$5.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Saturday, May 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 9. Order within 20 hrs 7 mins
In Stock
$$5.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$5.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

John William Polidori
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Vampyre: A Tale Paperback – February 17, 2016

by John William Polidori (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 425 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$5.99","priceAmount":5.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"5","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"dPnIvObostBV%2F4kcVt9V4EZQzeaLFDC4TiLWu77ttlZHKmAf4VnGCb125Fvc22CYOclW2hqnD7acrjPVtKp5qtVEYF2bqqwzx9kTfWri%2Bb0hMgHLwdO%2FLVBpms2je%2Fln74%2B9sGJbqQOwbUQhw3XnJQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The progenitor of the romantic vampire genre.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    70 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    February 17, 2016
  4. Dimensions
    5 x 0.18 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1530088984
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1530088980
  7. See all details
Next page
Layla
"Layla" by Colleen Hoover for $7.19
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love. | Learn more

Frequently bought together

The Vampyre: A Tale
$5.99
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Carmilla
$7.99
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - the Original 1886 Classic (Reader's Library Classics)
$5.99
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 17, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 70 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1530088984
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1530088980
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.04 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.18 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 425 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
John William Polidori

John William Polidori

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
425 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

James Glover
5.0 out of 5 stars Yessss
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
I found this book and saw that it was written before Dracula and was intrigued. And I wasn’t disappointed. It was great a very short but great story and if I go too far into it I will end up giving too much away. Let’s just say check it out great story was very impressed.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ethon O'Brien
3.0 out of 5 stars Underwhelming
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2024
Verified Purchase
First I'd like to say, if you enjoy classic literature, this story is worth the time. If nothing else, it was an interesting look at one of the earliest vampire legends. It was just not that impressive by modern standards.

Spoilers ahead:

Parts of the story were suspenseful and even thrilling, but the ending was very underwhelming. More speculative than anything else. It was fascinating that Lord Ruthven assumed the guise of a real life English poet. I just didn't care for the big climax being that Byron married Aubrey's sister and ate her. I was kind of hoping he'd turn Aubrey, but I suppose that concept may not have yet existed, or at the very least, did not exist in the lore of this story.
Helpful
 Report
Carol
4.0 out of 5 stars Very early 1819 vampyre tale
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2019
Verified Purchase
Believe it or not....this real oldie of a vampyre tale has no bloody gore. First published in 1819, it begins with a very interesting introduction pertaining to historic vampyre beliefs around the world, one I had never heard, about how to rid yourself of the evil.

THE VAMPYRE is also a product of the competition that produced Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN.

As the story begins.....we first meet Aubrey, a handsome recently orphaned and now wealthy young man and his only sister....ready to come out. Not a fan of society parties, Aubrey leaves his sister in the hands of guardians and heads off in search of antiquities with a curious new traveling companion, Lord Ruthven.

When evil shows its ugly face, Aubrey parts ways with the Lord....but that's not the last he sees of the strange man with the dead grey eye and alluring presence.

A bit of a love story, and a warning from the dead...."Remember your oath.".... makes for a great classic end.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Stephanie Castellano
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired by Polidoris blood sucker poet friend Lord Byron
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2019
Verified Purchase
Loved the book, quick read, but I enjoyed it. I have read all the old school books on Vampires but not this one. I wanted to read this book for awhile now knowing it was the original vampire book and of course written about the blood sucker of people poet Byron! Polidori was a doctor by trade. Pretty good writer with a clever imagination.
Helpful
 Report
Dean O.
2.0 out of 5 stars 4 blank pages at the strart
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book is WAY overpriced. Like I stated, there are 4 blank pages. There are a total of 52 pages. It's not a book, it's an Essay
Helpful
 Report
JerseyG
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for vampire aficionados
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
If you like vampires, and have read Bram Stoker’s novel, and are familiar with Lord Byron’s works and associates, then you need this story in your collection. Not gory or scary., Gothic, and the precursor to that later became the popular vampire tale.Your collection of vampire books would be incomplete without it.
Helpful
 Report
Tayler
3.0 out of 5 stars Simple, short, predictable
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
What do you expect from a book not even 100 pages? With little time there is little room for suspense or great mystery. It is well written and has a good plot. The vampire makes a request of the main character with unknown intentions which aren't revealed till the end. I read it in my spare time at work in one day. If you like to read but have a busy schedule, short books like these are the way to go.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The Original Vampire
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
Great little short story that started the vampire obsession. The Original Vampire before Count Dracula entered stage left. It is fun to read the original version and to see how the vampire craze has evolved. Very similar to common versions. The language is a little dated but that is part of the fun..
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Denis Duran Bastos
4.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece
Reviewed in Brazil on July 26, 2019
Verified Purchase
I like it. A great work with only few pages.
4/5 for a brand new story based on the european folklore.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Jane
5.0 out of 5 stars X
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
Happy
Report
tasmin
3.0 out of 5 stars A nice read
Reviewed in Australia on October 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed picking up this classic. Its a nice small read which is great for a quick read. Underappreciated that's for sure.
Report
Nardi F.
2.0 out of 5 stars Not a real book
Reviewed in Italy on April 17, 2016
Verified Purchase
The text is Polidori's Vampyre, and this is probably what you are looking for, although with a few typos that could be avoided.
BUT this is not a proper book. It is in fact a poor laser printer printout on 1/2 A4 pages pasted inside a cover. It states 'printed by Amazon'.
Report
Alaran
3.0 out of 5 stars Cornerstone of vampire literature
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2020
Verified Purchase
The literary competition that took place at the Villa Diodati produced two ground-breaking landmarks in literature. Neither, however, came from the authors you might expect, Shelly and Byron. Instead Mary Shelley was inspired to write ‘Frankenstein’ and Polidori came up with the less famous ‘The Vampyre’.

Even though ‘The Vampyre’ is overshadowed, and rightly so, by its more famously regarded counterpart, it is still enormously important as a work of fiction as it gave rise to the modern outlook towards vampires. It altered the typically regarded monstrous, blood drinking creatures into debonair cultured aristocrats. In doing so it led to the development of the almost romanticised anti-hero common today.

As far as the story is concerned it is fairly simple. It involves the rich but young and naïve lead protagonist, Aubrey, falling under the spell of the charismatic Lord Ruthven. The two become companions and start travelling the world together. Strange happenings inevitably ensue around them.

The story itself isn’t particularly exciting or involving and feels relatively tame in comparison to what has followed. But the change in direction in its approach to vampires alters the way they are viewed from then on and leads to the development of the Gothic vampire genre as we know it through the later works of ‘Dracula’, ‘Carmilla’ and ‘Varney the Vampire’. It is worth reading just for its place in defining vampire fiction.

‘The Vampyre’ is accompanied by a brief explanation on the legends of vampires as well as some background concerning the literary competition at Diodati and some of Byron’s musings on vampires.
One person found this helpful
 Report