Dracula. New York: Doubleday & McClure Co., 1909. Sixth American Edition. Pp 378, uncut. Publisher’s full beige cloth, front cover ruled and lettered in blue, featuring illustration of Dracula’s Castle blocked to centre of upper cover. Light shelf wear & dust soiling to cloth, lower corner of rear board creased, light scattered browning spots to margins of some leaves;but overall a very good copy.

First published by Archibald Constable in London in 1897 & by Doubleday & McClure in New York in 1899.

Published in the same format as the first American edition featuring the iconic illustration of printed directly on the cloth cover of Count Dracula’s castle perched high on a hill or cliff. The scene includes bats flying around the castle and a sun setting, creating a dramatic and eerie Gothic atmosphere. An observer noted that it is ambiguous whether it depicts sunset or sunrise            

Having written what was to become the most famous Gothic horror novel of all time, Stoker died on 20th April 1912, not long enough to see Dracula’s immense cultural impact, and its many permutations in print and on the screen.