Vampire Universe

The title maybe a bit misleading as it does not focus on just vampires, but it's a nice encyclopedia/dictionary that discusses all kinds of frightful monsters like demons, werewolves, and even covers nonfictional events such as sleep paralysis and psychosis as well as the infrequent 'vampire' animal. It has a heavy emphasis on vampires with other supplemental beasts to further the mythology. It's more in depth than some of the other bestiaries and creature encyclopedias. More text heavy than illustration visuals- the art is alright when you come across the stray page that has it on there. As one one-star reviewer states- some inaccuracies are within the text. That is to be expected, as mythologies and stories get 'telephoned' told over show more time to where the originality gets obscured and it's uncertain which entry to include, if not all of them. I do agree that some entries can be confusing and contain misspellings. One such instance is the 'Jaracaca', which is a suggestive vampire-like being that takes the form of a snake and feeds on breastmilk. In biology/zoology, there is a recognized real snake called the jaracaca, so this information may confuse others if you do not refine your searches properly. These fantasy encyclopedias encourage you to do your own research and don't expect you to use one book for a one-stop library. You'll meet old classic favorites like Lilith, Jersey Devil, Wolf-Man, and Nessie, and plenty of more hidden creatures like the Djien, Chordewas, Abere and Kwakwakalanooksiwae. show less

Great books on the legends and myths of vampires!