Richard Sugg specialises in marginal, forgotten or tabooed histories, as showcased in his previous writing on a variety of supernatural and unusual themes. He is the author of ten books, including Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires(3rd edition 2019), A Century of Ghost Stories(2017), A Singing Mouse at Buckingham Palace (2017), and Fairies: A Dangerous History (2018). He is currently completing Talking Dirty: The History of Disgust.
In a crisp, readable style, sprinkled with humor, Richard Sugg gives new life to a topic that a less adventurous writer might conclude had been drained of vitality through boundless repetition. Along the way, Sugg revokes shopworn stereotypes (vampires always drink blood) and uncovers striking materializations (poltergeist vampires). Based on solid scholarship, without jargon, Sugg's sweeping examination of authentic vampires-from the ancient Old World to historical New England-delves deep, delivering insights into primal intersections between nature and culture, physiology and psychology. Sugg animates terrifying linking phenomena, such as nightmares and sleep paralysis, with actual stories connected to concrete landscapes. Readers feel the vampire's terror from the inside out. -- Michael E. Bell, author of Food for the Dead and Vampire's Grasp We think we know about vampires, being constantly exposed to them on small and big screens these days. But after just a few pages of Richard's book, you'll realise that's not true. He has managed that rare thing: to combine proper scholarship and research with a writing style that is accessible and readable. -- Rose George, author of Nine Pints