Carmilla

About this edition

A beautiful stranger. A love shadowed by terror.

In a secluded castle in Styria, Laura lives a sheltered life with her father. When a carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into their home, loneliness gives way to an intense and bewildering attachment.

Beautiful, secretive, and strangely familiar, Carmilla offers a tenderness Laura cannot resist. Yet as their bond deepens, Laura is troubled by disturbing dreams and a weakness she cannot explain. Beyond the castle, other young women are falling ill, and an old portrait hints at a secret that should have been buried long ago.

First published in 1872, a quarter-century before Dracula, J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla is one of the founding works of vampire fiction. With its atmosphere of exquisite unease, it entwines desire, intimacy, and dread in an enduring tale of Gothic horror. Every gesture of affection carries a question: what is the true cost of being loved?

What this edition offers:

• Twelve illustrations in black and white, created for this edition in the style of Victorian book engraving. They follow the story from Laura's childhood fright to its final chapter.
• A biography of J. Sheridan Le Fanu, written for this edition. It traces his Dublin life, his work as an editor and novelist, and the place of Carmilla and In a Glass Darkly in the history of the supernatural tale.
• The complete, unabridged text, including Dr. Hesselius's prologue.

Perfect for:

• Readers of Gothic fiction and classic vampire stories
• Collectors building a library of timeless horror
• Book clubs and students exploring the roots of the genre
• A striking gift for Halloween or any dark winter evening

Add this edition to your library and discover the vampire who came before them all.