First Edition of Leaf Book, limited to 19, this is copy stamped “8”, with Leaf p.33 tipped-in as frontispiece above limitation statement. LEAF BOOK, WHICH IS NUMBERED AND LIMITED TO ONLY 19 COPIES. A small printed note mounted to the limitation page states: “This is an original leaf from the 1819 American edition of THE VAMPYRE, A TALE by John William Polidori, erroneously attributed to Lord Byron on its title page, published by M. Thomas and printed by J. Maxwell, Philadelphia. This is one of two editions published in America in 1819, the same year as the first edition published in England. It is not known which of the two American imprints has the honor of being the first American edition. Only one complete copy of this edition is now known to exist.” Blue cloth-backed, blue paper-covered boards, lettered in pale yellow and illustrated with a bat and moon pattern in black and pale yellow.
The Vampyre is a groundbreaking short story that, with its publication in 1819, paved the way for the modern vampire novel as we know it today. The work is so enmeshed in the fabric of horror literature, that it is frequently seen to be folkloric, and is referenced as such within contemporary works. The Vampyre’s authorship was erroneously attributed to Lord Byron with its initial publication in the New Monthy Magazine on April 1, 1819. Both Byron and Polidori have gone on record to rectify the incongruity.
The Vampyre is to be adapted into a feature-film that is tentatively set to be released in October 2018.
Heartwood Books and Art 