Dracula by Bram Stoker, First Grosset & Dunlap Edition, 1927

Stroker, Bram. Dracula. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1927]. First Grosset & Dunlap Edition. 8ov. Presented in original orange cloth boards, stamped in black, and the original pictorial dust jacket. With a new archival ¼ leather and cloth clamshell case. 

Presented is the first Grosset & Dunlap edition of Bram Stroker’s Dracula, published in 1927. The book is presented in its original orange cloth boards, stamped in black, and the original pictorial dust jacket. The book has a new archival quarter leather and cloth clamshell case, with raised bands, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, and an inlay of the dust jacket design on the front. 

Dracula is a gothic horror novel written by Irish author Bram Stoker. The story follows the efforts of Professor Abraham Van Helsing and others to defeat the vampire Count Dracula. Dracula was first published by Archibald Constable and Company in London, 1897. Only 3000 copies were printed of the first edition, yet the book received very positive reviews. Arthur Conan Doyle declared it "the very best story of diablerie [black magic] which I have read for many years."

Stoker wrote the first theatrical adaptation, titled Dracula, or The Undead. The play was performed at the Lyceum Theatre in May of 1897, just before the novel's publication. The play was performed just once, only in order to establish Stoker’s own copyright for theatrical adaptations of his book. Later in 1924, Bram’s widow Florence Stoker gave permission for a theater adaptation that toured England and later the United States. The stage show grew the story’s fame in the United States. 

Inspired by the stage play’s success, a popular American publisher of reprints and photoplay editions, Grosset & Dunlap, decided to issue a reprint of Dracula for their readers. This volume is the first Grosset & Dunlay edition of Dracula, with the plug for the play on the rear jacket panel; “Did you see the play?” it asks. This 1927 edition predates the 1931 film photoplay edition, which celebrates the Universal Studios movie starring Bela Lugosi as Dracula. These early reprinted editions, theater adaptations, and films helped Dracula's status as a pop culture icon. 

CONDITION: 

8vo. Original orange cloth boards, stamped in black. The boards have bumped corners and some dampstaining.  Original pictorial dust jacket. Jacket is chipped with losses, since stabilized and restored by a conservator and wrapped in new mylar. Presented with a new archival ¼ leather and cloth clamshell, with raised bands, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, and an inlay of the dust jacket design on the front. Book Dimensions: 8 5" H x 5 1/4" W x 1 1/2" D. Slipcase Dimensions: 8 3/4" H x 6 3/8" W x 2 1/4" D.