The 100 best novels: No 31 – Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)

21 April 2014 · The Guardian

Robert McCrum

Bram Stoker Estate account

Estate summary

Robert McCrum places Dracula among the 100 best English-language novels, considering its Gothic inheritance, Victorian fears and enduring capacity for reinterpretation. His account also revisits the first edition, early reviews and Charlotte Stoker’s enthusiastic response. The illustrated first-edition cover matches the edition discussed.

The Guardian’s 100 best novels entry dated 21 April 2014. A literary appraisal with a publication-history note; its theories about inspiration are critical interpretation, not independent proof.

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Related illustration: Dracula, 1897 first edition, yellow cloth coverCourtesy of the Bram Stoker Estate.