Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality (With a New Introduction): Folklore and Reality; With a New Preface

This book takes the reader on a journey through the folklore associated with death. In particular, it focuses on the vampire - as a creature that returns from the dead (as 'undead'). Much about this journey through the history of such tales is connected to our fear of dying, and the unknowns bound-up with it. Through fear, we've invented elaborate legends and myths concerned with overcoming death, or returning from the dead. And of these, the vampire is one of the most prevalent. It involves the physical continuation of existence, rather than returning in ethereal form as an incorporeal entity. For centuries, the vampire has captured our imaginations ... and this book explores the manifestations of such imagery.The narrative looks at real history, from early modern times (the 1700's) to the present-day. And many of the most important cases of documented vampirism from around the world are outlined and explored in detail. This, then, is a case history of actual vampirism. And what does 'vampirism' mean? It refers to instances when people really thought that vampires existed. Whether they did or not is irrespective, what's of concern here is that the historic belief was real. And these beliefs were documented by the authorities, in the various countries at different times. As such, there are empirically-recorded cases of vampirism. And this book examines how these cases portray the vampire as a creature that is associated with death.It's a well-written, highly informative book. It's academically presented, with references cited throughout. I recommend this item to anyone interested in the real-world history of documented cases of vampirism.

Well, I bought this book without really knowing what I was doing. There are lots of books that try to explain the phenomenon and after expending some time searching and reading reviews, I ended up buying this one. And I gotta tell you, it was worth it. If you're a fantasy/fiction reader like me and if you like vampire stories, you'll certainly enjoy reading this book. It's the kind of book to read slowly, ideal for those moments when you don't want to do anything else and want to relax a bit. The basic aproach on the subject is amazingly done, the text fluidity is ideal and the way the book is organized is great. The examples are hilarious and what I liked the most was how the author explains and justifies all that is reported with nowadays and the actual knowledge, mainly in the medical/forensics area.It is a great reading and we get to see an amazing perspective of how supersticious people were back then.oh well, 5 out of 5 in my opinion.An essential to those who like the subject. Very down-to-earth and accurate.

It is a shame, at a time when there are so many excellent books published on the topic, that this book should be allowed publication. The narrow-minded scope of the author, restricting the vampire to the folkloric vampire, and comparing it (ironically) to vampires in films and novels, is a very poor take on a complex myth which may only be explained via a plural perspective: sociological, historical and importantly medical.Unfortunately the author makes fun of the medical point of view, proving himself to be 'misinformed'. He laughs at the social practices around vampires during the Late Middle-Age & Renaissance (distanciation, destruction of objects around the corpses etc.), while it is obvious that 'vampires' were affected by an infection, whether the plague, malaria or other unknown viruses at the time. These illnesses affect and change the behavior, explaining the change in personality. This is proven today.In addition, Paul Barber quotes his sources for pages and pages, like a late research student would do, making a long and annoying collection to read. I would recommend Nick Groom's book THE VAMPIRE. A NEW HISTORY, an excellent source, elegantly written and which brings a new perspective on the topic unlike P. Barber.

Lost interest reading at about page 120 .. too much repeating of stories. Chapters just merge into the previous. Difficult to read as too much referencing. Could have been presented in 100 pages. Too padded out.

Brilliant and very insightful. Gives you exactly what you need to understand the processes behind the legend; quite scientific though; no speculations and beautiful vampires. Absolutely essential and must have if you are interested in the topic.

Perfect for research into this type of myth

Everything I wanted

I loved this book it's a keeper for me, well written, well researched and easy to read, it is very interesting historically from stories all over the world and from different eras in history. well worth buying. happy.