Paperblanks Bram Stoker, Dracula Ultra Hardback Journal – Plain, 144 Pages

Capture your ideas, plans and memories in this Bram Stoker, Dracula ultra hardback journal from Paperblanks, with 144 plain pages of 120 gsm acid-free paper.

In honour of the great horror classic Dracula, we offer a page from Bram Stoker’s original 1897 playscript he adapted from his novel. Our cover shows a piece of the Preface from the galley proof for his play. 2017 marks the 120th anniversary of the publication of Dracula and would also be Stoker’s 170th birthday.

The Story Behind the Design

In honour of the great horror classic Dracula, we offer our Bram Stoker Embellished Manuscript. Not only is Dracula one of the most famous works in any genre, it is the inspiration for countless dark descendants that have followed. Our cover features a page from the original 1897 playscript that Stoker adapted from his famed novel.

Bram Stoker (1847–1912) was an Irish author who, during his lifetime, was best known for being the personal assistant to actor Henry Irving and the manager of the famed Lyceum Theatre in London. He was also a respected theatre critic and a personal friend to Oscar Wilde. Of course, today we remember him as the author of not only Dracula but other horror novels like The Lady of the Shroud (1909) and The Lair of the White Worm (1911).

After suffering from a mysterious illness throughout his childhood, Stoker lived his adult life to the fullest – excelling in athletics, mathematics and philosophy. But it was an 1890 visit to the English town of Whitby that would prove most influential on his life’s work, as it became the original inspiration for Dracula. After being enthralled by the dark stories of the Carpathian mountains that his acquaintance Ármin Vámbéry, a Hungarian writer and traveller, regaled him with, Stoker set out to research European folklore. Combining these vampire fables with his remembrance of Whitby, Stoker built the gothic world of Count Dracula.

Though most celebrated for writing his epistolary novel Dracula, Stoker was a theatre fan first and foremost. He became interested in theatre while studying under his friend Dr. Maunsell, who encouraged him to write reviews for the Dublin Evening Mail. The quality of his reviews attracted notice within the theatre community, leading to his friendship with Henry Irving. Soon he moved to London where he became the manager of Irving’s Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for twenty-seven years.

With his life so fully engrossed in theatre, there’s little surprise that Stoker decided to bring his work to the stage. In 1897 he submitted the script for the theatrical version of Dracula for approval and licensing, with the first performance held May 18th of that year. Our cover shows a piece of the Preface from the galley proof for the play. At the time the title of the work was in flux: it was to be called either Dracula or The Undead. The play itself stayed close to the gothic novel, but the author pared away material from the narrative to make it more visual.

After suffering a number of strokes, Stoker died at the age of sixty-four, but his legacy carries on through his writing and the works it has inspired.

• Original artwork: Bram Stoker’s Dracula playscript
• Era: 1897
• Region: Ireland

Product Details

• Size: Ultra – 180 × 230 × 22 mm
• Interior: Plain
• Pages: 144 (72 sheets)
• Paper: 120 gsm acid-free cream laid paper
• Cover: Hardback
• Closure: Wrap closure with hidden magnets
• Binding: Smyth sewn – lies flat and stays durable
• Edge printing: Yes
• Corners: Square
• Pouch: Memento pouch
• Design: Bram Stoker, Dracula
• Series: Embellished Manuscripts Collection
• Satin ribbon marker
• 100% recycled binder boards
• Decorative printed cover paper
• Endpaper with credit and copyright information as well as historical background for the original artwork
• Threaded stitching and glue, as needed
• Acid-free paper
• Memento pouch
• Weight: 572 g
• Product code: PB4397-3 | ISBN: 9781439743973

About Paperblanks

Paperblanks works with museums, libraries, galleries and artists around the world to faithfully reproduce remarkable artwork, historic bindings and treasured manuscripts. Every book is made to last, with binder boards crafted from 100% recycled materials, and the back endpaper tells the fascinating story behind the cover design and credits its creators.