mystery of the Sea: The Mystery of the Sea was Bram Stoker’s seventh novel. It was first published in 1902 by Doubleday, Page and Company of New York. The Heinemann (UK) edition of the book came out several months later. The book itself was a 489 page hardcover with an olive green cloth cover stamped with the title, author’s name and decorations in gold and black. Chapters I and II of The Mystery of the Sea have also been republished as a short story under the name “The Seer”.

1903 The Jewel of Seven Stars: The Jewel of Seven Stars was Bram Stoker’s eighth novel. This novel, along with The Lair of The White Worm, is one of his most famous books after Dracula. It was originally published in 1903 by William Heinemann of London. The book itself was a 338 page hardcover with a red cloth cover stamped with the title, the author’s name and seven stars in gold and black. There is also a picture of a scarab stamped into the front cover. When The Jewel of Seven Stars was republished in 1912 Chapter XVI “Powers – Old and New” was left out and the book was given a happier ending. The original ending was later republished as a short story under the name “The Bridal of Death”. Both the original (1903) and the rewritten (1912) versions of the novel are available for download.

1905 The Man (AKA: The Gates of Life): The Man was Bram Stoker’s ninth novel. It was originally published in 1905 by William Heinemann of London. The book itself was a 436 page hardcover with a red cloth cover stamped with the title and the author’s name in gold.

1908 Lady Athlyne: Lady Athlyne was Bram Stoker’s tenth novel. It was originally published in 1908 by William Heinemann of London. The book itself was a 333 page hardcover with a red cloth cover stamped with the title, the author’s name and decorations in black.

1909 The Lady of the Shroud: The Lady of the Shroud was Bram Stoker’s tenth novel. It was originally published in 1909 by William Heinemann of London. The book itself was a 367 page hardcover with a red cloth cover stamped with the title, the author’s name and decorations in black.

1911 Lair of the White Worm (AKA: The Garden of Evil): The Lair of The White Worm was Bram Stoker’s twelfth and last novel. This novel, along with The Jewel of Seven Stars, is one of his most famous books after Dracula. It was originally published in 1911 by William Rider and Son, Limited of London. The book itself was a 324 page hardcover with a red cloth cover stamped with the title and the author’s name in either gold or without any paint depending on the issue.

Short Stories:

1881 Under the Sunset: Under the Sunset is a collection of eight short stories for children by Bram Stoker. This was Stoker’s first published book of fiction and his second published book. In addition to Stoker’s stories the book also contained several illustrations by W. Fitzgerald and W. V. Cockburn. It was first published in 1881 by Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington of London. The book itself was originally published as a 190 page hardcover with a cloth cover. The publishing company released a second edition in 1882. It wasn’t published again until October 1978 when it was re-released by the Newcastle Publishing Company.

1908 Snowbound: Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party is a collection of fifteen short stories by Bram Stoker. Although Stoker tied the stories in this collection together as a series of stories told by the members of a touring theatre company on a snowbound train, some of them were previously published in magazines as standalone short stories. It was first published in 1908 by Collier and Company of London. The book itself was originally a 256 page paperback. It wasn’t published again until October 1978 when it was re-released by Desert Island Books.

1914 Dracula’s Guest: Dracula’s Guest And Other Weird Stories is a collection of nine stories by Bram Stoker. This collection was published two years after Stoker’s death by his wife Florence Stoker. It was published in 1914 by George Routledge and Sons, Limited of London. The book itself was a two hundred page hardcover with a red cloth cover. The book’s title and author were stamped into the front cover and stamped in gold on the spine. It was released with a dust cover that depicted a scene from the short story “Dracula’s Guest”. It shows a man lying in the snow with a wolf standing on his chest.

Non- fiction:

1879 The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland
1886 A Glimpse of America
1906 Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving
1910 Famous Impostors

http://bramstoker.org/index.html

bout the Stoker Awards

Each year, the Horror Writer’s Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. The Stoker Awards were instituted immediately after the organization’s incorporation in 1987. While many members, including HWA’s first President, Dean Koontz, had reservations about awards for writing — since the point of HWA was for writers to cooperate for their mutual benefit, not to compete against one another — the majority of members heavily favored presenting awards, both to recognize outstanding work in the horror field and to publicize HWA’s activities.

To ameliorate the competitive nature of awards, the Stokers are given “for superior achievement,” not for “best of the year,” and the rules are deliberately designed to make ties fairly probable. The first awards were presented in 1988 (for works published in 1987), and they have been presented every year since. The award itself is an eight-inch replica of a fanciful haunted house, designed specifically for HWA by sculptor Steven Kirk. The door of the house opens to reveal a brass plaque engraved with the name of the winning work and its author.

The Stoker Awards, like the Oscars, are non-juried awards. Any work of Horror first published in the English language may be considered for a Stoker during the year of its publication. The HWA membership at large recommends worthy works for consideration. A preliminary ballot is compiled using a formula based on recommendations. Two rounds of voting by our Active members determine first the finalists, and then the winners. The winners are announced and the awards presented at a gala banquet held in conjunction with HWA’s annual conference, usually in June.

Between 2001 and 2004, the awards were presented in twelve categories: Novel, First Novel, Short Fiction, Long Fiction, Fiction Collection, Poetry Collection, Anthology, Nonfiction, Illustrated Narrative, Screenplay, Work for Young Readers, and Alternative Forms. Beginning with works published in 2005, however, the awards are given in eight categories: Novel, First Novel, Short Fiction, Long Fiction, Fiction Collection, Poetry Collection, Anthology, and Nonfiction. In addition, Lifetime Achievement Stokers are occasionally presented to individuals whose entire body of work has substantially influenced Horror.

http://www.litgothic.com/Authors/authors.html

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