Rating: 
Summary: The odd behavior of the dead
Review: A lot of information in this book I'd heard from different sources over the years, but this one puts it all together. In one short volume, the entire vampire superstition is quickly and succinctly explained away. Evidently, the vampire myth is worldwide because of the way all human bodies behave after death. Simple as that. Details are given on a case-by-case basis as well as a plethora of rather gristly facts on decomposition, the problem of disposing of dead bodies, and the scientific (as well as superstitious) beliefs of cultures through time. There is nothing romanticized here, no black capes, no hypnotism, no pale aristocrats, no immortality. The imagination is nonetheless stimulated. One can only imagine the terror of a pre-scientific community suffering from a plague, digging up grandpa and discovering that he looks a lot more fat and healthy since he died last month. Something is horribly wrong... This is a great book, really well thought out and well presented. But if you're looking for "real" vampires, try the fiction section.
Rating:
Summary: A sparkling, scholarly investigation of folkloric vampires.
Review: Anyone who has read Nina Auerbach's Our Vampires, Ourselves needs to investigate this marvellous book by Paul Barber, a rare scholarly study that is written with verve, wit, and charm. Barber reminds us that the undead of folklore have precious little in common with Bram Stoker's Dracula or Anne Rice's Lestat -- those are completely modern concoctions. The traditional vampire is, in fact, a corpse. And not a corpse in any too good shape, either! Barber includes more information about the body after death than you could ever have imagined, and yet somehow manages to maintain a jolly tone while he discusses the details of decomposition and other potentially gut-churning subjects. I laughed out loud at lines like these: "However tragic your death may be, it would be far more tragic if you were to take me with you." This is a great book!
Rating: 
Summary: Life after death
Review: Forget everything you ever heard about Count Dracula and Lestat, we are dealing with the real thing here. You won't find any pale and sophisticated lounge lizards in this book, just foul smelling revenants lumbering about in uninhabited forests - and they are much more interesting than the Hollywood vampires we know so well.This book deals with the origins of the vampire myth and is full of information on the scientific facts and superstitions that lead people to believe that the dead weren't really dead. Paul Barber quotes many contemporary sources and first hand experiences, including a fascinating report from a doctor who supervised the exhumation of about 20 suspected vampires in Serbia. Several scientific aspects of decomposition are described in painstaking detail and the author convincingly explains why peasants, who had no knowledge of forensic medicine, believed that these corpses weren't completely dead - and it makes perfect sense. Small wonder people thought that the dead were no really dead considering the astonishing changes they sometimes go through. This is a very interesting book, well organised and easy to read, and not as gruesome as it could have been considering the subject matter. If you're interested in knowing how the vampire myth originated this is a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Bought it by mistake
Review: I actually thought I was ordering another book, but I'm quite glad that I got this one! The author is working from the naturalistic, forensic side of vampires and other revenants, something that at best gets only one chapter in other books. He clarifies the common misconceptions about 'vampires', and while using the term for simplicity's sake discusses all the sorts of European walking dead.
The forensic details are quite scientific and factual (read: graphic), and although I have a strong stomach there was one fleeting moment where I went, "yuck". The book is not written to shock, however. The author even occasionally throws in a bit of dry humour, my favorite being his discussion of his dog's "spirit of scientific inquiry" in digging up dead things in the back yard.
I have loaned my copy to a friend who is an amateur criminalist and forensic-freak, and hope that the information in it will help us in our discussions on a certain murder investigation. As it is several years old I would suggest someone who wants cutting-edge this-year forensic science to go elsewhere. But for the vampirologist, anthropologist, or the curious, this is a great read. My friend had better give my copy back!
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting.
Review: I picked this book up on a whim, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Barber presents the subject in a scholarly manner and interweaves his knowledge of folklore and historical citations of encounters with "revenants" with his wit and logical deductions. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy a scholarly presentation of a quirky and macabre subject.
Rating:
Summary: Decent scholarly work on the origins of vampire folklore
Review: If you like reading good non-fiction, this work is for you. Paul Barber started out doing research on vampire folklore, and learned that many of our burial practices and beliefs about death are related to that folklore. This is not the book for people who think vampires -- in the Dracula-like Goth mode -- are real. This books explains why old beliefs in the nature of life were the foundation for a belief that people could rise from the dead and be naughty. It might just change your appreciation of funeral customs, too.
Rating:
Summary: a must-read!
Review: If you want to get down into the heart of what a vampire is as well as its origins, then there are two books that I thoroughly recommend- one, is this one of course, and the other is "Compleat Vampyre" by Nigel Jackson (Capall Bann Publishing, 1995).
This is a brilliantly researched and comprehensive book packed with detail both of a psychological and biological nature (don't let that put you off though!). It really does get down to the mystery of the vampire. Buy it while you can!
Rating:
Summary: a must-read!
Review: If you want to get down into the heart of what a vampire is as well as its origins, then there are two books that I thoroughly recommend- one, is this one of course, and the other is "Compleat Vampyre" by Nigel Jackson (Capall Bann Publishing, 1995).
This is a brilliantly researched and comprehensive book packed with detail both of a psychological and biological nature (don't let that put you off though!). It really does get down to the mystery of the vampire. Buy it while you can!
Rating:
Summary: ORIGIN OF THE VAMPIRE MYTH
Review: Im a big fan of vampire fiction and this book was very interesting,it scholarly explains about vampire folklore, mythology and superstition.This book is well written.
Rating:
Summary: The VAMPIRE Myth dissected
Review: The book, I confess, is pretty good. The only problem that arises from it is the fact you just can't read it smoothly as you go along. The author doesn't take you by the hands to the world of vampires. He simply tells you that no matter what, they don't exist. He goes to medicine for the answer and he gets it. The book is well portrayed, yet the coherency is a bit lacking. The book is for scholars. Those interested in beliefs and folklore. If you're a fan of the fiction vampire, I suggest you don't hold this book. It ruins the concept of splendotr, grandeur and mystery of all those great characters. This book is for the non-believers. The scientific... Simply said... for humans
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