Jack the Ripper and the Darkest Sources of Bram Stoker
Since its publication in 1897, there have been suggestions that the fictional exploits of "Dracula" were closely associated with "Jack the Ripper" than a "Transylvanian Count". Historian Neil Storey provides the first British-based investigation of the sources used by Stoker and paints an evocative portrait of Stoker, his influences, friends and the London he knew in the late 19th century. Among Stoker's group of friends, however, were dark shadows. Storey explores how Stoker created Dracula out of the climate of fear that surrounded the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888. Add to this potent combination the notion that Stoker may have known Jack the Ripper personally and hid the clues to this terrible knowledge in his book. The premise is seductive and connects some of the giants of stage and literature of late Victorian Britain. Having gained unprecedented access to the unique archive of one of Stoker's most respected friends and the dedicatee of "Dracula", Storey sheds new light on both Stoker and Dracula, and reveals startling new insights into the links between Stoker's creation and the most infamous murderer of all time.
