Product Description

Monsters and shape-shifters have always held a special fascination in mythologies, legends, and folklore the world over. These beings are part human but under certain conditions transform into formidable creatures that prey upon humans and animals. Interest in these creatures, vampires among them, remains continually strong, as illustrated by the success of numerous movies and books featuring them. From ancient customs to famous cases of beasts and vampires to reflections on popular culture, 600 thrilling entries provide definitions, explanations, and lists of suggested further reading. This thrilling resource focuses on cross-cultural mythology, folklore, historical cases, and the presence of these creatures in arts, entertainment, and pop culture. The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters is a fascinating historical journey through the macabre, led by an author with great expertise in the field.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #508352 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Customer Reviews

An encyclopedia that sadly misinforms
Rosemary Ellen Guiley has now written three books ostensibly about vampires. Two of them, including this latest offering, include a case investigated by Seán Manchester whom Guiley first met in 1990. The following year she wrote Vampires Among Us which, according to Seán Manchester, "misinforms, misleads and gently mocks" (The Vampire Hunter's Handbook, page 42).

Thirteen years after publication of Vampires Among Us (1991), Guiley has another stab at the Highgate Vampire by including it as an entry for The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters which effort might serve as a warning on how important it is to get your facts straight.

Guiley's entry claims that "a massive vampire hunt by self-proclaimed vampire hunters was organized for the night of Friday, March 13, 1970" when, in fact, the mass public vampire hunt of hundreds of people was not organised at all. It was entirely spontaneous due to a television transmission about the suspected vampire on the evening of 13 March 1970.

"Hundreds of vampire hunters invaded the cemetery, armed with wooden stakes, garlic and crosses. No vampire was found, but the cemetery suffered vandalism and theft damages amounting to £9,000 to £10,000. The vandals left behind graffiti and the exhumed remains of a female corpse, and stole lead from coffins," claims Guiley.

In actual fact, the cemetery suffered no vandalism whatsoever as a result of the mass vampire hunt or any subsequent vampire hunts. Vandalism, moreover, decreased from March 1970 onward as a direct consequence of the attention the cemetery was receiving. The female corpse which was disinterred in August 1970 had nothing to do with vandals or vampire hunters. The police correctly treated it as an act of black magic ceremonial attributed to Satanists who were probably disturbed before they could hide all the evidence. Nobody at the time regarded the outrage as anything to do with vampire hunting or vandalism.

Guiley continues: "As lurid stories fueled more interests, vampire hunters and the curious continued to enter the cemetery at night. In 1974, a group of vampire hunters claimed they had found the vampire and had destroyed it, but others disputed this."

By 1974 there was no claim by anyone that a vampire was active at Highgate Cemetery and it certainly was not claimed by anyone to have been "destroyed" in the cemetery. It was alleged to have been exorcised at an entirely different location on the borders of Highgate and Hornsey, nowhere near the notorious graveyard. (See The Highgate Vampire by Seán Manchester, page 143).

Guiley further claims: "To discourage occult activity and vandalism, the cemetery was closed at night and access was severely restricted."

The cemetery had never been open at night. It always closed by 5.30pm in the summer and 4.30pm in the winter. Access was only restricted in the daytime because safety could not be guaranteed and Friends of Highgate Cemetery, who had taken on the responsibility from Camden Council who had bought the graveyard from the private cemetery company who owned it during the vampire haunting, could not accept the liability of people walking about with gaping holes in the ground and trees falling all around.

Guiley finally claims: "From 1977 to 1980, mysterious animal deaths were reported in the areas near Highgate Cemetery. The bodies of pets and various small wild animals were found with wounds in their throats. It was speculated that dogs or wild animals were the culprits, but the 'vampire theory' also stayed in circulation."

Yet anyone who has researched this case would be aware that the mysterious deaths of animals attributed to vampiric activity had moved away from Highgate by that time. They were now centred miles away elsewhere.

All in all, Rosemary Guiley's Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters continues in her tradition of sloppy journalism invariably at odds with known facts in the public annals as recorded by those who were present at the time which clearly she was not. Anyone churning out an encylopedia has a responsibility to aspire to avoid misinforming and in that aspiration Guiley has clearly failed.