Publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula

Background. Bram Stoker, an Irish writer, barrister, and theatre manager, began writing novels while working as manager for Irving and secretary and director of London's Lyceum Theatre, beginning with The Snake's Pass in 1890. Dracula was his seventh published book, following The Shoulder of Shasta (1895). Stoker stated it took him about three years to write the novel, and it is likely that he wrote most of the manuscript during summer holidays in Cruden Bay, Scotland, from 1893 to 1896; he started writing Dracula there in 1895 while in residence at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel.

Publication Details. Dracula was published in May 1897 by Archibald Constable and Company, bound in yellow cloth with red lettering. The exact date is uncertain; it was probably 26 May 1897, though some sources suggest late May to June. A typewritten publishing agreement was signed on 25 May 1897. To protect copyright, Stoker organized a stage reading at the Lyceum Theatre in the week before publication.

Initial Reception. Following publication, reviewers praised the novel's terrifying atmosphere, while others criticized the excessive horror. The Manchester Guardian noted its capacity to entertain but concluded Stoker erred in including so much horror. A review in The Bookseller noted that the novel could almost have been written by Collins, and an anonymous review in Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art wrote that Dracula improved upon the style of Gothic pioneer Ann Radcliffe. At the time of publication, Dracula was considered a straightforward horror novel based on imaginary creations of supernatural life.