Varney the Vampire (Vol.1-3) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Victorian Penny-Dreadful of Gothic Horror, Ruined Aristocracy, and Early Vampire TerrorBy James Malcolm Rymer, Thomas Peckett Prest
Length74h 41m
About this audiobook
Varney the Vampire (Vol. 1–3) gathers one of the most influential achievements of nineteenth-century Gothic popular fiction, a sprawling penny-dreadful narrative whose sensational energy helped shape the modern vampire tradition. Across its episodic structure, the work combines melodrama, domestic terror, crime fiction, grotesque humor, and supernatural mystery, producing a volatile literary world of ruined aristocracy, persecuted households, haunted bodies, and moral ambiguity. Its famous opening attack, atmospheric nocturnal scenes, and conflicted treatment of vampirism remain landmarks in the pre-Dracula genealogy of horror. Associated with James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest, prolific figures in the expanding marketplace of Victorian serial literature, the text reflects the industrial conditions of cheap print culture: rapid composition, cliff-hanger plotting, and an acute responsiveness to popular appetite. Their collective milieu links the anthology-like expansiveness of Varney to urban readerships, theatrical melodrama, Newgate fiction, and the democratization of Gothic motifs once largely confined to elite literary forms. This volume is recommended for readers interested in the evolution of horror, Victorian popular culture, and the long afterlife of Gothic conventions. It offers an unusually rich opportunity to encounter shifting tones, recurring anxieties, and competing moral perspectives within a single monumental narrative. Students and general readers alike will find in it both historical instruction and enduring narrative fascination.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.3 (12)
Includes Amazon
GenreHorror, Literary Classics
Length74 hrs 41 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateOct 15, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Varney the Vampire (Vol.1-3) (Annotated)
26Chapter XX.
2Introduction
27Chapter XXI.
3Synopsis
28Chapter XXII.
4Historical Context
29Chapter XXIII.
5Volume 1
30Chapter XXIV.
Show all chaptersShow less
6Preface
31Chapter XXV.
7Chapter I.
32Chapter XXVI.
8Chapter II.
33Chapter XXVII.
9Chapter III.
34Chapter XXVIII.
10Chapter IV.
35Chapter XXIX.
11Chapter V.
36Chapter XXX.
12Chapter VI.
37Chapter XXXI.
13Chapter VII.
38Chapter XXXII.
14Chapter VIII.
39Chapter XXXIII.
15Chapter IX.
40Chapter XXXIV.
16Chapter X.
41Chapter XXXV.
17Chapter XI.
42Chapter XXXVI.
18Chapter XII.
43Chapter XXXVII.
19Chapter XIII.
44Chapter XXXVIII.
20Chapter XIV.
45Chapter XXXIX.
21Chapter XV.
46Chapter XL.
22Chapter XVI.
47Chapter XLIV.
23Chapter XVII.
48Chapter XLV.
24Chapter XVIII.
49Chapter XLVI.
25Chapter XIX.
50Chapter XLVII.
More from James Malcolm Rymer, Thomas Peckett Prest
A Long Way from OrdinaryAnn Charles, Sam Lucky9h 13m4.6 (1K)$20
Warrior’s FateWalt Browning10h 37m4.5 (1.6K)$20
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Skull of the WorldKate Forsyth10h 28m4.5 (3.8K)$20
Reign Of AngelsBen Reeder8h 54m4.6 (189)$20
THE CTHULHU MYTHOS TALES (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft22h 46m4.5 (16.9K)$2 · $0.00
We’re AliveKc Wayland5h 10m4.5 (4.3K)$15
The Undead PoolKim Harrison16h 13m4.4 (34.6K)$33 · $0.00
Glacier's EdgeR. A. Salvatore13h 44m4.5 (3.4K)$33 · $0.00
Haint BlueStephanie Alexander11h 55m4.5 (675)$23
The King in Yellow (Annotated)Robert W. Chambers8h 53m4.6 (122)$1.99 · $0.00
Good OmensNeil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett12h 33m4.4 (1.1M)$33 · $0.00
Dark of NightJonathan Maberry, Rachael Lavin4h 59m4.4 (3.8K)$20 · $0.00
The Renegade HunterLynsay Sands10h 7m4.4 (17.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Fall of the House of CabalJonathan L. Howard14h 54m4.4 (4.1K)$23
Lost GodsBrom14h 50m4.4 (18.5K)$33 · $0.00
The AccusedJana DeLeon6h 32m4.4 (3.9K)$12 · $0.00
Corpus HermeticumHermes Trismegistus3h 43m4.4 (8.6K)$7 · $0.00
LambChristopher Moore15h 22m4.3 (211.3K)$33 · $0.00
CARMILLA (Gothic Classic) (Annotated)Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu4h 2m4.4 (1K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn21h 56m4.7 (8.9K)$46 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 9m4.8 (150)$1.99 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m4.6 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m4.6 (9.3K)$18 · $0.00
Ivanhoe (Annotated)Walter Scott22h 52m4.8 (88)$2 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m4.6 (159.1K)$15
The Complete Histories / History Plays of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare29h 42m4.6 (2.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
Richard Wagamese SelectedRichard Wagamese3h 14m4.6 (594)$15
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Twelfth Night (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography (Annotated)William Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 38m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 40m4.6 (1.3K)$1 · $0.00
Pathways to LightPrakash Amte7h 6m4.6 (1.3K)$8
These Vital SignsSayed Tabatabai3h 20m4.7 (215)$18 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 54m4.5 (10.6K)$2 · $0.00
Lessons in TruthH. Emilie3h 50m4.6 (1.4K)$4.70 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The Poetic EddaJackson Crawford6h 24m4.5 (19.8K)$17
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
You may also like
CarmillaJoseph Sheridan Le Fanu2h 54m4.0 (276.9K)Free
The Shunned HouseH. P. Lovecraft1h 13m3.9 (9.2K)$2.30
The Shunned HouseHoward Phillips Lovecraft1h 11m3.8 (8.8K)$3 · $0.00
The Jewel of Seven StarsBram Stoker8h 7m3.7 (6.4K)$17
Great Classic Vampire Storiesvarious authors6h 25m4.0 (373)$20 · $0.00
The Shunned HouseH. P. Lovecraft1h 13m4.0 (13.5K)$1.80 · $0.00
Dracula's GuestBram Stoker5h 56m3.8 (17.6K)$20 · $0.00
The Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan Doyle6h 27m4.2 (467.7K)$1.80 · $0.00
DraculaBram Stoker15h 50m4.2 (1.7M)$1 · $0.00
DraculaBram Stoker15h 31m4.2 (1.7M)Free
Beneath the ShadowsSara Foster9h 40m3.7 (6.3K)$20
In a Glass DarklySheridan Le Fanu13h 23m4.0 (9.9K)$2 · $0.00
Dracula's Guest and Other Weird StoriesBram Stoker5h 57m4.0 (14.5K)$2.30 · $0.00
CarmillaSheridan Le Fanu3h 18m4.0 (266.3K)$18 · $0.00
Dracula's GuestBram Stoker5h 42m3.8 (16.5K)Free
The Complete Novels of Bram Stoker (Annotated)Bram Stoker109h 6m4.4 (2.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Amityville HorrorJay Anson6h 29m3.8 (155.6K)$14
Carmilla: Part ThreeJ. Sheridan Le Fanu50m4.6 (2.5K)$2.99 · $0.00
In a Glass Darkly, Complete, Volume 1-3Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu12h 35m4.0 (7.8K)$2.30
The Vampyre, A TaleJohn William Polidori1h 21m3.5 (21.8K)$2.30